Did you know that the the average American consumes 30 packets of artificial sweeteners per day (aspartame, nutrasweet, sucralose, splenda) and that equates to 24 pounds per year. Pretty alarming information, especially once you read what they really do to you.

I know there has a been a huge debate as to whether these sweeteners are actually safe to consume, but every year more and more research is coming out saying that you should stay away.

Many people believe that they are a great way to still have their sweets and cut the calories. However this is a myth. Many of the artificial sweeteners in Ardmore are actually known to cause an increase in sugar cravings. Even though they are low calorie in and of themselves they actually send a signal to the brain that the body has consumed something sweet. When the brain receives this message that something sweet is coming into the body it begins to release hormones to help digest the sugars. These hormones are supposed to create a feedback mechanism to the brain that normally would satisfy our bodies craving for something sweet. Since these artificial chemicals are not truly "sugar" or glucose, what the brain desires, then is increases the craving for more sweet stuff.

One of the main hormones released during sugar consumption is Leptin (a fat storing hormone). If you spend your day consuming diet beverages and low calorie snack foods your body is continually releasing this fat storing hormone causing quite the opposite effect that you would desire to have by eating low calorie sweeteners. The increase in fat storage puts us at higher risk for cardiovascular related problems.

Dr. Elizabeth Boham, a renowned physician and dietician says this about artificial sweeteners.

"Even one can of diet soda per day increases our risk of diabetes or pre-diabetes by 40%. We know that food is information for our body, and artificial sweeteners is just not providing the right information."

So you might be thinking what are some alternatives? The first step you should consider is to eat sweet foods in moderation, no matter how they are sweetened. If you do choose to consume low calorie sugar substitutes look to things such as Stevia, Lo Han Fruit, honey, or Monk Fruit. These are sweeteners that come from natural sources, which are much better choices.