| Is my Diet Coke making me FAT? In my practice as a | | | | the weight that you want, and stay there? It has been |
| nutritionist and personal trainer, new clients are always | | | | in my experience that the answer is "no" and until you |
| coming to me telling me they are doing everything they | | | | are ready to commit yourself to a healthy way of |
| are "supposed" to be doing, but still, do not lose weight. | | | | eating, weight loss will always be a constant struggle. |
| Of course, this is frustrating. Losing weight is hard | | | | What else do sweeteners do? |
| enough, and to change your eating habits and still see | | | | Sweeteners increase appetite |
| no results, that's even more frustrating. | | | | Artificial sweeteners tell your taste buds that, "sweet |
| So why do these people not lose weight? If I had to | | | | stuff has arrived," which to the brain means, "nutrition |
| pick the most common reason why most people's | | | | has arrived." When artificial sweetened drink or food |
| efforts have proved no results, I would say it is the | | | | reaches the small intestine, the receptors find no |
| deception of artificial sweeteners and processed diet | | | | nutrition. A message is then sent back to the brain |
| foods. Yes, you heard right. It is the diet coke, diet | | | | saying, "We've been tricked-there's no nutrition here." |
| snacks, processed foods and artificial sweetener in | | | | The appestat (the part of your brain that triggers |
| your coffee that is keeping you fat. | | | | satiety) sends the message to "keep eating because |
| So how is this so? | | | | we need nutrition to help process all this fake food and |
| Artificial sweeteners overwhelm your liver | | | | run your body." So even after you eat a good |
| Your liver is your largest internal organ, and it's | | | | portioned healthy meal (along with your diet coke) you |
| responsible for an astonishing variety of life-sustaining | | | | still feel like your starving all day, or you become very |
| and health-promoting tasks, including those that make | | | | hungry soon after. Your healthy eating efforts may be |
| healthy weight loss and weight management possible. | | | | sabotaged if you continue to feel hungry all day. No |
| Integral to countless metabolic processes, the liver | | | | one likes to feel hungry so you continue to eat more |
| supports the digestive system, controls blood sugar | | | | food until you feel satisfied, which in your effort to lose |
| and regulates fat storage. One of your liver's most | | | | weight, may just be too much. |
| important functions, and the most crucial to your | | | | Sweeteners Increase our Sweet Tooth |
| weight loss, is chemically breaking down everything | | | | Saccharin (Sweet n Low) is 300 times sweeter than |
| that enters your body, from healthy vegetables, to not | | | | sugar, aspartame (Equal) is 200 times sweeter than |
| so healthy fast food, from healthy water to not so | | | | sugar and sucralose (splenda) is 600 times sweeter |
| healthy soda. | | | | than sugar. Such sweeteners can only increase our |
| It's your liver's job to distinguish between the nutrients | | | | sweet tooth and increase our taste of sweet things. If |
| you need to absorb and the dangerous or | | | | you can never get rid of your sugar cravings, any |
| unnecessary substances that must be filtered out of | | | | healthy eating plan will be difficult because you will |
| your bloodstream. But when the liver is clogged and | | | | constantly be craving "sweet". Artificial sweeteners |
| overwhelmed with toxins, like artificial sweeteners, it | | | | have also shown to promote the same blood sugar |
| can't do a very effective job of processing nutrients | | | | fluctuations as regular sugar, which, again will bring on |
| and fats. If it can not process the nutrients and fats | | | | "sugar lows" which will increase appetite and cravings. |
| that your body needs, this will cause you to gain | | | | This is not to say, that something sweet now and |
| weight or will prevent you from losing weight. | | | | again is not ok, but it is those people who can not |
| Your liver also produces bile, a crucial substance for | | | | control their sugar cravings that are being sabotaged |
| detoxifying our bodies. It is the job of bile to help our | | | | by these artificial sweeteners. |
| bodies break down the fats we need and to assimilate | | | | What are some alternatives to sweeteners? |
| fat-soluble vitamins. But when our bile becomes overly | | | | Giving up sugar and artificial sweeteners may be |
| congested with the toxins it's trying to filter out, it simply | | | | difficult, especially if you are accustomed to everything |
| can't function properly. It becomes thick, viscous and | | | | having such a sweet taste. A wonderful alternative to |
| highly inefficient in breaking down fats. The result: You | | | | sugar and artificial sweeteners is an herb called Stevia. |
| are more likely to gain weight and to have a greater | | | | Stevia is an extraordinarily sweet herb, 200-300 times |
| difficulty losing it. So the more toxic your body | | | | sweeter than sugar. Stevia is almost calorie-free, so it |
| becomes, the more difficulty you'll have losing weight | | | | is perfect for people who are watching their weight. |
| and keeping it off because your liver just can not work | | | | Unlike sugar, it does not trigger a rise in blood sugar so |
| properly to break down fat. | | | | you will not get a sudden burst of energy followed by |
| Are artificial sweeteners considered a toxin? | | | | fatigue and a need for another "fix". It increases |
| So what qualifies something as a "toxin"? A toxin is | | | | energy and aids digestion by stimulating the pancreas. |
| anything that your body does not recognize as a | | | | Stevia also presents great advantages over |
| natural food source. The reason why artificial | | | | saccharine and other artificial sweeteners in that it is |
| sweeteners have "zero" calories is because your | | | | not toxic. Stevia is a plant that is found in nature and is |
| body does not recognize them as a food source. For | | | | not man-made in a laboratory. Stevia can be found at |
| example, the chemical process to make Splenda | | | | almost all health food stores such as Whole Foods, |
| (sucralose) alters the chemical composition of the | | | | and is listed under the "supplement" section. Stevia can |
| sugar so much that it is somehow converted to a | | | | be used exactly like sugar and artificial sweeteners to |
| completely different molecule than sugar. This type of | | | | sweeten drinks and it can even be used in baking. |
| "fake" sugar molecule does not occur in nature and | | | | If weight loss or staying away from sweets has |
| therefore your body does not possess the ability to | | | | always been a problem for you, take notice of how |
| properly metabolize it. This is how the makers of | | | | much artificial sweetener you have been ingesting. |
| Splenda claim that it has zero calories, because in | | | | That just may be the culprit. Make a resolution this |
| theory it should not be digested or metabolized by the | | | | year to give up the "fake" stuff and stick to natural |
| body (Although it has been shown that some people's | | | | alternatives like Stevia. You will not only be helping your |
| body do absorb up to 15% of the artificial sweeteners | | | | weight loss efforts but you will also be benefiting your |
| they ingest). So the more artificial sweeteners that you | | | | health. |
| consume in one day, the more you are overwhelming | | | | If you or someone you know is addicted to sweet |
| your liver with toxins and the less able it is to do its job | | | | drinks such as sodas or beverages sweetened with |
| of processing fat. And what happens if the liver can't | | | | sugar or artificial sweeteners, try this "Tea Juice" and |
| do its job? You can't lose weight or worse yet, you | | | | you will see that weaning yourself off sugar or |
| gain weight. | | | | sweeteners will be much easier. |
| What if you don't use artificial sweeteners? Don't be | | | | Tea Juice |
| fooled. Almost every diet product on the market has | | | | 5-6 bags of any caffeine free herbal tea of your |
| some kind of artificial sweetener added to it. Even | | | | choice (green tea, peach tea, berry tea, orange zinger, |
| some children's snacks are now being made with | | | | lemon, etc.) 3 quarts water Stevia powder or liquid to |
| sucralose (Splenda) and most flavored waters contain | | | | taste Boil tea bags in a large pot. Add 1-2 full |
| sucralose or aspartame. | | | | teaspoons of stevia while still hot. (You may add more |
| Now add up how many things you eat in one day that | | | | or less, based on your desired sweetness) Let tea |
| contain some form of artificial sweetener. The list may | | | | cool and then transfer to the refrigerator in Ice Tea |
| be very long. How overwhelmed do you think your | | | | pitchers or individual size water bottles. |
| liver is? Does it have the ability to work properly? | | | | This drink is a great replacement to Diet Coke or Diet |
| Even if you keep your calories at bay and only drink | | | | Snapple. |
| Diet Coke with your meals, will you truly get down to | | | | |