Are Artificial Sweeteners Safe?

Artificial SweetenersThis question has been posed so many times,, and mostly the answers are ambiguous.. I am going to dispel all of the misconceptions about artificial sweeteners.

They are all unsafe in large quantities. As a clinical nutritionist in private practice for almost 14 years, I have come across so much research about artificial sweeteners.

The products in question  are:

  • SPLENDA which is made of sucralose
  • EQUAL which is made of aspartame
  • SWEET AND LOW which is made of saccharine

These are the 3 most popular artificial sweeteners that have endured the most controversy over the last 2-3 decades.

Artificial Sweeteners Better than Sugar

Most people believe that artificial sweeteners are better for you than consuming products containing “sugar”. The answer is yes and no — yes, the artificial sweeteners will not cause diabetes or make you gain weight, and no because the chemical components of each of them definitely will contribute to some degenerative disease some 10-20 years down the road and some will trick your body into thinking it wants something sweet.

These are not proven facts, but think of it this way — it’s better not to consume any of them, artificial sweeteners or sugar, on a long term basis.

Natural Sweeteners are a Safe Alternative

Why not consider using totally natural sweeteners, like Stevia — a plant-based sweetener twice as sweet as sugar with no calories and no fat, or Agave Nectar made from a plant as well, delicious and only 35 calories per teaspoon — neither one will spike your blood sugar.

Knowing this — would you still want to have artificial sweeteners in your diet?  Let me know in the comments below.

Image by jayralinherrera