People who use artificial sweeteners are usually heavier than those who don’t use them.  This may be linked to increased hunger signals that are sent to the brain and increased “sweet cravings” that lead to overeating.

People who use artificial sweeteners are more likely to be “insulin resistant” because their insulin receptors are (in a sense) confused all the time. Your body is thinking â€œWhat is this fake stuff you’re giving me? Is it food? Is it not? I don’t know what you want me to do with it?” which could be leading to blood sugar and insulin imbalance. This one leads to the third and most shocking finding for many people in the audience….

People who use artificial sweeteners are TWICE as likely to develop Type 2 Diabetes as people who don’t use artificial sweeteners. TWICE AS LIKELY!   I knew that artificial sweeteners had been directly linked to Diabetes but I did not know that the number was so high.

YES, studies have shown (as presented in the most recent annual meeting of the Endocrine Society) “People who use artificial sweeteners are heavier, twice as likely to have diabetes, and more likely to be insulin-resistant compared with nonusers.”

One doctor stated:  “If you’re going to choose from these 3 packets, I would choose Splenda (yellow packet) since it is the only one, up to this point, that has not been linked to Cancer yet”. 

Dr. Oz quickly came back with “Well, wouldn’t you say that could be because it has been on the market the least amount of time and has been studied the least?  We do not have any long term studies on its long term effects because it just has not been around long enough.”

We could not agree more.  Let’s not let manufacturers and food companies use us as their guinea pigs.  We really have no idea what the long term damage of Splenda is, but what we do know is that it will increase appetite and disrupt blood sugar and insulin levels…2 things we absolutely DON’T want when attempting to lose weight and achieve ideal health.

For now, we recommend:

1.   Be sure to read the labels of every food you may think may contain artificial sweeteners (in many more products than you would expect)…bread, yogurt, cereal, vitamins, spices, low sugar drinks…look for saccharin, aspartame, Splenda, and/or sucralose or any of the 50 Names for Sugar, and if you see one of these in the ingredients list, avoid it at all cost.

2.  Use Stevia for all of your sweetening needs.  A little of each goes a really long way and you’ll find that the less you use, the less you’ll desire that sweet taste. 

BEWARE of Stevia products that contain sugar! (Read labels!)

3.  Embrace foods in their natural state.  Once you become accustomed to eating many foods without adding any sweetener, you’ll find that any “sweet food” is just too sweet for your new palate and you’ll actually enjoy natural foods much more.