If you think that substituting Sweet ‘n Low for sugar in your iced tea will help you consume fewer calories, you’re right. If you think it will assist you with your problematic sweet tooth and help you trim down, you may be dead wrong. From Forbes.com:
Artificial sweeteners may also have effects on other body parts besides the gut – like the brain. Katz points out that the new study “ignores another potential adversity of non-caloric artificial sweeteners: they are, in general, intensely sweet, and propagate a ‘sweet tooth.’ By doing that, they may cause people to favor added sugar in a wide variety of foods, and that increased glycemic load of diet may, in turn, contribute to glucose intolerance.” In other words, your brain reacts to the extreme sweetness of the compounds as if they were sugar. It’s very possible that sugar substitutes might alter the complicated cascades behind how the brain perceives hunger and satiety, perhaps even altering the kinds of food we crave.
Ever notice that those Quest bars you eat seem addictive? You find yourself craving the Cookies and Cream, but it’s cool; they’re healthy. Each bar has fewer than 200 calories. You’ll lose weight for sure. Bzzzz. From the same article:
Our relationship with our own individual mix of gut bacteria is a huge factor in determining how the food we eat affects us,” said study author Eran Elinav of the Weizmann Institute. Especially intriguing is the link between use of artificial sweeteners – through the bacteria in our guts – to a tendency to develop the very disorders they were designed to prevent; this calls for reassessment of today’s massive, unsupervised consumption of these substances.
The food industry dug the idea of no-calorie sweeteners. Starting in the 80’s, the market was flooded with “no sugar” and “zero calorie” versions of your favorite vices. Suddenly, you didn’t have to give up the soda or candy habit to lose weight. Ads trumpeted, “eat dessert and still lose weight!” from every aisle of the grocery store. Instead of fighting the obesity epidemic in the United States, these studies are suggesting that artificial sweeteners may be contributing to it.
A friend recently asked my advice about a cleanse she was about to partake in. Her goal, of course, was to lose weight. I asked her what was in the shakes; she handed me a Ziploc bag filled with a khaki colored powder. “It’s green, it must be healthy.” She didn’t have the contents’ original packaging, so I wasn’t able to look at an ingredients list. I asked her if I could taste it, and she was cool with it. Doing my best Sherlock Holmes impression, I scooped some powder and gave it a quick taste. The sweet flavor was overwhelming; I had no doubt there were lots of artificial sweeteners therein. Case closed.
Call me crazy, but I don’t think any product labeled with the word “cleanse” should contain artificial ingredients of any variety, but at least they don’t cause diseases….wait…but… From bostonglobe.com:
While artificial sweeteners can help some people control their calorie intake, they could set the stage for the development of diabetes. That’s the disturbing finding of a preliminary study published Wednesday in the journal Nature, though outside nutritionists say it needs to be replicated before firm conclusions can be made from the study.
Let me get this straight. Artificial sweeteners may not help us lose weight, may contribute to the obesity epidemic and could contribute to the onset of diabetes?
Pass the sugar,
Kap
Eric says
Kap, artificial sugar is bad, it’s found in everything we consume. People have no idea they are eating sugar, they just think it’s healthy cause the package says so. They never bother to turn the box around and read the ingredients list. It’s overwhelming the size of the words and the list all hidden sugars. I’ve recently went Paleo, my daily highs and lows are gone, I no longer have craving for sugary foods, it’s incredible how things change once you stop chasing the sugar dragon. Love your site, keep the great information coming!
Gabe Kapler says
Thanks, Eric. Appreciate you.
Msquared says
Kap-
(Forewarning: I am extremely passionate about this topic…)
The train stops at the word “artificial”…. My opinion is that they should just label these prouducts as “TUMOR Incubators”…
The fact that we sell this shit in our grocery stores and feed it to our families is outright disturbing. I am confident that over the next decade, many of these substances will be banned as the direct correlation between cancer and articifical sweeteners will be “officially” proven (not to mention a number of other pediatric disorders)
As far as i go, I don’t get down on sweets too often, but I do need something to make my coffee straight. This said, i stumbled onto raw organic coconut sugar a few years back and it does the trick for me(without the processing). For those interested, it can be used for baking and really any situation where sugar is called for (at a reduced calorie rate).
While I’m on one- I’d like to send out a middle finger to the google founder who thought that it was his responsibility to invest millions into engineering the worlds first synthetic hamburger in a lab: http://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/aug/05/google-sergey-brin-synthetic-beef-hamburger
Stick to technology Sergey, you a-hole.
Read you mañana.
Gabe Kapler says
Felt the passion, brother. Thanks.
Matt (@Matt1J) says
I really do want to break my sugar habit but jeezaloo, it’s hard. I stopped drinking soda when I read that article yesterday. I’m done with it I noticed Coke even changed the size and pricing of the bottle. You can now buy an one liter bottle at pretty much any store for 99 cents. Sounds like a great deal when you see a can of soda out of the machine is $1. Any idea how long it takes to get past that sugar craving stage? I’m going to be one cranky guy this weekend I can tell you that!
Gabe Kapler says
I eat purple cabbage when I crave sugar. Seriously, it works.
Sarai Macedo says
Hey Kap! Thanks for the tip. I will stock up on purple cabbage! 😀
Duane says
Happy Friday!!! We try to keep sugar and sweeters out of our food consumption. It’s not easy but do a pretty damn good job at it and as Eric said just read the label. Plain and simple…read the label.
Gabe Kapler says
Have a great weekend, Duane.
Richie says
Awesome post as always! As I stated in past comments I have Crohn’s disease and was initially diagnosed with celiac. I have been on a gluten free diet in the past, as well as cut all junk and dairy from my diet. Sometimes I give in to my cravings and have a soda or junk, but usually I eat as clean as possible. My diet is part paleo, part GF, part blood type, and dairy free. Video games, fast food, junk food, and soda have made this country obese and future generations are going to struggle mightily. Ditch the soda and buy a sodium free flavored seltzer or water!
Gabe Kapler says
interesting, Richie. Thanks very much.
Bryan says
As mentioned in previous posts, sugar and its sweet substitutes, are addictive drugs, not unlike nicotine, alcohol, and everything harder available on the corner. Big Food and Big Soda are the most successful dope peddlers of all time. As is the case with the other substances, kicking that habit isn’t easy. Cold turkey can be a fickle mistress on the road to “recovery” so finding replacements may be key. Each time you want to eat something sweet, take a sip of water or pop in an almond, or take a quick little walk. You can fight the bad habits by creating new, healthy ones.
Also, buyer beware of anything labeled low or reduced fat (or anything labeled for that matter, but I digress), as this is evidence of added sugars and sweeteners. They need to cut the recipe with something and these sweets are less caloric than the natural fats of the product.
Richie Ernst says
Nicotine & caffeine rank right up there with illegal drugs! Tobacco companies put sugar in cigarettes too!
Gabe Kapler says
Dig that, Bryan and Richie.
Ed H says
I read a credible article the other day (I just spent 10 minutes looking for it) contradicting a lot of your references. I wish I could find it. I’ll keep looking….
Even assuming I can find the article, I would totally recommend anyone to take full responsibility for there diet and meet their goals without artificial anything… Using an artificial sweetener to reduce calories kind of assumes you have a calorie target established. Setting a realistic calorie target and choosing foods to intake proper nutrients and reach that target is the responsible approach… and don’t drink the fukken calories (outside of managed smoothies, if that’s your thing).
I know it may seem easier said than done, but nobody ever said living responsibly is easy.
You asked me for more details yesterday and I replied to yesterdays comment with those details…
One last rant before I go…. If you need to avoid sugar, JUST AVOID SUGAR. Don’t look for something like sugar…
Gabe Kapler says
Thanks, Ed, for this comment and the reply on the other post.
Kap
Char says
I’ve had a raging sweet tooth for 50 years – I doubt anything could make it worse!
Richie Ernst says
Maybe having no teeth..lol?
Michelle says
I’d rather eat a sugar cube than drink a diet Pepsi.
Paul says
Diet Pepsi? Always worked for me to stop diarrhea. 😉 But NutraSweet can
also trigger seizures! (Although my sister-in-law doesn’t believe me)
Gabe Kapler says
Diet Pepsi, sugar cubes, diarrhea, NutraSweet. We cover all.
Terri Torrez says
We were just discussing this exact topic yesterday, including the diabetes study. Thanks for the references; I’m forwarding to my lunch buddies.
Gabe Kapler says
Thanks, Terri.
BoojieMaw says
Top 2 uses for sweet n low:
– even out a wobbly table.
– throw it at a person you find attractive and tell them there is more where that came from 😉
You’re welcome!
Gabe Kapler says
Dig that, BM.
kbeyazdancer says
Never bought into the lie that Artificial sweeteners are better for you than natural sugar. My scientific knowledge and degrees tell me otherwise. There are a lot of factors that contribute to Obesity. Moderation-Moderation
and Moderation
-Kelebek
Steve says
Amen to the moderation.
David says
What Stevia?? It is a natural zero calorie sweetener, right??
Steve says
Yes, stevia is made from a plant. Supposedly it actually may have anti-inflammatory effects….If you choose a 0 calorie sweetner go Stevia !
Ed H says
Lydia disagrees (a reference for Breaking Bad fans).
Griff says
In a study with lab rats they feed the rats liquid cocaine for several days then introduced liquid sugar in another bottle or feeding apparatus. After several days they gave the rats a choice of either one. All but one chose the liquid sugar. I will try and find the study but in the meal time Kap you should watch the documentary Fed Up. Eye opener.
Sarai Macedo says
Hi Kap! Thanks for sharing this article. I am guilty of having reached out to artificial sweeteners in the past! It’s amazing how we can just fall into the idea that diet versions of unhealthy foods will help us lose weight. I have taught myself to drink coffee and iced tea without sugar…My cousin freaks out and says I am silly…haha. I just laugh because she is addicted to junk food. I will pass this on to her. Oh and I must say it’s a shame I have been missing your blog posts; the notifications were going to my junk mail! 🙁 Have a great weekend! 🙂
BeesMakeHoney says
I have a slightly different viewpoint on this.
While I don’t go out of my way to add fake sugar to my food, I do enjoy a diet soda now and then. I also drink iced tea with splenda on a daily basis. That said, I make my ice cream and baked goods with sugar and honey. They taste the best and make for the most delicious results.
Unless you garden, keep a cow, raise chickens, grow rice, etc. you will be subject to chemicals. Toxins are in our foods, in soap meant to keep us clean, in blankets meant to keep us warm.
I just try to do my best to do everything in moderation, avoid the worst when I think it appropriate, add more of the best when I can – focusing on what is in my control.
Its makes for a more enjoyable lifestyle.
Josh says
RX Bars…egg whites, figs, dates, almond, cacao, and salt. A much better option compared to quest bars.