Sugar is the archenemy of anyone who’s trying to lose weight or lead a healthier lifestyle. It’s gotten a bad wrap over the years and for good reason – it packs on unhealthy fat and can damage your pancreas.

The substance is even known to cause diabetes, which already affects 208,000 people 20 and younger. Some may not know it, but we’re supposed to consume about 10 Tsp of sugar daily, yet many of us are consuming three to four times that amount.

So it’s no wonder the diabetes epidemic is on the rise. But it’s not just sugar that’s the issue – it’s artificial sweeteners as well. Some still believe this is a healthier choice for losing weight, yet they’ve been found to cause weight gain and even cancer.

This is why it’s so important to exclude artificial sweeteners from your sugar free diet plan. If you truly want to live a healthier life, then you have to eliminate toxic ingredients.

If you’re not convinced aspartame and other artificial sweeteners used in drinks and treats are harmful, then continue reading.

First, What Are Artificial Sweeteners?

This is very important to know, especially if you’re trying to avoid them. They come in different shapes, sizes and names. This makes it even trickier to steer clear of them, especially since they can be found in just about everything.

Some of the most common (and most dangerous) artificial sweeteners include:

• Aspartame (aka NutraSweet and Equal)

• Sucrose (aka table sugar)

• Acesulfame potassium (aka Sweet One and Sunett)

• High-fructose corn syrup

• Neotame

• Stevia (aka Truvia and Pure Via)

• Saccharin (aka Sweet’N Low)

• Sucralose (aka Splenda)

• Sugar alcohols (aka xylitol, Sorbitol and mannitol)

Now, let’s get into why you should keep artificial sweeteners out of your sugar free diet plan.

They Ruin Your Taste Buds

All of the artificial sweeteners on the market are much, much sweeter than regular sugar. In fact, aspartame, which is commonly used in diet sodas, is 200 times sweeter.

Stevia is between 200 and 300 times sweeter, which is interesting because it derives from an herb. Then Sucralose, which we’ve learned is used by Splenda, is 600 times sweeter.

But what tops the charts is neotame, a common replacement for aspartame, which is a whopping 7,000 times sweeter than table sugar.

Consistently eating artificial sweeteners over time can dull your taste buds, making them less receptive to natural sugars from sources like fruit. In other words, you’ll find these healthy options boring and will continue looking for sweeter, unhealthy options.

They Ruin Your Gut

When you’re eating and drinking “diet” foods and drinks made with artificial sweeteners, it can lead to stomach issues. Consuming fake sugars can confuse your stomach, making it believe it’s consuming a high-calorie substance.

The confusion comes from the 0 calorie drink or food, which contains a very sweet substance. This sweetness sends a signal to your gut, letting it know something high-calorie is coming.

But then it never comes, which can interfere with your stomach’s ability to send hunger signals at the proper times. Maybe this is why so many people in America are overeating?

Yes, they’re Making You Overeat

So it’s not just the artificial sweetener itself that’s causing you to gain weight. As we’ve already learned, they mess with your body’s hunger signals, which can lead to you eating too much.

It’s the taste and feel of the food that confuses your body. The sugar and density tell your brain there are high calories. Foods with artificial sweeteners tend to have a thinner density.

Since these thinner foods aren’t considered satisfying, your brain tells you you’re still hungry. So you continue to eat more and more, even though you’ve had enough.

They Ruin Your Hormones

As you may know, sugar interrupts the hormone known as insulin, which leads us down to the path to diabetes. The issue with artificial sugars is that the sweetness, even when it’s 0 calories, tells our body that insulin is needed.

So your body still recognizes artificial sweeteners as sugar. This, in turn, spikes your blood sugar levels, which can increase your cravings. And at the same time, it can stop your body from creating another hormone called GLP-1.

This is responsible for maintaining healthy blood sugar levels and produces feelings of satiety. When both hormones are disrupted, it can cause you to be hungrier all the time.

The Chance Of Turning Into a Prediabetic Increases!

Your chances of becoming diabetic are still increased when you’re consuming artificial sweeteners. So those who drink a lot of diet sodas are at special risk of type 2 diabetes.

This could either be due to these folks eating unhealthy diets with the diet drinks. Or it’s related to the biological makeup of the artificial sugars.

It was found that diet soda drinkers tend to be 65% more overweight than those who didn’t drink soda. And were also more obese than those who drank regular soda.

They Pollute Our Water

Artificial sweeteners are designed to survive the harsh conditions inside your body. This means it doesn’t easily break down, so it instead packs on calories. Not even oxygen, light and microbes can break down artificial sugars.

When sucralose and acesulfame K samples were taken from wastewater, it showed the sweeteners didn’t degrade at all. Even when it was sitting in the water for seven hours. The same test was done four years later and had the same results.

They’re GMOs

Genetically modified organisms are on the minds of many Americans today. More and more studies show the potential dangers it poses to our health. So many of us are changing our eating habits to avoid them.

If this is your mission, then you need to watch out for artificial sweeteners, which are genetically modified. They’re an unnatural substance, such as soy, corn and sugar beets, which are used to create these artificial sweeteners.

Get Expert Help to Create an Effective Sugar Free Diet Plan

Eating a sugar free diet is difficult as is. When you tie in the fact you have to knock artificial sweeteners off the list, it becomes that much harder.

But this doesn’t make eating a sugar free diet impossible. Thousands of people are already doing it and you can too. The key is to get together with a medical professional that’s well-versed in nutritional health and the sugar free diet.

At Chirothin Weight Loss, we offer programs you can use to help you lose weight the healthy and sustainable way. Start looking for a Chirothin doctor today to start living a healthier lifestyle!