Many people are now aware that artificial sweeteners like Aspartame and Saccharin are not so healthy for the human body. The fairly new kid on the block is sucralose AKA Splenda. There is a false sense of security surrounding Splenda because it's made from sugar. This implies that it's a real food vs. a lab created concoction. The trouble is that in addition to a sugar molecule, sucralose is produced by chlorinating sugar . This involves chemically changing the structure of the sugar molecules by substituting three chlorine atoms for three hydroxyl groups. This does not sound so sweet or natural!
What about studies proving that it's safe? Well just like with the older sweeteners the damage from small amounts of toxins over time usually takes many years to become apparent. So instead of waiting 20 years for the proof, let's use a little common sense. Anything with the word artificial in the title is indeed not natural. Ultimately, the body is designed to run on natural substances vs. those created in a lab. So even if you aren't convinced, why not go for a natural sweetener like stevia which is an herb. Unlike other artificial sweeteners, stevia does not trigger an insulin response and is therefore safe for diabetics.
In this world of chemical foods, it can be tough to know what's safe and what's not. Just remember that nature has always provided all the food that our bodies need to run optimally.
Photo by: Uwe Hermann
