The illusion of artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes
The average American consumes 152 lbs of sugar annually--a surprise to many people especially because it is ADDED sugar, not accounting fruits, breads, pasta, and other forms of carbohydrates from the diet. The consumption of sugar has been responsible for many health effects such as metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and obesity--conditions that lead to heart disease over time. In recent years, sugar has come under fire for being hidden in, or exceedingly available in many of our foods including salad dressing, flavored additives and soft drinks. Food manufacturers intending on reducing added sugar in foods have many options to sweeten foods by using sugar substitutes.
You’re probably familiar with the concept of “empty calories”, the idea that foods high in sugar are also high in calories compared to it’s overall nutrient density. But despite the availability and frequent use of sugar substitutes and artificial sweeteners, there is still a national problem with obesity. Two-thirds of Americans are overweight and at least one-third are considered morbidly obese, the kind of obesity that is directly connected with symptoms such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.
Obesity is not JUST a problem with too many calories in and not enough calories out. Obesity is a behavior, one that is reinforced with a strong desire for appetite, an inability to or unwillingness to change, and the biological need for our cells to use carbohydrates as a primary source of fuel whenever we get hungry, tired, or stressed. These are strong emotional and physical motivators sustaining a thriving sugar based food industry in our country. So how does artificial sweeteners contribute to obesity when it has relatively low calories to begin with?
Artificial Sweeteners
You may already be familiar with the brand names like the following...
Acesulfame potassium (Sunett)
Aspartame (NutraSweet or Equal)
Sucralose (Splenda)
D-Tagatose (Sugaree)
Saccharin (Sweet 'N Low)
The above are far sweeter than sugar, especially Sweet ‘N Low which is 300x more sweet than table sugar. A little goes a long way to satisfy our sweet tooth...which is really a reward center in the brain, powerfully driven by emotion rather than reason. Healthier sugar substitutes such as monk fruit, stevia (an herb), honey, and palm sugar (refined coconut) are not much better. Our bodies can digests these naturally occurring sugars easier and has less chemicals to detox in the liver. But our appetites were still stimulated by flavor regardless of where the sweeteners came from.
Consuming foods rich in flavors, ones that are laced with artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes makes it very challenging to gain satisfaction from other foods that could be beneficial to your health. Additives that sweeten, smell, or sexify our foods will ultimately change the way we taste food. For example, less sweetened foods like fruits can become unappealing and unsweetened foods, like vegetables, can be downright appalling! Having a diet soda to avoid calories, then having a cake to feel like you balanced a caloric equation is bad reasoning and perpetuates a problem with appetite stimulation.
Breaking free
How are we able to liberate our emotional ties to foods when we live in a culture that praises sweets, food presentation, and flavors? I admit, it’s not going to be easy. We will (meaning I will) be tempted constantly, and succumb frequently(...ish). The goal is to be proactive in your choices, defensive in your priorities, and avoid immediate gratification when possible. Basically, avoid obesity, getting sick and becoming unhealthy!
Make a decision to eat whole foods first, like real fruits and vegetables, grilled meats, and consume water regularly rather than beverages. Then reward yourself LAST with something flavorful. You don’t have to live in a deprived gastronomic state, but rather be strategic as much as possible to get food satisfaction from real foods, not manufactured food products or designer foods! Fight the good fight all (myself included)!
Dr. Adrian Pujayana has been providing drug-free solutions for health and wellness to adults,
athletes, and youth since 2000 through his private practice at Family Chiropractic Center of South Pasadena, a place for strength training and nutrition based health care. For comments or questions, email him at southpaschiro@gmail.com
References:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/artificial-sweeteners-sugar-free-but-at-what-cost-201207165030
https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/truth-artificial-sweeteners#2
