"Nah..I don't drink Coke, I get Diet Coke instead!"

Why do we inevitably fail to pass the sugar free test! Yes it is amazing, to drink an amazing sugar-free drink that tastes almost like the real thing, or to chew gum that is sugar free! But this sugar free craze sounds too good to be true.  We have seemingly found the way to trick our body and be able to drink or eat an unlimited amount of sweet things with this amazing 0 calorie substitute that won't make us gain weight???!!!

Amazed by how wonderful all of this sounded, I decided to do research on the matter and what I found was that the Sugar-Free substitutes were indeed, too good to be true.  So my suggestion for everyone is DO NOT FALL FOR THEM!!

We know them as NutraSweet, Sweet N' Low, Equal, or Spoonful...those bright colored packets in every restaurant's sugar holder.   In all of these sugar substitutes we find the key ingredient, ASPARTAME. 

We can also find aspartame in many sugar free drinks or foods, such as diet drinks, chewing gum, energy drinks, jell-o, snacks, and even vitamins. (like those Flintstones vitamins)

Now here is something really interesting about aspartame, according to BHawk Industries "When the temperature of Aspartame exceeds 86 degrees F., the wood alcohol in Aspartame converts to formaldehyde and then to formic acid, which in turn causes metabolic acidosis.  (Formic Acid is the poison found in the sting of fire ants.)"  This is insane!  So, yeah it has 0 calories, but it turns into formaldehyde when you put it in your coffee?!! And it contributes to acidosis? Why would we do this to our bodies just to have more guilt-free artificial sweets?

People that have made aspartame part of their daily diets have a higher risk of being diagnosed with systematic lupus and multiple sclerosis, and if they are diabetics it can even be deadly! 

In my opinion,  Sweets are not worth it! Why not just cut back on sugars to begin with? 
The bottom line is that Aspartame is not good for our health and we should not consume it.  But if we must consume a substitution to sugar, the best substitute is sugar from the Stevia plant.  This is the most natural 0 calorie approach to sugar and it's often a suggestion for those with diabetes. Please read the article The Truth about Aspartame, it is very informative and sheds light on this harmful sugar substitute!

Thank you all for reading, and don't forget to eat healthy!