Happy last day of July! This year has been the fastest I can remember, yeesh. So today Let's Dish about artificial sweeteners. I'm just not a fan of them anymore. I used to be addicted to Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr Peppers. I would think about them all the time, lol. When we found out we were pregnant with our first, per our Dr's advice, we cut out all artificial sweeteners since there was some iffy research findings. It just wasn't worth it to me to deal with the just in case thoughts I knew I'd be having. I'm kinda crazy like that. Whatever. Since then, I've cut them out of my diet for good. Want to know something? I feel so much better. I used to get stomach cramps and headaches after drinking diet sodas and since I've cut them out of my diet, I don't get them anymore. We're not big coke drinkers, we usually drink water and occasionally sweet tea (made with sugar) so it hasn't affected our house too much to make the switch. My husband has always been anti artificial sweeteners and between him and my father in law, they've convinced me I just don't need them. One thing that I just don't get is why they are putting them in children's drinks now. I know, we are an obese nation and our children are gaining weight at a rate that is ridiculously high, but why not put the focus on fresh fruit, vegetables, water, whole fruit juice and increased physical activity instead of adding aspartame to the new and flashy Kool Aid Fizz drinks? Yes, our kids consume too much sugar, but why not just eliminate it from their diet instead of replacing it with something with fewer calories? I did a presentation in Grad School about our country's increasing weight issue with our children, but encouraging them to drink low calorie drinks will not teach them the tools they need to make better choices regardless of the options presented to them. Here are several articles that list some of the risks of giving artificial sweeteners to children. Again, I know that artificial sweeteners are FDA regulated and are considered "safe" on the market but I also know that there has been more than a few times that things have been on the market that are considered safe but are definitely not and are later pulled from public access. I'm not trying to change your mind, just present some information so that you can make the best decision for your family.
This is just my personal choice, I know tons of people who drink, eat and enjoy artificial sweeteners and this is not a place for judgement at all! I do not think you are a bad person or parent if you don't see what the big deal is about this, I promise! I just thought it might be a fun topic to give our opinions on. I find it fascinating to see what other people do and the reasons behind it. I guess it's just the researcher in me :)
So, Let's Dish: What's your take?
2 comments:
We don't eat very many things with artificial sweeteners. I try to keep them out of Abby's diet all together, but I think she probably has some cookies with them in it (mental note to double check that).
I used to be addicted to cokes, but that has changed. I stopped buying them for the house a while back, but I still occasionally have them when I'm out running errands or on a road trip or something. For the most part, I only drink water Kyle mostly drinks those powdered sugar free mixes - again, I'm not sure what their status is as far as sweetner.
Oh, but, I will confess, that I recently got kinda switched on to this yummy vanilla yogurt that definitely has Artificial sweetners in it. And, I know it. But, that's probably one of the few things I knowingly buy with it....and it's just for me.
I agree though - the amount in kids food is scary and unnecessary. Way to keep an eye on things, mama. :)
FYI ~I have used Splenda and Sweet & Low to get rid of ant mounds in the yard. I put them both on the mounds so I'm not sure which one actually worked. If you ever want to try this make sure you pick up the little free packets at restaurants :)
Post a Comment