3 Foods You Need to Get Out of Your Refrigerator Now - Page 2 of 2

Splenda

Splenda is just one of many artificial sweeteners found in countless “health” and diet products today, such as protein and energy bars, flavored water, even vitamin and mineral supplements. I’ve chosen to highlight Splenda, or sucralose, because it is an especially deceiving product because it claims to be “made from sugar,” which understandably leads consumers to think it’s a natural, perfectly safe product. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

Splenda is a cholorcarbon, which is simply a fancy name for chlorinated sugar. To chlorinate sugar, you have to chemically alter the structure of the sugar molecule by substituting three chlorine atoms for three hydroxyl groups in the overall sucrose (sugar) molecule. Chlorine, as it turns out, is quite an excitable element. It’s used as a biocide in bleach, insecticide, disinfectants even World War I poison gas!

Chlorocarbons are neither nutritionally nor metabolically compatible in our bodies. Because we’re not made to excrete the poison, the body shunts it into our livers, which is our detoxification organ. There, the cholorcarbons damage and destroy the liver’s metabolic cells. Not so sweet-sounding, is it?

Splenda claims its product has been thoroughly researched, yet not one long-term human study has been conducted to determine any potential health risks. The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) gave Splenda the green light after reviewing only a handful of short-term tests, and each of those was conducted on animals, not humans. Oh, and they were done by a Splenda manufacturer. Maybe they were unbiased?

In test animals, Splenda produced:

Swollen livers and kidneys (my formerly “fatty” liver fits into this category!)
Shrunken thymus glands
Reduced growth rates
Decreased red blood cell count
Hyperplasia of the pelvis
Extension of the pregnancy period
Aborted pregnancy
Decreased fetal body weights and placental weights
Diarrhea

James Turner, chairman of the national consumer education group Citizens for Health issued the following statement:

“… the artificial sweetener Splenda and its key component sucralose pose a threat to the people who consume the product. Hundreds of consumers have complained to us about side effects from using Splenda and this study … confirms that the chemicals in the little yellow package should carry a big red warning label.”

The web site www.truthaboutsplenda.com lists a variety of consumer complaints from Splenda consumption, such as:

Blurred vision
Gastrointestinal problems
Migraines
Seizures
Dizziness
Allergic reactions
Blood sugar increases
Weight gain

It is best to eliminate all artificial sweeteners completely; so bid farewell to those pretty pink, blue, and yellow packets! Try to stick to natural sweeteners, such as raw honey, agave extract, maple syrup, or, if you’re looking for a low-calorie sugar substitute, stevia or xylitol.

Diana Anderson-Tyler is the author of Creation House’s Fit for Faith: A Christian Woman’s Guide to Total Fitness and her latest book, Perfect Fit: Weekly Wisdom and Workouts for Women of Faith and Fitness. Her popular website can be found at dianaandersontyler.com, and she is the owner and a coach at CrossFit 925. Diana can be reached on Twitter.

For the original article, visit dianaandersontyler.com.

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