Have you read your food labels lately? Artificial sweeteners, especially Aspartame can be found in just about every type of processed food not just those labeled ‘diet’. We’ve found this sweetener in things like:

• chewing gum
• children’s electrolyte replacement drinks
• soft drinks
• snack foods
• lollies

...just to name a few. Artificial sweeteners are hazardous to your health and well-being. When reading nutrition labels consider that NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-Measure are all brand names of Aspartame.

These health issues have been linked to Aspartame usage

• Multiple sclerosis
• Alzheimer’s
• Seizures
• Cancer
• Auto-immune disorders
• Autism
• Cellular damage
• even Death

Why is Aspartame dangerous to your health?

It is composed of two chemicals: aspartic acid and phenylalanine. These two ingredients break down into wood alcohol or methanol, which is toxic to your body.Studies have found it hard to prove the hazards because most testing has been done on animals and their bodies deal with methanol in a vastly different way to the  human body. Methanol in the human body converts to formaldehyde. This chemical in your body causes damage to DNA and proteins. DNA is your body’s cellular building block in creating new cells. Damage to DNA creates damaged cells. Damaged cells create disease, cancer and aging. There are other things and foods that also create methanol in your body. Fruits and vegetables actually create tiny amounts of methanol but they have an added ‘protective’ ingredient, Pectin that binds with the methanol and carries it out of your body naturally.

Watch this compelling short video Aspartame: The Bitter Truth Behind This Toxic Sweetener

Avoid these methanol creating foods and toxins.

• Fruits and Vegetables that are beginning to rot or are over ripe. You can cut out rotten areas.
• Canned fruits and vegetables and their juices
• Diet foods and drinks that contain Aspartame
• Smoked foods such as fish or meat
• Chewing gum with any type of artificial sweetener
• Cigarettes

Try these healthy alternatives to artificial sweeteners and sugar

• Stevia herb in either liquid or powder form
• Xylitol

Both these healthy alternatives are available at the Mr Vitamins stores. The word artificial should be a clue that indicates something that is not natural and unhealthy for your body. Avoiding Aspartame or other artificial sweeteners can be a simple as making the choice to not eat processed or canned foods and reading food labels. If you need advice on avoiding sugar  'ask a Naturopath' for more information on how to avoid artificial sweeteners and stay healthy and sweet too!

Update from the US on Aspartame

"Despite the FDA’s denial of two Citizen Petitions to ban Aspartame, CIC (California’s Carcinogenic Identification Committee) is reviewing the safety of Aspartame at its upcoming November meeting. Most of the research allegedly demonstrating safety of the chemical is industry-funded, while those demonstrating side effects are from independent sources.

Research not linked to the manufacturer or to regulatory agencies will provide the backbone of information presented to support the listing of aspartame as a substance known to cause cancer, which means there’s at least a chance CIC may require a warning."

References http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/10/23/aspartame-artificial-sweeteners.aspx http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/09/27/california-taking-action-against-aspartame.aspx