Ok, I know I may be stepping on toes with this topic, but I need to let you all know how bad your diet soda habit actually is! A study done by the Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort and originally published in the journal Stroke in May 2017, found connections between diet soda consumption and higher risk of stroke and dementia. Artificial sweeteners are classified as neurotoxins. A neurotoxin is a poison to the nervous system that disrupts normal function. The nervous system is responsible for controlling breathing, digestion, your heart and your 5 senses. With each can of diet soda, you are essentially poisoning your nervous system. Many people drink diet soda to keep their calorie consumption down during the day, to maintain a certain weight. What they don't know is that their body doesn't know the difference between sugar and artificial sweeteners when it comes to insulin response. When you consume anything sweet (sugar or artificial sweeteners), your sweet taste receptors send signals to your pancreas to release insulin to break down and utilize the incoming sugar. Insulin is a key player in metabolism, and decides when the incoming food gets stored as fat or utilized for energy. It stimulates the body to utilize carbohydrates for energy instead of burning fat cells. When an artificial sweetener is consumed, there is the same insulin response as if sugar was consumed but there is nothing for the insulin to break down. This results in elevated insulin levels that cause the insulin receptors to become less responsive. The insulin response also signals the body to store more fat around the belly, which in turn can lead to additional insulin resistance. That can of diet soda you thought was helping you loose weight is actually helping you pack on the pounds around your waist and could be causing insulin resistance. The scary thing is, as you become aware of the dangers of artificial sweeteners and work to avoid them, you will find them hiding everywhere. They are in yogurt, chewing gum, mints, bread, sports drinks, microwave popcorn, ice cream, hot cocoa mix, juice, condiments, popsicles, cookies, and low calorie desserts. Instead of artificial sweeteners, utilize natural healthy alternatives in small amounts and reduce your addiction to that sweet taste. Stevia is my favorite alternative and it comes in powder or liquid forms. Maple syrup, honey, monk fruit, coconut sugar, dates and agave nectar are other good alternatives. As you break your addiction to sweet tastes, you may loose weight, have more lasting and stable energy throughout the day, reduce inflammation, get clearer skin, have less headaches, sleep better, have improved digestion and ultimately, crave sweets less. I hope this inspires you to take a closer look at food labels and switch out your diet soda habit for a tall glass of lemon water or at least a stevia sweetened soda instead. Cheers to your health!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorJessica Mutunga is passionate about good simple living that focuses on relationships, food and creating a supportive healthy environment. She is The Light Way Coach. Archives
May 2022
Categories |