Millions of people consume artificial sweeteners assuming they are safe.

Artificial sweeteners actually stimulate appetite and increase cravings for carbs.

Problems linked to aspartame consumption alone include headaches, dizziness, weight gain, vision problems (including blindness), depression and mood changes, brain cancer, seizures, birth defects (crosses the blood-brain barrier and can be passed from mother to fetus), strokes, fatal kidney damage, arthritis, atherosclerosis, coronary disease, multiple organ system failure, and death.

Individuals vary in their reactivity, sensitivity and tolerance to the chemicals (like formate, which is the waste product of formaldehyde), excitotoxins, acids, and other by-products of aspartame.

You may not notice an immediate difference in how you feel after consuming artificial sweeteners, but your health can be damaged in the long-term.

Look for these ingredients on labels and resist the temptation to buy:

Saccharin
Aspartame (found in over 6000 products)
Acesulfame K
Neotame
Equal
NutraSweet

According to Dr. Mercola:
“Three of the best sugar substitutes are all-natural Stevia from the whole plant, Lo Han Guo, and Dextrose (pure glucose).
Contrary to fructose, glucose can be used directly by every cell in your body and as such is a far safer sugar alternative.”

As with most things, moderation should be practiced.

He also says:
“I want to emphasize, however, that if you have insulin issues, I suggest that you avoid sweeteners altogether, including Stevia, as they all can decrease your sensitivity to insulin.
So if you struggle with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or extra weight, then you have insulin sensitivity issues and would benefit from avoiding ALL sweeteners.”