Ok. I know I told you to stay away from sugar. So now you’re probably thinking, “No problem, I’ll just eat foods made with artificial sweeteners.” If so, PUT THE DIET SODA DOWN. While there are a few better choices than pure, white, refined sugar, artificial sweeteners do not make the list!

Aspartame, for example, which is labeled as NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful and Equal Measure is wrapped in pretty, pastel packages and has been approved by both Health Canada and the Food and Drug Administration in the United States as safe for consumption. Don’t take this as a sign that you should eat it. Seriously.

One of aspartame’s main ingredients is methyl alcohol which, in the body, converts to formaldehyde. You probably remember the scent of formaldehyde from dissecting a frog in high school. Do you want to eat and drink the liquid seeping off of the frog? I know I don’t. If that image isn’t enough to turn you off, just Google “formaldehyde.” Yes, it’s a neurotoxin. Yes, it causes cancer. No, I don’t want to drink it.

Is Aspartame killing you?

James and Phyllis Balch, in their book "Prescription for Nutritional Healing," list aspartame under the heading “chemical poison,” which seems to make sense considering 75% of the adverse reactions to food additives in the U.S. are caused by the stuff. And if you were thinking that you would endure the reported headaches, tinnitus, tachycardia, vision problems, numbness nausea, etc. reported or deal with the diseases worsened by the amino acid damage aspartame causes, such as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis and AIDS, in an attempt to save calories and be thin, think again. One of the reported side affects of ingestion is weight gain.

Now, don’t go getting cocky and patting yourself on the back because you eat Splenda (sucralose), not Aspartame. It isn’t a winner either. Dr. Joseph Mercola, on his site mercola.com, did a little research about this chemical sweetener, which was only actually eaten by 23 humans before it was approved and released on the market. The commercials focus on the fact that Splenda is made from sugar. That’s true. It is made from sugar. According to Dr. Mercola, however, once it has been processed, Splenda bears more relation to DDT, a banned insecticide, than sugar. Delicious.

How can you avoid it?

Want to stay away from artificial sweeteners? The easy answer is to stay away from packaged, processed foods. If this seems impossible, check the label. In general, a packaged food made from an artificial sweetener will say something like “reduced calorie.”  Want to do what I do when I absolutely must have something in a package? Don’t buy it unless it’s organic. This doesn’t mean it’s healthy or low-sugar — you’re still going to have to check the food label — but it does mean it can’t contain artificial sweeteners. 

No sugar. No artificial sweeteners. How in the world are you going to curb your sweet tooth? Stay tuned! I’ll let you know. 

You can buy Prescription for Nutritional Healing 4th edition at Amazon. 

It’s white (or brown), it’s sweet and it’s lurking in places that you would least expect it. From sodas and candy bars to even hamburger buns and pasta sauce, sugar lines our grocery store aisles, pantry shelves and, by extension, intestinal linings. 

According to the Canadian Sugar Institute, the average person consumes 63 grams of sugar each day from packaged foods, meaning 12% of their daily calorie intake comes from sugar before they’ve even stirred it in their coffee or sprinkled it on their cereal. 

Our kids suffer the most

And the kids may be the ones suffering the most. A 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey showed that Canadian children ages 4-18 were getting 22% of their daily calories from foods labeled as “other,” meaning processed, sugary junk foods. Since little tummies can be more sensitive and become full faster, filling up on these junk foods may mean that children and teens aren’t getting enough of the fruits, vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats their bodies need to grow and thrive.

While sugar can lead to the obvious, immediate side effects in children such as hyperactivity and sugar highs and crashes, the long-term effects of over-consumption can be even more devastating. From obesity to diabetes to cancer to heart disease, not to mention dental disease, sugar is a culprit and every scenario.

Fighting the sweet tooth

Plus, Nancy Appleton writes in her book Lick the Sugar Habit that sugar leads to a suppressed immune system, increases bad cholesterol while decreasing good, suppresses adrenal gland function, prohibits absorption of Vitamin E, and can increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, gout and alcoholism. (Alcohol is just another form of sugar, after all.) Basically, it’s a little white nightmare, and while no one should be overindulging, it’s especially important to set a good example for children so that they don’t grow up addicted to the stuff too.

I’ll be the first to admit that I have had my run-ins with sugar. I love chocolate and, at one point in my life, realized that I was eating it every day and having sugar cravings all the time. The good news is, it’s a habit that’s relatively easy to break. If you can take the first step, by completely eliminating excess sugar for two weeks, focusing on healthy, whole foods, not “other” foods, you will begin to realize that you no longer crave sugar. I know, I know, it seems impossible, but it’s true!

Making the right choices

If you don’t want to take such a drastic step right away, start out by focusing on what you are bringing into your house. If you can say “no” to soda, candy bars, dessert cakes and other sugary, processed foods while you’re in the store, you won’t have to say “no” to them again once their in your house. Let’s face it, if it’s in the pantry, you’re probably going to eat it.

Start checking the labels on your food, as well, not just for calories and fat but also for sugar. Check out Heart & Stroke Health Check’s website, an affiliate of Canada’s Food Guide, for a great chart detailing how much sugar is too much in the grocery store items that are hiding sugar behind their colorful packaging.

If you are really serious about eliminating sugar, though, try to stay away from processed, packaged foods as much as possible, focusing on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats and low-fat dairy. And check back later this week for more sugar news and some yummy, healthier substitutes for the white, refined sugar in your pantry!

You can get Nancy Appleton's book "Lick the Sugar Habit" at Amazon.