's motd Monday February 28, 2011

[Guest guest]

YOU SWEET

THING!

Monday, 28 February 2011

Do you know the history of

artificial sweeteners? Well, let me tell you.

Artificial sweeteners were originally created mainly

for those people who could not use regular sugar. I'm

talking about diabetics. See, if a diabetic uses

regular sugar, they can get sick or end up going into

a diabetic coma.

One of the first artificial

sweeteners was a product called cyclamate

and it had just about zero calories. Later on came all

of those diet soft drinks we've been talking about

lately in my daily messages. Artificial sweeteners

became like the little "miracle" for those people who

wanted to lose weight.

I saw a cartoon in a magazine many years ago. It was

of an overweight lady, having a huge hot fudge sundae

and between bites, she was asking for a pack of

artificial sweetener for her cup of coffee. I had to

laugh.

These days, a lot of people are addicted to artificial

sweeteners. Oh, they use them in everything from

cooking, to sprinkling them on their morning bowls of

cereal and adding it to their coffee or tea.

Every now and then, I'll receive an E-mail from

someone asking what I think of artificial sweeteners.

Well, I have to say that I'm kind of on the fence

about them. Yes, the U.S. Food & Drug

Administration has approved several artificial

sweetners and I'm sure you see them in your

supermarket every time you go. The FDA reached the

conclusion that with "normal use," they don't pose a

health risk. But remember, this is the same FDA that

approved the diet pill that ended up causing people

liver and kidney problems or sent them to the bathroom

a lot for, shall we say..."other issues." (If you know

what I mean.) So honestly, I don't know if I'm ready

to completely trust the FDA on this one, just yet.

A lot of researchers have been

doing more tests on artificial sweeteners. See,

they're still concerned that, in the long term, that

is, over the course of a person's lifetime,

using these sweeteners may indeed lead to cancer or

other health problems. So, in my mind, the jury is

still out.

Now you know what my "middle name" is, don't you?

It's MODERATION. It's all about how

much you use artificial sweeteners. As I

pointed out, the FDA talked about "normal use" of

these sweeteners not being a problem. But really, what

qualifies as "normal use?"

When I first tasted an artificial sweetener, it had

kind of a metallic taste to me. Years ago, people

complained about their bitter aftertaste. But lately,

their taste has improved. And I'm telling

you, it seems that every other month, a new

low-calorie artificial sweetener is introduced to the

market. (Gosh, how many are there now?)

Oh how we Americans love our

sweets, don't we? But when it comes to artificial

sweeteners, we have to be careful with them. I mean,

let's face it, we're still not 100% confident on how

truly safe they are.

And by the way, if you're not diabetic, there's

nothing wrong with having a little sugar on

occasion. Again, it's all about portions. It's about

how much you use real sugar. On my FoodMover, if you

have four teaspoons of sugar, you have to close one

fruit window. So see, you can have a little sugar

every now and then. But one more time, you just have

to be careful with how much.

When you're having sugar or using

one of those artificial sweeteners, I want you to

remember my middle name...moderation!

Love,