What About Fake Sugar??

Let's just keep talking about sugar, shall we? 

This time let's talk fake sugar. You know, the type of sugar in diet sodas, sugar-free Jello, Crystal Lite, Splenda, Truvia and the like. They go by the names sucralose, aspartame, xylitol, sorbitol, or mannitol. 

These types of sugars have zero calories, so doesn't that mean they won't make me fat? 

The simple answer: No. They will still make you fat. 

Read on to understand a few reasons why going 'diet' is still not good for fat loss. 

1. Artificial sweeteners can cause insulin resistance. 
This means that insulin starts to be ineffective, leaving the glucose wandering in your bloodstream instead of using it as energy or storing it as fat. 
Why is this a concern? This is the first step towards diabetes! 

2. These sweeteners are sweeter than sugar. 
When your taste buds get used to flavors so sweet you will continue to crave very sweet things, which are usually high in refined sugar which will lead to additional stored fat. 

3. Your body senses what's coming in.
Our bodies are pretty neat. They can sense what types of food you're about to put in it. If you're looking at a brownie or cookie, your brain knows that those foods are sweet so it will start to produce insulin in preparation of you eating those foods. It does the same thing with artificial sugar. When our insulin levels are high more glucose is then stored as fat in our body. 

4. Your cholesterol will rise. 
And not the good kind of cholesterol! Triglycerides can increase dramatically from sugar, including artificial sugars. Triglycerides are the form of cholesterol responsible for heart disease. 

Just these few reasons are huge. It goes to show you that calories don't matter. 

The quality of the food you eat is all that matters, and sugar - even fake sugar - is the culprit for so many health issues. 

Where are these things hiding? 

-Splenda. I already mentioned it by name. It may be tempting to bake a cheesecake with this for a low-carb, 'sugar-free' treat, but just don't do it. 

-Truvia. They get you with saying that it's a 'natural' sweetener. The fact is that it contains the sugar alcohol erythritol. So just put it back on the shelf. 

-Sugar-free syrups at popular coffee shops. Sucralose is what is used. No thanks. 

-Diet sodas. Of course, right? Aspartame, saccharin, or Splenda. None of it will help you with your fat loss goals or help your insulin regulation. 


So, please don't believe the lies that tell you that 'sugar-free' or 'diet' foods or drinks are healthier for you. Now you know that they're just as worse, if not worse as regular ol' sugar. 



For more reading on this subject:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25828597

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21505330

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26095119

http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20739512_9,00.html