How's your waistline doing after this crumby winter? March often brings on new waves of weight loss efforts as we discover last fall's shorts aren't quite fitting as they did and maybe blood sugars have drifted up a bit if diabetes is part of the health profile. Cutting back on the sugars is one strategy many folks try to help tip the energy balance the other way.

For years and years and YEARS, researchers have studied low-calorie sweeteners (LCS) such as “Equal”, “Sweet 'n Low”, “Splenda” and more. Despite newspaper and tabloid headlines, none have been shown to cause cancer, hyper activity, mood swings or sugar cravings. The same findings will likely come out for newer plant-based low-calorie sweeteners including stevia and monk fruit. In fact, companies making them have to show they are safe before they can be added to foods.

I recently joined a webinar reviewing LCS safety. The presenter, a PhD toxicologist, concluded a detailed presentation with these points:

• •"While numerous controversies have been highlighted regarding individual LCS, they have all been dismissed following re-evaluation of the data by regulatory authorities.
• All regulatory authorities therefore continue to support the safety of low-calorie sweeteners.”

(If you really want to know more details, I'll send you the slide set.)

So, experts say low-calorie sweeteners are safe, but are they useful? Here are some of my thoughts:

• Low-calorie sweeteners reduce the calories in foods when they replace large amounts of sugar and the sugar is not replaced with other carbohydrates, such as flour.
• Zero calorie beverages are the perfect fit for LCS. Most of us could benefit by drinking more fluids. Adding flavor to water encourages us to drink more.
• High liquid food with a high sugar content such as ice cream, yogurt, puddings and Jell-O are also logical foods for LCS's. Do you know anyone who eats Jell-O regularly?
• When it comes to baked things like pie, cake and cookies, the value of LCSs pretty much goes away because we start adding more flour to replace the volume sugar provided. Total calories and carbohydrates pretty much remain the same. Eating smaller portions of traditional, full-sugar foods often cuts sugar and calories just as well.
• Sugar-free candies are pretty much a wash, too, especially those made with chocolate. Since those are high in fat they remain high calorie. Lower calories per piece often means the pieces are smaller than their full-sugar versions. Sugar-free gum is another positive application, but more more our dental health than the waistline.

No miracles here. Smaller portions and more activity still remain the keys to the trimmer middle for most of us.

Spring is coming: praise the Lord!

Note: If you would like to receive weekly Spirited Living musings from Judy on an assortment of topics, email her at judy@fitzgib.net.