Thursday, March 03 2022
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:
(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:
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. |