It’s a night out, and you are looking for a chaser. What do you choose on your run to 7-Eleven? Diet coke? Some Sprite Zero? Or maybe a diet coke is your go-to drink for an energy boost or a pairing with lunch. You’re thinking, “It’s zero calories, how could it hurt me?” But do these no-cal soft drinks, artificially sweetened with chemicals, really have no affect on your body?
When artificial sweeteners first came out on the market, they were the miracle cure for weight-loss. People thought they could consume as much soda, iced tea, and “sugar-free” candies as they desired, and never gain weight from doing so. Sweeteners such as Splenda, Aspartame, and now Stevia appear in almost all kinds of foods and drinks. However, recent studies have shown how these chemicals do change your body, as well as your mind. But before I delve deeper into the effects of such sweeteners, I have to note how they appeared on the market. For example, aspartame, one of the most common artificial sweeteners, took over ten years for the Food and Drug Administration to allow in foods, as it had been linked to causing cancer in mice, but has not yet been proven to do the same in humans. However, not all artificial sweeteners contain Aspartame or the same harsh chemicals as Aspartame. Truvia, a newer zero-calories sweetener, which is derived from the Stevia plant, and therefore a more “natural” sweetener, is also showing up everywhere—from crackers to yogurt.
With artificial sweeteners, you may think you are doing yourself a favor by substituting out sugar. However, artificial sweeteners are usually much sweeter than sugar, which causes those who consume it to crave sugar more and more. We all know the more sugar we eat, the more we want it. But when these artificial sweeteners taste sweeter than sugar, they cause us to want that sugary taste even more than regular sugar would—resulting in a vicious cycle of sugary (tasting) foods in our diet.
Aside from causing us to crave sugar more, artificial sweeteners often do not work well with a collegiette’s digestive system. Studies show that these sweeteners can cause bloating and discomfort. They can even disrupt your digestive cycle, so stay wary of how you feel after ingesting them. Does your stomach churn? Feel uncomfortable? It might just be that these sweeteners are too rough on your system.
Lastly, it is important to point out that artificial sweeteners have never been directly proven to cause weight loss. Yes, maybe they will cut a few calories out of your daily diet, but what are you getting in return? A few more chemicals in your body. Yet, it can be hard to go cold turkey and stop drinking your daily Diet Coke. So try to wean yourself off the sweeteners slowly. You could try drinking a Diet Coke every other day and then switch to water. In the end, you’ll be happier knowing your giving your body what it needs—pure water, tea, juice, etc.—and not chemicals.