Q: I like to sweeten my coffee and tea with Equal or NutraSweet. Are there harmful side effects with using these artificial sweeteners, and if so, are there any other calorie-free substitutes I could use?
A: NutraSweet and many other products contain aspartame, an artificial sweetener that is approximately 180 times sweeter than real sugar.
Aspartame is commonly found in thousands of other products that you may use daily, including diet soft drinks, instant breakfasts, breath mints, sugar-free chewing gum, coffee beverages, tea beverages, frozen desserts and even over-the-counter medicines.
However, aspartame may not be that sweet for your health. The artificial sweetener may cause more than 92 health side effects including blindness in one or both eyes, dizziness and memory loss, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, irritability, tumors, birth defects, attention deficit disorder, cancer and many more. However, there is an alternative to satisfy your sweet tooth.
To satisfy your sweet cravings, try a natural sweetener called Stevia rebaudiana, often called Stevia. Stevia is a naturally occurring herb that is native to Central and South America. It has been used as a sweetener and for medicinal purposes for centuries in Paraguay. The leaves of the Stevia plant are commonly used in Paraguay and Brazil for controlling diabetes, obesity and depression.
Research from the Journal of Phytomedicine states that Stevia helps control blood glucose and promotes insulin creation. The study results led the researchers to conclude that the plant extract stevioside may potentially be used as a new anti-diabetic medication for Type 2 diabetes.
Stevia is about 300 times sweeter than sugar, non-caloric and only a tiny amount is needed to bake with or sweeten a drink. Studies have shown that it is non-toxic with no mutagenic activity. Dentists also now believe that Stevia is a natural plaque and cavity fighter, with antimicrobial and antibacterial ability.
Stevia is gaining steady market share in the United States and can be found in your local health food store, Trader Joe's or Whole Foods Market. It may take a little getting used to, but if you give it a try, you might find a new way to sweeten your life.
