“Artificial sweeteners include an
array of chemical concoctions ”
in that respect. However, when used in excess
and at the expense of other more natural carbohydrate
foods, the body, it seems, can “tricked”
into thinking there is glucose entering the body.
In response, high levels of insulin are released
to deal with this onslaught of “sugar.” This can
then trigger a hypoglycemic episode where blood
sugar goes too low and/or increased hunger
signals are sent to get that carb hit the brain is
looking for. A harmful cycle can begin in which
insulin and glucose levels are not well maintained
starting in childhood, and this may eventually
lead to insulin resistance and an increased risk
for disease, namely diabetes, later in life.
On healthy diet: With this increase in artificial
sweeteners comes an obvious fact. We are feeding
out kids more processed foods. These processed
foods are coming at the expense of natural, whole
foods which contain an abundance of nutrition
that our growing kids need. Starting at an early
age we are teaching out kids to rely on and prefer
processed foods to more natural choices. While
not necessarily harmful in the short term, many
of these foods are nutritionally inadequate for our
youth. Even in adults we are seeing poor intake
of various nutrients when processed foods comprise
a large portion of the diet, and this is likely
happening with our kids as well. While meaning
well in most cases, many parents are setting
their kids up to prefer processed foods with the
consequence of potential nutrient deficiencies.
These are the main reasons I strongly hesitate
against the use of artificial sweeteners in the
diets of our children. Apart from being unnatural,
they really just aren’t necessary. They are not the
answer to the problems we are seeking to solve.
Instead they create risk in terms of adequate
nutrient intake and even disease risk later in life.
Parents, instead of resorting to artificial sweeteners,
I implore you to do the hard work of teaching
your kids to enjoy savory and lesser-sweet foods.
It’s hard work no doubt and yes, you end up being
the bad guy on many an occasion, but your kids
will benefit in the long run. Better yet, start very
early on if you still have the chance and set those
dietary patterns from the start.
Article by Danielle VenHuizen
WomanToWomanMagazine.com 35
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