Aspartame Dangers

By Brandon Sharp


An aspartame effect makes this an additive to be concerned about. It is an additive found in many of the foods and drinks you're consuming that contain an artificial sweetener. The consumption of aspartame is strongly discouraged in the Paleo diet. Be wary of any product containing artificial sweeteners.

Are you unfamiliar with the name aspartame? Maybe you know it better by its more familiar names of Equal or NutraSweet. It's in the diet soda you're probably sipping as you read this!

Think you're safe from the ill effects because you don't drink diet soda? Think again. It's found in more than just soft drinks. Aspartame is, in fact, placed in more than 5,000 products in more than 60 countries worldwide.

That means that somewhere throughout your day, you may encounter this potentially dangerous additive even if you don't purposefully choose low-calorie foods. And if you chose sugar-free foods in an attempt to reduce your family's consumption of that ingredient, the odds are even greater you're consuming aspartame unknowingly.

The dangerous aspect of aspartame is due to the more than fifty percent content of a substance called phenylalanine. Have you ever heard of that substance? There's no great surprise if you haven't. But believe it, in this instance; what you don't know really can hurt you.

Some say that this sweetener is harmless, and they will add that phenylalanine is merely a naturally occurring amino acid. They will state that it is safe. It's true that it is natural, but that is only a partial telling of the story. It is NOT meant to be taken in the quantities at which we are consuming it!

The fact that it can actually lower the seizure threshold in our systems when it gains dominance in our bodies is not the only dangerous aspect of this seemingly beneficial additive.

Aspartic acid comprises another 40 percent of this sweetener. It has been linked to lesions in the brains of mice and other laboratory animals.

To continue the process of dissecting aspartame, it breaks down into methanol once it enters the system. Specifically, this converts to 10 percent wood alcohol, formaldehyde, formic acid and DKP (diketopiperazine). DKP is a widely acknowledged brain tumor agent.

According to some experts, this artificial sweetener begins its potentially deadly transformation about 10 minutes after you consume it. Interestingly, aspartame begins breaking down at approximately 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Your average body temperature is 98.6 degrees.

The facts stated here is the result of investigative legwork performed by Mary Nash Stoddard, author of The Deadly Deception: Aspartame, who is also a spokesperson for the Aspartame Consumer Safety Network (ACSN).

You may want to know how you can tell if aspartame is harming you. Here is a list of potential symptoms that may indicate you're consuming too much of this substance. They include: unexplained headaches, nausea, hearing loss, vertigo, slurred speech, depression, anxiety attacks, fatigue, joint pain, menstrual irregularities, chest pain, arrhythmia, and increased appetite. Ironically, increased appetite certainly negates the very reason why millions of individuals use this product to begin with: to lose weight!

So how do you avoid consuming aspartame -- or at the very least, limiting it in your daily diet? It'll take some perseverance on your part, but it can be accomplished.

You should conscientiously read food labels, especially on those products you are considering consuming that are marked "diet" or "sugar-free". Chances are, during your careful scrutiny you will find that the "diet" item is sweetened with an artificial sweetener.

You can find this additive in many foods you would never even envision them lurking around in, just waiting to affect your health, so don't limit your label reading to products marked "diet". There are some processed and packaged foods that also contain aspartame.

Nourishing your inner caveman isn't about immediately changing your eating habits. It's all about slowly incorporating more fresh fruits and vegetables into your diet while weaning yourself of processed foods. Just as any significant change is more successful when induced over time this is a more effective method of kicking the aspartame habit.

Drinking at least 8 glasses of water daily is another technique to helping flush these poisonous toxins out of your system. It is recommended by most experts that you drink plenty of water no matter what your diet.




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