I recently went on a blind date and was delighted when he casually dumped four packets of Splenda into his tiny cup of coffee.  I’ve been a Splenda fan for years - - adding it to everything from Greek yogurt and smoothies to Cheerios and coffee - - and am always thrilled to find a fellow enthusiast.    The fact that said date is also a doctor made his obsession even more intriguing, as the debate over the safety of artificial sweeteners is hot and heavy.

So which is worse - - the chemicals or the calories? The war is on.  And with obesity at an all-time high, it’s hard to tell if these sweeteners are hurting or helping our waistlines. 

Though it’s used as a calorie substitute, artificial sweeteners have ironically been linked to increased weight gain by “tricking” the body into thinking that it needs more nutrients and thus stimulating the appetite.   Scarier even than increased appetite are potential side-effects such as skin-rashes, stomach cramping and dizziness, which have been seen to occur in extra sensitive individuals.

Admittedly, vanity always wins for me.  I’ll happily take the potential side-effects over extra inches on my waistline (I can’t afford to go up a size in my super-tight, super-overpriced designer jeans).  But then again, my grandmother has been eating cake for breakfast and adding upwards of 4 heaping tablespoons of  REAL (gasp!) sugar to her coffee for the past twenty years and still has a body that most thirty-somethings would be envious of…good genetics or lack of chemicals?

I also have a tendency to be excessive in pretty much all areas of my life, so maybe the typical Splenda fan doesn’t use up to 10 packets a day like myself…

But websites like this  - - Splenda Exposed - - scare me…for a second.  Maybe I’ll put two packets of Splenda into my yogurt tomorrow instead of the usual five.  I suppose the bigger issues is how willing we are to deal with the potential health consequences of chemical sugar substitutes to avoid weight gain - - because I can’t speak for anyone else, but there’s no way that I’m going to give up my sweet tooth.

|  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this

• #44 Comment from lgrahamc6 
  5/19/08 9:10 PM | Permalink

  SEE #39  FOR INFO ON LOSING 5 - 15 LBS. IN 9 DAYS!www.gocleanse.com/leongraham YOU WILL NEVER REGRET LEARNING ABOUT THE NUMBER 1 WELLNESS/NUTRICIONAL CLEANSING COMPANY GONE GLOBAL!!!!LEON@727-953-9589 (leave message- I will get right back!)0r direct @ leongraham.isagenix.com   CALL ME 727-512-7388 CELL PHONE  make the call NOW!!!
• #43 Comment from dixonville4 
  3/11/08 7:20 PM | Permalink

  Hello, my name is John I'm a Nutritional Guide. Yes I have a product that is 100% natural & 100% guaranteed! I use the products myself and I've never felt better.
  You are going to absolutely love these products and how they make you feel. It is amazing what can happen when your body gets "Optimum Nutrition" on a daily basis. We really are the solution to all your weight loss, health, personal care and gift giving needs. .
  
  Should you have any questions , please feel free to email me. I will contact you by email within 24 hours.
  
  I hope your shopping experience was a pleasant one. I look forward to helping you achieve your health and vitality goals.
  
  If there is anything else I can do for you, please do not hesitate to let me know.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  John Clark
  
  Email: john.com@thefitnessnutritionoutlet.com
  
  Website: http://www.thefitnessnutritionoutlet.com
  
• #42 Comment from awesumbongg 
  2/9/08 8:38 AM | Permalink

  I'M NICE AND SLIM WITH NO WEIGHT PROBLEM AT ALL.  POVERTY AND STARVATION WILL DO THAT TO YOU.  WHAT, YOU THOUGHT I WAS RICH ?  YEAH OK, WHATEVER!  ANYWAY, WHAT I WANT TO SAY IS  THE TIME HAS SLIPPED BY AND IT'S ALREADY FEBRUARY 2008.... WHICH MEANS I'LL BE PUTTING OUT MY MUSIC AGAIN.  MY LAST DISTRIBUTOR CDBABY WAS A TOTAL SCUMBAG ABOUT HANDLING MY STUFF, SO THEY'RE OUT OF THE PICTURE.  LET'S ROCK 'N' ROLL !!!  PEACE, ADDAM BONGG  INTERNET ROCKSTAR
• #41 Comment from awesumbongg 
  12/3/07 6:31 AM | Permalink

    THE COOLEST STUFF IS THIS NEW SWEETENER CALLED "SHUGR". IT TASTES GREAT, IT BAKES GREAT AND IT'S TOTALLY SAFE FOR DIABETICS. IT'S MADE BY THE HEALTH SCIENCE GROUP.  I JUST FIGURED I'D MENTION IT BEFORE I GO INTO MY TIRADE ABOUT HOW I'M AN AWESOME SONGWRITER AND HOW CDBABY TOTALLY PISSED ME OFF WITH THEIR SHITTY HANDLING OF MY CDs. I HAVE A NEW DISTRIBUTOR NOW AND WILL CONTINUE POSTING NEW MUSIC BY ME, THE ILLUSTRIOUS ADDAM BONGG.  I SAID IT BEFORE AND I'LL SAY IT AGAIN... SABOTAGE IS NOT ENOUGH TO SHUT MY MUSIC DOWN.  CDBABY CAN KISS MY BUTT.      LOVE, PEACE AND "SHUGR" TO ALL,  ADDAM
• #40 Comment from lgrahamc6 
  8/31/07 9:43 AM | Permalink

  P.S. #39 cont. contact me at: lgrahamc6@aol.com