Coffee Drama Migraines, dizziness, intestinal cramping, bloating, chest pain, and even weight gain are only a few of the side effects of sucralose, an artificial sweetener by the name of Splenda—how many times have you heard this before? Advertising delivers a clear message, saying sweeteners are healthy and help us lose weight. And people like me, who want to lose weight, believe them. I consume, on average, roughly 25 packs of Splenda each day. Before you tell me how crazy I am, take a minute and check out how many artificial sweeteners you eat per day. I bet it’s more than you realize. Are any of you willing to share? Until three weeks ago, no one could convince me to stop using Splenda. I was literally addicted. Surprisingly, it was not a doctor or a close friend or even a family member that shook me up, but a general chat with an acquaintance of mine. “Stop it, leave me alone. I’m not giving up my Splenda,” I told her, and then, when she started raving about Stevia, I was ready to hang up on her. “I don’t like Stevia. It makes me gag and feel nauseous. I’m not going to put this in my mouth. Stop it.” As much as I hate when people try to tell me what to do, even if it’s for my own good, this conversation pushed me to consider making a change. On my next visit to the grocery store, I looked for Stevia. I pulled one small box from the shelf and dropped it in my shopping cart. However, after just one step, I changed my mind and returned the box to the shelf. I continued on my way, rushing to complete my shopping so I could head to the cashier, but not before checking on that Stevia again. After looking at the box, I grabbed it and examined it as if it were a new medication that I was about to take. Finally, I dropped it in the cart and went to go check out. As soon as I arrived home, I placed the Stevia next to the Splenda, planning to give this product a chance in my next cup of coffee. It was the following morning when I tried the Stevia. As soon as I had the first sip of my coffee, I could tell it was different, and after I swallowed it, I got sick. I hated it. I dumped the coffee in the sink and quickly made a fresh cup of coffee—this time with Splenda. My frustration grew. I wondered why Stevia tastes so bad—it really destroyed my joy of drinking coffee. I had to look it up to find out why everyone is raving about it. So, here we go. Stevia is a natural sweetener extracted from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana plant. It has 150 times the sweetness of sugar yet it has negligible effect on blood glucose. Also, some studies concluded that Stevia could lower blood pressure. Stevia’s biggest downside, however, is its bitter aftertaste… Like people say, tasty and healthy don’t necessarily go together. I looked for a way to overcome this Splenda addiction. I thought that maybe if I did it gradually, I might be able to get used to it. So on my next cup of coffee, instead of adding three Splendas, I used two Splendas and one Stevia…and I survived. I started to search more about sucralose and found out that it’s actually chlorinated sugar, or as I call it, bleached sugar. It would be stupid to think that chlorine is not toxic to the body—of course it is—especially when it accumulates over time in our system. Today, I’m taking my coffee with only one Splenda and one Stevia—for me, this is an enormous achievement.
While this is not yet perfect, it’s progress. I believe that soon Splenda will be out of my life and I will be Splenda-free forever. What was I thinking all these years? It’s time to push Splenda away. If I can do it, everyone can! Michelle Leave a Reply. |
Archives
December 2020
AuthorMichelle Categories |