Is aspartame a safe sugar substitute?
The questions often asked of aspartame or sugar substitutes are “How safe are sugar substitute?” and “What are the long-term effects of using it?”
It is claimed that due to the high level of obesity in USA due to the increased consumption of sugary food, the benefits of using sugar substitutes are apparent. However, there are also proponents that argue that the effects are not proven and the consumption of this artificial “chemical” may prove to be more detrimental to your health in the long run.
Some have even claimed that consuming aspartame is worse than consuming regular sugar as sugar substitutes actually cause you to gain more weight since they are not natural and your body does not know how to process their elements. The debate continues and the conclusion remains uncertain so why should you take the risk of consuming this non-natural product?
I believe our taste buds can adjust and adapt over time, so it is a good idea to train yourself to consume less sugar or have no processed sugar at all. The daily food we consume provides us enough sugar to carry out our day-to-day activities and there is no value to adding more teaspoons of sugar to your food or beverage throughout the day.
I stayed off processed sugar and artificial sweeteners many years ago and prefer to natural sweetness from fresh fruit juices. Besides being healthier doing so, I feel my coffee and tea today taste so much better without sugar.
There is no point in taking the unnecessary risks when the conclusion on sugar substitutes is uncertain at this point. You can make the right decision for your health by choosing to stay as natural as possible with what you consume on a daily basis to avoid any aspartame side effects.
References:
Aspartame, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspartame (accessed 20 August, 2018)
Aspartame, https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/aspartame.html (accessed 20 August, 2018)