Can “Diet” Make You Fat? The Truth about Artificial Sweeteners

Added sugar is a disaster and many people are trying to avoid it.

But most of us are accustomed to sweet foods, and don’t want to live our lives without them.
For this reason, various artificial chemicals have been invented to replicate the effects of sugar.
These are substances that can stimulate the sweet taste receptors on the tongue.

They usually have no calories and don’t have the harmful metabolic effects of added sugar.
These chemicals are known as “artificial” sweeteners… as opposed to “natural” sweeteners like sugar or honey.

These chemicals are very sweet, and they are often added to foods and beverages that are then marketed as weight loss friendly… which makes sense given that they are virtually calorie free.
However, despite increased use of these low-calorie sweeteners (and diet foods in general), the obesity epidemic has only gotten worse.

The evidence regarding artificial sweeteners is actually fairly mixed and the use of these substances is highly controversial.

So… what is the truth about artificial sweeteners? How do they affect appetite, body weight and our risk for obesity-related disease?

Let’s have a look…

There Are Many Different Types of Artificial Sweeteners

There are numerous different artificial sweeteners available and the chemical structure varies between them.

What they all have in common, is that they are incredibly effective at stimulating the sweet taste receptors on the tongue.

In fact, most are hundreds of times sweeter than sugar, gram for gram.
Some of them (such as aspartame) do contain calories, but the total amount needed to provide a sweet flavour is so little that the calories you ingest are negligible (1).

Here is a table showing the most common artificial sweeteners, how sweet they are relative to sugar, and brand names they are sold under:


Then there are other low-calorie sweeteners that are processed from natural ingredients and therefore don’t count as “artificial.”

This includes the natural zero-calorie sweetener stevia, as well as sugar alcohols like xylitol, erythritol, sorbitol and mannitol. Sugar alcohols tend to have similar sweetness as sugar but less than half as many calories.

This article is strictly about the artificial sweeteners… but you can read about the natural ones here.

Artificial Sweeteners and Appetite Regulation

Animals, including humans, don’t just seek food to satisfy energy needs.
We also seek so-called “reward” from food. Sugar-sweetened foods trigger brain chemicals and hormones to be released, part of what is known as the “food reward” pathway (2, 3, 4, 5).
“Food reward” is crucial to feeling satisfied after eating and shares brain circuitry with addictive behaviors, including drugs (6, 7, 2).

While artificial sweeteners provide sweet taste, many researchers believe that the lack of calories prevents complete activation of the food reward pathway. This may be the reason artificial sweeteners are linked with increased appetite and cravings for sugary food in some studies (8). Magnetic imaging in 5 men showed that sugar consumption decreased signalling in the hypothalamus, the appetite regulator of the brain (9).

This response was not seen with consumption of aspartame, suggesting that the brain does not register artificial sweeteners as having a satiating effect. It may be that sweetness without the calories leads to further food seeking behavior, adding to your overall caloric intake. But… there have also been studies where artificial sweeteners did not affect appetite or caloric intake from other foods (10, 11).

In a 6 month study of 200 individuals, replacing sugary drinks with either artificially sweetened drinks or water had no effect on food intake (12).

Bottom Line: Some researchers believe that artificial sweeteners do not satisfy our biological sugar cravings in the same manner as sugar, and could therefore lead to increased food intake. However, the evidence is mixed.

Sweeteners and Sugar Cravings

Another argument opposing artificial sweeteners is that the unnatural sweetness encourages sugar cravings and sugar dependence. This idea is logical considering that flavor preferences in humans can be trained with repeated exposure (13). For example, we know that reducing salt or fat for several weeks leads to a preference for lower levels of those nutrients (14, 15). Sweetness is no different.
While this is not proven, it does seem to make sense. The more we eat of sweet foods, the more we want them.

Bottom Line: The strong sweetness of artificial sweeteners may be causing us to become dependent on sweet flavor. This could increase our desire for sweet foods in general.

Observational Studies on Artificial Sweeteners and Body Weight

Many observational studies have been conducted on artificial sweeteners. These kinds of studies take a group of people and ask them about various factors, such as what they eat. Then many years later, they can see whether a particular variable (such as artificial sweetener use) was associated with either an increased or decreased risk of disease.

These types of studies don’t prove anything, but they can help us find patterns that warrant further investigation. Several of these studies have paradoxically found that artificially sweetened drinks are linked to weight gain rather than weight loss (16).

However, the most recent review, which summarized the findings of 9 observational studies, found that artificial sweeteners were associated with a slightly higher BMI, but not with body weight or fat mass (17). I should point out that this study was industry sponsored. It doesn’t mean that the results are invalid, just that we should be extra skeptical because the funding source of a study can often skew the results and the interpretation of the data (18).

That being said… correlation does not imply causation, so these studies don’t prove anything one way or the other. Fortunately, the effects of artificial sweeteners on body weight have also been studied in numerous controlled trials (real science).

Bottom Line: Some observational studies have found artificial sweeteners to be linked with increased weight, but the evidence is mixed.

Controlled Trials on Artificial Sweeteners

Many clinical trials have concluded that artificial sweeteners are favorable for weight control (19, 20, 21, 22). One of the largest trials looked at 641 children aged 4-11 years who had to drink either 250 ml (8.5 ounces) of an artificially sweetened drink, or the same amount of a sugary drink every day for 18 months.

The children who were assigned the artificially sweetened drinks gained significantly less weight and less fat than the sugar-drinking children (19). The most recent review of 15 clinical trials found that replacing sugary drinks with their artificially sweetened versions can result in modest weight loss of about 1.8 lbs (0.8 kg), on average (17).

Two other recent reviews led to similar findings (23, 24). So… according to the best available evidence, artificial sweeteners appear to be mildly effective for weight loss. They certainly don’t seem to cause weight gain, at least not on average.

They certainly don’t seem to cause weight gain, at least not on average.

Bottom Line: Numerous controlled trials have studied the effects of artificial sweeteners on body weight. On average, replacing sugar-sweetened beverages with diet beverages may cause weight loss of about 2 pounds.

Artificial Sweeteners and Metabolic Health

All of this being said, health is about way more than just weight. There are some observational studies (again, studies that don’t prove anything) linking artificial sweetener consumption to metabolic disease. This includes an increased risk of metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Sometimes the results are quite staggering… for example, one study found that diet soft drinks were linked to a 121% greater risk of type 2 diabetes (25). Another study found that these beverages were linked to a 34% greater risk of metabolic syndrome (26). This is supported by a recent high-profile study on artificial sweeteners, showing that they caused a disruption in the gut bacterial environment and induced glucose intolerance in both rats and humans (27).

It is known that the bacteria in the intestine (gut flora) are incredibly important for health (28, 29, 30).
Whether artificial sweeteners cause problems by disrupting the gut bacteria needs to be studied further, but it appears that there may be some cause for concern.

Take Home Message

Replacing sugar with artificial sweeteners may be helpful in reducing body weight, but only very slightly at best.

Their intake certainly does not seem to cause weight gain, at least not in the short-term. At the end of the day, artificial sweeteners are not “toxic” like some people make them out to be, but I’m not convinced that they’re perfectly safe either. The research goes both ways… and the decision about using them must come down to the individual.

If you’re healthy, happy and satisfied with the results you’re getting and you happen to use artificial sweeteners… then there’s no need to change anything. If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it. However… if you suffer from cravings, poor blood sugar control or any mysterious health problem, avoiding artificial sweeteners may be one of many things to consider. Different strokes for different folks.

Source: Authority Nutrition

Right Eating Affirmations

 Right eating affirmations will condition your mind and body for healthy eating which is so essential for health. This is because mere dieting or exercising is not enough for a healthy life.

Healthy eating is a must for maintaining a healthy body. Correct eating and regular exercising is way better than mere dieting.

We are programmed to eat whatever that is easily available. Right eating requires a conscious effort. Also, normally the foods that are tasty have a very high sugar and fat content and are easily available.

Hence, the subconscious mind has to be reprogrammed for right eating. The following right eating affirmations will help in these efforts:-

1. Select a few right eating affirmations that fit your requirement. 
2. Write them down (better than printing).
3. Paste them on your eating table, the door of your fridge, etc.
4. Repeat these healthy eating affirmations in front of a mirror, at least a hundred times daily, for a few months (at least six months) and see your eating habits change for a better and healthier you.

Right Eating Affirmations

·      I choose to change my eating habits and I successfully do so.

·      I ignore false messages of hunger and eat only when necessary.

·      I forgive myself for eating the wrong foods and I transcend all feelings of unworthiness.

·      I love life and I am immune to the temptation of eating processed foods.

·      I easily replace foods containing refined sugar with natural foods.

·      Eating right is easy and fun for me. I love my body and take good care of it by eating correctly.

·      I successfully release the desire to eat beyond the point of being full.

·      I release the need for foods that cause indigestion and discomfort.

·      I substitute high fat foods with high water content foods.

·      I exchange high fat foods for high energy foods and all excess fat is now being removed from me.

·      For me, eating and emotional comfort are separate and I forgive myself for overeating.

·      I replace dieting with healthy eating principles and habits.

·      Healthy eating and I are one and I am richly rewarded for my healthy eating habits.

·      I accept healthy eating as a way of life.

·      I only eat the foods that are good for me.

·      I eat the right foods at the right times.

·      I refuse to let other people influence me to eat too much.

·      I can eat right without hurting anyone's feelings.

·      I am allowed to decline food and do so in total peace.

·      The Universe provides more than enough food for me.

·      I willingly keep my meal portions small.

·      I choose fruits and vegetables over salty, sugary high fat foods every time.

·      Fresh vegetables feel and taste good in my mouth.

·      I get all the vitamins and nutrients I need.

The ebook The Magic of Affirmations is now available for sale at amazon.com

Source: Self Help and Self Development

5 Foods To Avoid Whilst On A Diet

In this article I am going to present 5 foods to avoid while dieting or at least reduce their consumption to a minimum in order to succeed in your weight lost and reach an optimum health. I am sure you are familiar with several foods which are detrimental for your health and I may cover some of them, but I hope I will introduce something new for you.

All the following foods can have some harmful effects, so try to avoid all of them and start eating healthier today.

The Cambridge Diet: Slimmer Who Went From Size 24 To Size 10 Explains Why It Works

If you want rapid weight loss, the Cambridge diet has been hailed as one of the most effective ways to do so. 

In fact, actress Jennifer Ellison recently posted pictures of herself touting the benefits of the diet.

But what does it actually involve? 

It works on several 'steps' or levels of diet. If you are heavily overweight (they say a BMI of over 25 at least) and have found that diets haven't worked for you in the past, then you will want to start at stage one. 

This is called Sole Source, named after the meal-replacement products you'll be eating, and includes around four Cambridge products a day, coupled with 2.5 litres of water. Price-wise it costs about £44 a week, which they say is cheaper than Weight Watchers. 

We wanted to find out if it really worked, and what the challenges and benefits were, so HuffPost UK Lifestyle spoke to slimmer Cacia Griggs who works as a sales and marketing team leader, who managed the feat of going from a size 24 to a size 10 in 18 months. 

She said: "I started the diet in July 2011 and as with anyone who is overweight, there were lots of reasons why I wanted to lose the weight. But, I would lose motivation because I wouldn't see the results quickly and I had 8 stone to lose. 

Cacia - before the diet

"The final straw was when I saw an article that said if the parents were obese, then the children of the same sex are likely to become obese. I could not imagine my daughter Isabelle, who was three at the time being obese. Something had to change. People in my office had done the diet before and recommended it." 

Move Over 5:2 Diet, The Low-GL Diet Makes You Lose More Weight & Faster

The 5:2 diet is the darling of the diet world, but as we know, there's always a better diet waiting round the corner. 

A new book called Burn Fat Fast: The Alternate Day Low-GL Diet Plan by Patrick Holford and Kate Staples (she used to be the gladiator Zodiac before she broke her neck), looks at the priniciples of fasting and food combining, as well as what exercise to do to complement the diet. In short, a full body plan. 

What is striking about the diet is that even though it incorporates fasting, it's a good plan for people who like to eat, or more simply, don't like the hunger aspect that we associate with dieting. Better still the exercise plan involves - on certain days - only 8 minutes of working out. 

 

Salmon and potatoes - mixing carbs with protein

So, first off, what is a 'low-GL diet plan?' GL stands for glycemic load, which measures the amount of sugar and starch in food and their impact on your body. Patrick says that a measure of glycemic load shows how much carbohydrate there is in each food and how fast the carbohydrate will break down into glucose (and therefore how quickly your blood sugar levels will rise).

The crux of the diet is about managing your insulin, or blood sugar levels. Insulin, says Patrick, is an ageing hormone, and also plays a key role in burning fat. So if you can control the levels of insulin, you can slow the ageing process and keep the weight off. 

The idea of the diet is that you combine three fast days where you can eat a maximum of 800 calories, in low-GL foods. You can feast the other four days (on low-GL foods) and should implement the exercise plan during the week.

How does it work and what should I eat?
Since 2005 we've been studying and testing the GL diet – not by eliminating carbs but actually introducing the right kind of carbs alongside protein. Eaten together, protein takes longer to digest

How To Follow The Mediterranean Diet

Adopting a Mediterranean diet can be easy and cheap. This blog is about the types and amounts of ingredients to eat in order to get maximum health benefit from the diet.

The health benefits

The typical Western diet is high in animal fats and preservatives, but low in fruit and vegetables. Scientific research has shown that this food combination is partially responsible for triggering many chronic diseases and cancers.

Research has also shown that following a Mediterranean diet can reduce the chance of developing conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and even Alzheimer's disease. 

Switching from a Western to a Mediterranean diet represents a healthy lifestyle choice. It can reduce the risk of a premature death and increase the chance of a healthy retirement, free from long-term medication. 

The Mediterranean Diet

The term 'Mediterranean Diet' describes a specific mix of dietary food ingredients, shown, to promote health and long life in people from many countries, including the UK and USA. The word 'Mediterranean' refers to the origins of the diet, rather than needing to eat Greek or Italian foods (see Note 2) - although, experimenting can be enjoyable and rewarding. 

When planning ingredients for Mediterranean-style meals, it is good to include lots of variety. For example, using a range of fruit and vegetables gives the body maximum access to sources of vitamins, minerals and other trace nutrients. This is quite logical, because it's only recently that supermarkets have been able to make foods available throughout the year. This counteracts natural seasonal variety in the human diet.

The overuse of salt in flavouring Western-style meals and fast foods has been linked with increased blood pressure. The healthy alternative is to replace the excess salt with herbs, as Mediterranean folk have done for many years. This can also add new flavours to quite simple pasta, rice dishes and stews.

General principles

The Mediterranean Diet is not about quick fix 'superfoods'. Nor is it a strict list of what you should not eat. Rather, the Mediterranean Diet is a formula for healthy day-to-day eating over the long term. Here's a quick guide for those who would like to try it:

• Maximise your intake of vegetables, peas and beans (legumes), fruits and wholegrain cereals.
• Limit your red meat intake - fish and poultry are healthy substitutes.
• Where possible, use mono-unsaturated olive oil or rapeseed oil in place of animal fat such as butter or lard.
• Limit your intake of highly processed 'fast foods' and 'ready meals', where you cannot tell saturated fat and salt intake.
• Eat no more than moderate amounts of dairy products, and preferably low-fat ones.
• Do not add salt to your food at the table - there is already plenty there.
• Snack on fruit, dried fruit and unsalted nuts rather than cakes, crisps and biscuits.
• Drink (red) wine during meals, but no more than three small glasses per day if you are a man and no more than two small glasses per day if you are a woman.
• Water is the best 'non-alcoholic beverage' (as opposed to sugary drinks), although health benefits have also been claimed for various teas and coffee (see Note 3).

Mediterranean Diet Has Huge Health Benefits, New Study Finds

For more information: Mediterranean Diet

Do You Have the Right Mindset for Losing Weight?

Losing weight is more than just watching the food you eat and the amount of exercise you do. One of the most important (and hardest) steps in the weight loss journey is putting yourself in the right frame of mind to commit yourself 100% to your weight-loss plan.

If you have ever tried to lose weight in the past you will already know how easy it is to become distracted along the way. It can feel like a constant battle to stay focused and stick to your weight-loss plan all of the time.

Sticking to a diet and exercise plan is tough because everyday you are surrounded by temptations that can lead you off course. You have to deal with the unhealthy food cravings which can be extremely hard to ignore and you have to cope with making drastic changes to your daily routine so you can break those bad habits which keep causing you to put on weight.

And if that wasn’t hard enough you also have to deal with the pressures and personal commitments of everyday life such as work, family and maintaining a healthy social life. This can almost start to feel like a real juggling act as you try to find the right balance between sticking to your weight-loss plan and living a normal life.

It’s no wonder that many people fail or give up on their weight-loss goals because it can feel like everything is working against you. This is why you need to have the right mindset when you start your weight-loss journey so you can overcome these obstacles and stay on the right track to losing weight.

How To Develop The Right Mindset To Lose Weight

To be successful with any weight-loss plan you need to be committed and commitment is purely a state of mind. To have commitment you need to be determined, motivated, positive and have the will power to overcome obstacles and resist all temptations.

Below are 6 important steps you can take that will help you create the right mindset for losing weight.

1. What Do You Truly Want For Yourself  Why do you really want to lose weight? What are the reasons? Is it for health reasons? Is it because you want to improve your physical appearance so you can feel good about yourself? It could be for a variety of different reasons but the important thing to determine here is why do YOU want to lose weight.

Determining the reasons why YOU want to lose weight is going to be the driving force and motivation you will need to be committed and stick to your weight-loss plan until you get the results you are after.

2. Set Specific Weight-loss Goals For Yourself – Set some goals for yourself so you have a destination to work towards. Try and be specific when you set these goals so you know exactly what you want to achieve. Is it to lose 20 pounds, 30 pounds, 40 pounds, 50 pounds?

By setting specific weight-loss goals you will be able to see exactly how far you have come in your journey and how far you still need to go.

3. Make Your Plan - Once you have set your goals and you have a final destination that you can work towards, you then need to make a plan of how you will get there. Analyze your current situation and identify the necessary changes and the course of action you will need to take in order for you to reach your goal.

Give yourself the best chance of sticking to your plan by making it enjoyable for yourself. Plan a diet for yourself that is not only healthy but is also full of foods that you will enjoy eating. Develop a fitness program for yourself that will help you lose weight but make it consist of activities you actually enjoy doing.

4. Prepare Yourself For Change – You need to prepare yourself for the changes in your life that are about to happen. You need to make yourself fully aware that sticking to your plan is going to require some hard work both physically and mentally.

You will increase your chances of being successful with your weight-loss plan if you realize the amount of effort that is going to be required before you actually start the journey. By doing this you are less likely to give up when the going gets tough because you have already prepared yourself for what is about to happen.

5. Practice Positive Thinking Techniques – It is easy to lose focus and give up when you have negative thoughts floating around in your head. When you start to doubt yourself and think you are not capable of achieving the goals you have set then there is a good chance you will not be able to stick to your plan and reach your final destination.

By using positive thinking techniques such as positive affirmations and vision boards you will keep yourself motivated and in high spirits. You will start to develop the mindset that anything is possible when you put in the effort and this will give you that positive attitude you need in order to achieve your weight-loss goals.

6. Realize That You Deserve Better - This is possibly the most important step in developing the right mindset that will help you lose weight. You need to realize that you deserve to be healthy and happy. Weight issues can lead to a variety of different health issues and can cause a major lack of self-esteem but you need to realize that you are capable of living the life you want.

Losing weight is not an easy task and it certainly will not happen overnight. But if you are able to get yourself into the right mindset for losing weight and mentally prepare yourself for the journey ahead then you are giving yourself the best possible chance to be successful. 

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