diabetes hope foundation
Splenda-holics: let’s get real.
So many people are using an artificial sweetener in the hope that it will help them lose weight. A recent article in the New York Times states that almost half of all American households use some kind of no-calorie sweetener. One woman interviewed even described herself as a “Splenda-holic.” And yet, the obesity epidemic is still with us–in fact, as artificial sweetener use has climbed, so has our weight!
Benefits of Sweeteners?
It gets even worse: In an article published online in January in the scientific journal Circulation, researchers wrote about the correlation between drinking diet soda and metabolic syndrome.
Metabolic syndrome is a collection of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes that include abdominal obesity, high cholesterol and blood glucose levels, and elevated blood pressure. In fact, drinking even one can of diet soda a day was associated with a greater rise in risk than a diet high in fried food!
I confess: used to drink diet soda–Tab–but I needed to spike it with a little bit of orange soda, which was sweetened with the real thing. It tasted only little bit less terrible. I thought I was doing the right thing.
But now I know-this is probably not the best way to achieve the body and health you want.
Today, after going on multiple crazy diets and more recently earning an advanced science degree, I’m better able to tell the real from the fake. I follow a lifestyle plan that has given me real, lasting results. It’s based on low-glycemic eating, meaning I eat foods that have a low glycemic index.
Follow the Low-Glycemic Way of Eating
The glycemic index, or GI, is a way of measuring how quickly a food raises the level of glucose (sugar) in your blood, and the speed at which your body releases insulin in response to the sugar. Fast spikes in sugar and insulin can have all sorts of detrimental effects–including deposits of fat.
So, eating low glycemic foods–such as most vegetables, many fruits, protein foods, and some grains such as barley and buckwheat–form the foundation of this way of eating. I discovered low glycemic eating when I teamed up with my co-author Dr. Shari Lieberman, to write our second book together, “Dare to Lose.”
Low glycemic eating is also working beautifully for the people I coach, who have been following the plan. For example, the members of my current group have each lost an average of 9 inches of excess body fat–in just one month. And they have lost most of it where it counts most–around the middle.
They are shedding mock tears because their clothes are too big! And one of them told us how he no longer needs a set belt extension when he flies. On a recent trip to Florida, even his mother said, “You look so much better–you look great!” Imagine how that felt.
Results that Last a Lifetime
This good feeling will last because he and the others have transitioned to a lifestyle plan that is based on healthy low-glycemic eating, and fat-burning exercise–not on a fad diet or on artificial sweeteners. It’s a plan they can and will follow for life; their success and their bounding energy, glowing skin, and improved mood provide ongoing motivation. The fact that the food they eat is so satisfying means they will not be tempted to fall off the wagon.
Rather, they have changed their whole relationship to food and to sweets–they just don’t want them, and they certainly don’t crave them.
They have learned that artificial sweeteners don’t help weight loss–in fact, researchers are studying whether artificial sweeteners trigger a “negative metabolic response” that actually causes people to gain weight.
The latest efforts to create and market artificial sweeteners frustrate me because these researchers are barking up the wrong tree. Why spend money and brain power pursuing something that poses “nagging health concerns” about possible harmful effects? Why go on inventing newer versions of fake sugar that ironically might make you gain weight (especially around the waist) or raise your cholesterol, blood glucose levels, and blood pressure?
Wouldn’t it be smarter to make the transition to a healthier lifestyle that not only helps you lose excess fat, but reduces your risk of heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis and even cancer? That increases your energy and stamina in the office, and in the bedroom?
Think about it: Are you using an artificial sweetener? Which one? Has it really helped you lose weight? In my next article, I’ll offer tips on getting off sugar and artificial sweeteners.
About the Author:
Nancy Bruning, best-selling author and renowned wellness coach and expert reveals how you can get off the dieting treadmill for good. She helps you take control of your health and body and re-capture your self-confidence through fun and simple customized lifestyle changes. To get a free newsletter and more visit
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Weight Loss without Sweeteners: Part 1
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