National Nutrition Month: Nutrition Myth #1

March marks National Nutrition Month.  This is a month dedicated to educate Americans on how we should eat.  And indeed, there is a TON of information available to us these days.  This can be good and bad.  Often, the information is conflicting which can cause utter confusion about what you really should be eating.  Not to mention that as we learn more about how the body works, we discover that some things that used to be advised are not any longer.

Choosing to eat food that is as close to its natural form (whole, unprocessed, plant-based), helps to reduce a lot of the confusion.   And, intuitively, your body knows this.  But, due to the flood of information from food media, often our intuition is compromised.

There are three myths that seem to cause a lot of confusion and may surprise you.

Myth #1:  Artificial sweeteners are safe and preferred for losing and managing weight.

Consider some of the packaged food in your kitchen right now.  Often, highlighted on the front are phrases such as “no sugar added, ”sugar free,”  “zero calorie,” “low cal.”  The fact is that sugar is often replaced in packaged foods by sugar alcohols such as sorbitol, sucralose sweeteners (Splenda), or non-nutritive sweeteners (Nutrasweet, Equal, Sweet N Low) such as saccharine or aspartame.

While your blood sugar may not be elevated with these alternative carbohydrates, your body treats these carbohydrates just as it would sugar.  These substances have actually been found to increase hunger and desire for sugar.  They trick the brain into thinking that fuel is coming.  And, they are actually toxic to your system.

According to Dr. Mercola, a leading holistic doctor, “In 2005, data gathered from the 25-year long San Antonio Heart Study showed that drinking diet soft drinks increased the likelihood of serious weight gain – far more so than regular soda. On average, each diet soft drink the participants consumed per day increased their risk of becoming overweight by 65 percent within the next seven to eight years, and made them 41 percent more likely to become obese. “

While zero everything (calories, sugar) sounds appealing, think carefully about what had to be done chemically to achieve this.  Often the real thing, every now and then, is better.

Take a look in your kitchen today.  Check the ingredient list, not the nutritional value label.  Do you find food that contains artificial sugar?  How can you begin to eliminate these foods from your home?

Dowload a free copy of Six Steps to a Simply Healthy Jumpstart here. 

Would you like help in meeting your health goals and addressing your health concerns?  Contact me here for a personal consultation.