Eight months ago, I gave up all soda. The top of my list of carbonated addictions? Diet Coke. I did it for a few reasons.
- I started to notice that 1 or 2 a day wasn’t enough and my body threatened to shut down when it sent out the signal it was time for another one and I didn’t deliver.
- I also knew it was contributing to my weight gain. That would be great if I was under weight. But my stomach was always bloated and felt like I couldn’t bend down to tie my shoes.
- The last reason was the ingredient aspartame. I had always heard it was bad for me but never really know why. Once I was aware of what I had been putting in my body, I decided to stop consuming it.
I started to notice that soda isn’t the only thing it’s in. To help control my sugar craving I started chewing sugar-free gum. Yep, it’s in there too. Here is the worst part. I decided not to chew the gum anymore so I gave it to my friend who is diabetic. She asked why I was giving it away to which I replied “It’s sugar free and it has aspartame in it – that crap’s poison,” and walked away.
Wouldn’t you like to be friends with me? So Sandy, this is for you.
If you’re going to eat aspartame, I’d request you really look into what it is. And you really do have to look at it for yourself. I was going to insert the Wikipedia definition and a few strong facts at this point but there is so much information and controversy that you really do need to research it yourself and come to your own conclusion.
I find it interesting that is took more than 15 years to make the product consumable. I also like the parts that say it’s “hardly toxic”. Hardly toxic? I wouldn’t want to be hardly alive so why would I want to put something in my body that’s hardly toxic?
But don’t worry, the FDA approved it so it must be safe right? Anyone read Skinny Bitch lately? It’s all about choices folks. I chose not to eat it. If you do, just make sure you are clear on what you’re choosing to put in your body, and if that’s what you’re up to regarding your health.
Check out this related story from Elle Magazine: Diet Soda Not So “Diet” After All.
Nothing But Dirt 
Some more info. to share abuot gum and healthy sweetener choices:
Pros: Gum with xylitol (a natural sweetener) is a very healthy sweetenr choice. Often gums with the ADA (American Dental Association) logo contain this. (Trident brand contains that). I read a dentist’s comments in the Reader’s Digest that xylitol actually changes the chemistry (for the positive) in the mouth. It is also considered very healthy for the body. It can be purchased at Whole Foods. Another sweetener choice is Stevia drops (from Whole Foods) that I use in my smoothies to sweeten up my unsweetened plain yogurt. It’s very concentrated and only takes a few drops so a little goes a long way.
Another pro with gum is those with digestive issues such as heartburn who don’t chew their food well, can benefit from chewing gum following a meal (for a short time) because the saliva releases enzymes that helps to digest the meal.
Cons of gum: Per Dr. Mercola on his web-site he advises against chewing gum in general because this stimulates the body to release some of it’s stores of digestive enzymes, due to the chewing process releasing saliva, causing us to think we are consuming food. Since our body has a limited capacity for producing them over our life time, he advises against wasting them on chewing gum.