mmm...carcinogens!

A week or so ago, I, restless and unable to sleep, reached an important decision. To quit. To quit aspartame that is. Aspartame, sucralose, and all of those other, particularly horrible chemical substances that are so popular in today's "sugar free" obsessed world. The reason I came to this decision this was an epiphany (isn't that a fun word?) I had while lying there, wide awake in my bed. I realized, that while I've always considered smoking a disgusting, and utterly stupid habit, I'm perfectly willing to food laced with carcinogens. And as someone who is totally paranoid about getting cancer, this makes utterly no since.

I've long known in a vague sort of way that these substances are horrible for you. But it wasn't until after I decided to quit and I sat down to do some concrete research on them for this blog post that I realized just HOW horrible they are. And let me tell you, I am shocked and rather disturbed. Below is some of the info I found on aspartame and sucralose, two of the most commonly used sugar alternatives in "diet", "light", and "sugar free" foods.

• Aspartame, which is the chemical found in NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-Measure

"...accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. Many of these reactions are very serious including seizures and death.(1) A few of the 90 different documented symptoms listed in the report as being caused by aspartame include: Headaches/migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, vertigo, memory loss, and joint pain...According to researchers and physicians studying the adverse effects of aspartame, the following chronic illnesses can be triggered or worsened by ingesting of aspartame:(2) Brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, parkinson's disease, alzheimer's, mental retardation, lymphoma, birth defects, fibromyalgia, and diabetes." - Mercola.com (for complete article go to: http://www.mercola.com/article/aspartame/dangers.htm)

• Sucralose - the chemical in Splenda:

"The presence of chlorine is thought to be the most dangerous component of sucralose. Chlorine is considered a carcinogen and has been used in poisonous gas, disinfectants, pesticides, and plastics. The digestion and absorption of sucralose is not clear due to a lack of long-term studies on humans. The majority of studies were done on animals for short lengths of time. The alleged symptoms associated with sucralose are gastrointestinal problems (bloating, gas, diarrhea, nausea), skin irritations (rash, hives, redness, itching, swelling), wheezing, cough, runny nose, chest pains, palpitations, anxiety, anger, moods swings, depression, and itchy eyes. The only way to be sure of the safety of sucralose is to have long-term studies on humans done. " - Medicinenet.com (complete article: http://www.medicinenet.com/artificial_sweeteners/page9.htm)

All I can say is, I've been EATING this stuff?? And this is government sanctioned stuff! To anyone who's ever talked to me about why I think the FDA is pointless at best, this is why. Time for a major detox.