Aspartame is one of the most popular forms of a sugar substitute today because it is about 200 times sweeter than sugar and therefore less is needed to sweeten drinks and foods today. As American’s have become so dedicated and addicted to the many different fad diets today, aspartame has become more and more popular and can be found in an abundant of different so called “healthy” foods and snacks today. Aspartame is extremely common within diet foods that include instant breakfasts, breath mints, gum, cereals, coffee drinks, frozen desserts, soft drinks, yogurt and wine coolers just to name a few. As you can now see many of the foods you thought to be aspartame free actually contain it, which can create many health dangers.

Methanol is an ingredient that's poisonous even when small amounts are consumed. Toxic levels of consumption cause side effects including brain swelling and blindness. What does this have to do with aspartame, you ask? Methanol is the third constituent in aspartame! In one study 12 rats out of 320 became affected with malignant brain tumors due to over consumption of aspartame in an FDA experimental trial. This is only one of the many different studies which have been conducted regarding the onset of cancerous cells and tumors due to the consumption of aspartame on a regular basis. Aside from cancer, aspartame has been shown to increase the risk of depression as well. One particular study was conducted with 40 adults but it was forced to cut short because of the severe symptoms that were experienced by 13 of the first volunteers. The outcome of this study that should be acknowledged is that men and women with mood disorders should avoid the consumption of aspartame completely.

Ever since aspartame was introduced to our society, it has been constantly surrounded by controversy over its ability to promote benefits or its ability to create dangers within our health. When aspartame is digested it breaks down into three different components. This sugar substitute has been studied for over 30 years and just over 200 studies have been done on this substitute of sugar and still the results vary. With so much controversy over aspartame it is becoming harder and harder to know the difference between scientific facts and the high amount of speculation that has been circulating about aspartame today. As a consumer this can be very frustrating and the best advice we can give you is to avoid artificial additives altogether.

To avoid aspartame today you can choose to enjoy the natural source of sweeteners such as fruits and vegetables in fresh juices. These types of foods are naturally sweet and free of any artificial sweeteners or coloring that can potentially be harmful to your health the more that is consumed on a regular basis. There are many herbal sweeteners that you can use to add a little sweetness to your foods and beverages that are 100% safe because they are 100% natural. One of the most common forms of a natural sweetener is Stevia and this can be found at any natural health food store today and used in any recipes as a pure replacement of sugar. I also recommend raw organic agave nectar, which I personally use as a healthy sugar substitute.

I was walking around the mall today (5/12/2008) with a good friend of mine. I was drinking my favorite fresh juice, which contains apple, carrot, beet and celery. I purchased it from the juice stand in the mall and it's delicious. My friend wanted coffee instead so we also stopped in a coffee shop. At the counter he picked up four (4) packets of artificial sweeteners and put them into his coffee! I asked him, "Are you crazy!?" He laughed and replied, "Why?" I told him we need to have a talk about artificial sweeteners and why he shouldn't be putting these poisons in his coffee. Believe it or not but this isn't the first time I've witnessed someone using this many sweeteners in a beverage. One sweetener is far too many nevermind using 4!

Aspartame is likely to continue being the center of controversy as more and more dieters continue to utilize this form of alternative to sugar. With the majority of our society focusing on the fad diets that do not work it can be hard to discover the problems with aspartame products when it is so high in demand. Take the risk out of your diet and begin utilizing natural sweeteners and foods that contain natural sugars in order to enjoy your snacks and meals throughout the day without fearing any risks of aspartame consumption.