Summer is a time for sweetened ice tea, popsicles, juices, ice cream and more. We can all remember the sweetness of summer as a kid with sticky popsicle juices running down our face as we tried to keep up with melt from the hot summer sun. The “sticky” we felt was the sugar residue left on our skin. Good old fashioned REAL sugar. I do not believe sugar or any other real food is bad for us but I do know that artificially created “fake foods” are not good at all and can be quite damaging to our mind and body. (Artificial sweeteners can be useful the diet of a diabetic.) Please enjoy your summertime treats made with REAL sugar and skip the artificial sweeteners.
Speaking of sweeteners….Splenda, also known as Sucralose, is an additive marketed as a “natural” product because is made from sugar. However, this statement is misleading—because sucralose does not exist anywhere in nature. In reality, it’s made from table sugar—in a lab via a slew of harsh chemicals. During the process, oxygen and hydrogen are exchanged for chlorine—yes, as in pool water. I love swimming in a pool but I do not want to drink it! As a result, this switch actually makes Splenda 600 times sweeter than table sugar. And because sucralose is so much sweeter than natural sugar, it can over-stimulate the sugar receptors in our brain, making you crave intensely sweet foods throughout the day. No, thank you. I will stick to the real, sticky stuff in moderation. Happy Summer!