“Artificial sweeteners such aspartame and sucralose–the kinds of chemical sweeteners found in diet soft drinks and many low-carb food products–actually promote obesity by tricking the body into thinking that sweet-tasting foods and drinks don’t contain as many calories as they really do.”  International Journal of Obesity

What would you do if you learned that your “lack of knowledge” was causing you bodily harm?

Destruction is certain for those who say that evil is good and good is evil; that dark is light and light is dark; that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter. (Isa. 5:20, NLT)

I realize that today’s Daily Gram could make me very “unpopular” with some folks…and many may say I’ve gone from preaching to meddling.  As many of you know when I’m passionate about something, I’ll speak what I believe to be truth, even if it means someone may take offense.

I’m often asked about Splenda.  Splenda, is the brand name for sucralose, which is chemically converted from cane sugar to a no-calorie sweetener. It isn’t recognized as sugar by the body and therefore is not metabolized.  Splenda is marketed as a “healthful” and “natural” product since it is derived from sugar. However, its chemical structure is very different from that of sugar, and sucralose is actually a chemical substance.  As of 2006, only six human trials had been published on Splenda. The longest trial at that  time had lasted only four days, and looked at sucralose in relation to tooth decay, not human tolerance. No studies have ever been done on children or pregnant women.

Sucralose is a synthetic chemical that was originally discovered in a laboratory. In the process of making sucralose, three chlorine molecules are added to a sucrose or sugar molecule. The chemical process to make sucralose alters the chemical composition of the sugar so much that it is converted to a fructo-galactose molecule. This type of sugar molecule never occurs in nature and therefore your body does not possess the ability to properly metabolize it.

There were a number of side effects noted when Splenda was tested on animals.  A few of those side effects included a decrease in red blood cells; enlargement of  the colon, liver, brain and kidneys; shrinking of the thymus gland and ovaries; and an increase in cataracts.

People who use Splenda have reported having abdominal pain, gas, bloating, nausea, blurry vision, headaches, shortness of breath, frequency of urination at night, depression, joint pain, heart palpitations, and dizziness.

There is much more information available on the dangers of Splenda.  Most of what I’ve written here has come from Dr. Joseph Mercola, Dr. Russell Blaylock, Dr. Don Colbert and Mike Adams.  May I challenge you to rethink your use of this sweetener?  Begin to read food labels to determine if sucralose is in your diet…and if is, get it OUT!

Prayer Power
Lord, thank You for showing us truth and giving us the grace to walk in what You show us.

Link of the Day
Taco Soup

Blessings on you as you read your food labels.