Article on Artificial Sweeteners

This is an article I found in the Earth Fare newsletter. It is not original to me.

Booted: Artificial Sweeteners

Sure it tastes like sugar...but what is sucralose, anyway? Sucralose (SplendaTM) is an artificial sweetener discovered by accident in a lab in 1976. It was first approved for use in food by the FDA in 1998. It's 600 times sweeter than table sugar and in bake-goods, it bakes up better than other artificial sweeteners. Splenda is manufactured when you take three of the hydrogen-oxygen molecules that make up normal sugar and replace them with chlorine molecules creating a chlorinated carbon molecule or chlorocarbon. Most chlorocarbons are sold in the modern marketplace today as pesticides.

Google "Splenda allergy" and you'll find a rash of sites (pun intended) where everyday folks have posted their initial reactions to sucralose consumption hives, itching, constricted throat, and diarrhea. Since sucralose has only been in widespread commercial use for less than a decade, who knows what symptoms we have yet to discover?

At Earth Fare, we do not sell foods with sucralose or any other artificial sweeteners. We advocate exercise, portion size, and eating in moderation as teh best solutions for controlling calories and weight gain. Sugar, honey, maple syrup and other natural sweeteners can be used to satisfy your sweet tooth craving, along with naturally sweet herbs like cinnamon, nutmeg, and stevia.

**I obviously don't use sugar, but other than that, the rest are fine.