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Choices4Wellness
How sweet it is
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Yes Valentine's day is here again and we think of roses and chocolates. I am writing about sweeteners so go a head and have a chocolate for Valentines but be aware of the sugars you are ingesting for the rest of the year!A list of well known sweeteners : Sucralose,Splenda,Aspartame, Acesulfame K, then the natural safe alternatives Stevia, Xylitol . The above are the most common that I have seen guess which one is the worst? Even though they are all bad Acesulfame K is ranked the worst sold commercially as Sunette or Sweet One.
It was approved by the FDA in 1988 as a sugar substitute in packet or tablet form, in chewing gum, dry mixes for beverages, instant coffee and tea, gelatin desserts, puddings and nondairy creamers. The manufacturer has asked the FDA to approve acesulfame K for soft drinks and baked goods.
The additive is inadequately tested, the FDA based its approval on tests of acesulfame K that fell short of the FDA's own standards.
In l987, CSPI urged the FDA not to approve acesulfame K, but was ignored. After the FDA gave the chemical its blessing, CSPI(Since 1971, the Center for Science in the Public Interest has been a strong advocate for nutrition and health, food safety, alcohol policy) urged that it be banned. The FDA hasn't yet ruled on that request.
From CSPI's web page:
... acetoacetamide, a breakdown product, has been shown to affect the thyroid in rats, rabbits, and dogs. Administration of 1% and 5% acetoacetamide in the diet for three months caused benign thyroid tumors in rats.
On To the more known which is Aspartame (Nutrsweet, Equal)
A little history you probably didn't know:
Guess who was a backer of this product ? Donald Henry Rumsfeld yes the same
Secretary of Defense under President HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W._Bush" o "George W. Bush" George W. Bush.
From 1977 to 1985. Rumsfeld served as Chief Executive Officer, President, and then Chairman of G.D. Searle & Company, a worldwide pharmaceutical company based in Skokie, Illinois, whose products included, among others, Metamucil, Dramamine, and the oral contraceptive pill Enovid.
Searle is the company we are interested in on this topic
Rumsfeld is believed to have earned around $12 million from Searle's sale to Monsanto. It was under Rumsfeld that Searle got the Food and Drug Administration's approval for the controversial artificial sweetener, aspartame, which it marketed as NutraSweet.
Well. now the plot thickens but enough of the history of its beginnings. Some science and results:
Aspartame is an extremely complex molecule. It is: 50% Phenylalanine 40% is Aspartic Acid, which caused holes in the brains of the laboratory animals.
One of the causes of a phenomenal 10% rise in the incidence of primary brain tumors in the population, since the advent of Aspartame in the American diet in the early 1980s, could be that they are developing diabetes later in life, and put on the sweetener at that time. They are taking Metamucil, which has Aspartame, and Alka Seltzer Plus, Tums, and using Equal in their coffee and tea. Dr. Jeffrey Bada, researcher at the University of California at San Diego, writes that when Aspartame is heated above 85 degrees Fahrenheit, it breaks down into Methanol. Ten percent Methanol by weight. It then breaks down into Formaldehyde (embalming fluid), Formic Acid (ant sting venom) and Diketopiperazine (DKP). All highly toxic - but, the DKP may just be the most problematic of all, because it caused brain tumors in the lab tests. He is also concerned about sterio-isomer effects. And, Dr. Olney states it is nitrosated in the digestive process. Thus creating a potentially carcinogenic condition. So, the 40% Aspartic Acid is probably the least dangerous of the components, and yet, it caused "silent" lesions in the brains of the lab animals. It also changed the DNA, because the third generation of pups were born morbidly obese and sexually dysfunctional.
So there is some science and history of a few of the bad and the ugly now on to the GOOD
Xylitol – great more than good for sure! So what is it?
Pure Xylitol is a white crystalline substance that looks and tastes like sugar. It is a naturally occurring 5-carbon sugar alcohol found in many fruits and vegetables and produced in small amounts by the human body. For commercial use, it is manufactured from xylan hemicellulose sources such as Birch trees, cane bagasse and corn cobs/stalks. It is the sweetest of the polyols with the same sweetness as sugar (sucrose) but with 40% fewer calories and none of the negative tooth decay or insulin release effects of sugar.
Classified on labels as a carbohydrate, Xylitol has been used in foods since the 1960's and is approved in the U.S. as a food additive in unlimited quantity for foods with special dietary purposes and is safe for use by those with diabetes or hypoglycemia.
Over 25 years of clinical testing confirms that Xylitol is the best sweetener for teeth. Its use has been shown to reduce instances of tooth decay by up to 80%.
Health Benefits:?1. Xylitol is one of bacteria's natural enemies. When exposed to Xylitol (specifically Strep pneumo and H Flu), these harmful bacteria lose their ability to adhere to infected membranes and are not able to grow.
Xylitol has been clinically proven to:
Fight and lessen the occurrence of Inner Ear and Sinus Infection
Fight and Reduce Plaque
Fight Cavities
Reduces the secretion of Plaque Acids
Facilitate the Re-mineralization of Tooth Enamel
So which of the above will you choose for the rest of the year? The Choice is always up to you!
Thanks for reading....Greg Foster
Inspiration for the week: It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Greg Foster, owner of Choices4Wellness has a long history in the Natural Health industry. Since 1987 Greg's goal has been to own and operate his own store. While working toward his goal, he was a sales associate for Prolab a sports nutrition company. Greg also worked as a personal trainer and helped people achieve their fat loss and fitness goals, while also teaching them that these goals were about a "whole" lifestyle approach and the benefits of supplements and healthy food choices . Always teaching that it's about FAT LOSS not weight loss, Greg is now able to live out his dream of owning a health food store so that he can better meet the needs of his clients. Greg has a personal training room at the store where he has one on one time with his clients. They range from teenagers to couples that want personalized time and attention to achieve fitness goals without the busy atmosphere of a gym, where sometimes your precious work-out time is gobbled up by socializing and waiting your turn on the equipment.. It is during this time that Greg is able to recommend lifestyle choices to enhance your work-out routine & a positive mental attitude. Being a father of 3 boys, ages Trevor 18, Chad 10,and Shane 9 , Greg is sympathetic to living a busy life, and helps to make fitness goals realistic as well. At 41, Greg Foster , has embarked on a journey of entrepreneurial spirit, meshed with a passion to see people lead healthier ,happier lives. Truly, a business combination for success. Kim Iles, the manager of Choices4Wellness, is no stranger to the Natural Health Industry. She formerly founded and owned Alternative Choices from 1993 until its closing in 2004. During those 11years, Kim achieved many levels of business experience. She was on the board of directors for the CHFA (Canadian Health Food Association) as well as developing and franchising her Alternative choices concept. Kim's real passion however is with teaching, providing lectures, and spreading her knowledge of natural health through out Chatham-Kent and beyond. Kim is a mother of a 22 year old daughter , Nicole and a 17 year old son, Jordon . To Choices4Wellness, Kim also brings her knowledge of the water purification side of the business. Kim is a former owner and co-founder of Pure Choice Water Centers. The new store located inside of Choices4Wellness is appropriately named Choices4Water with a slogan "water you can believe in", offering state of the art purification better tasting and at better prices than the old business she left behind. Kim has always been a familiar voice on the radio, as well as in the newspaper, as she believes education and creating awareness is vital to getting people use and accept natural health products to create wellness and a lifestyle that enhances their lives.
