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Artificial Sweeteners Cause Weight Gain

By Peter Reyes

I'm dead sure you know you shouldn't be drinking soda if you want to lose weight but what about artificially sweetened drinks? A trick to satisfying sweetness without the offending calories and side effects?

Researchers at Purdue University that artificial sweeteners may actually make it more difficult for people to control their food intake and body weight.

In one experiment using rats, the researchers fed a group of rats yogurt with artificial no-calorie sweetener (saccharin) and another group of rats yogurt sweetened with real sugar. It was found that rats eating the artificial sweetener "consumed more calories, gained more weight, put on more body fat, and somehow didn't seem to be able to turn off their eating".

Ever wondered why Americans are still fat despite a plethora of diet foods and drinks? Now, you know.

Besides, most of these artificially sweetened sodas contain caffeine and don't forget, caffeine is a notorious diuretic. That means it causes your body to lose water, thereby dehydrating your system. When you lack water internally, your metabolism slows down. If this happens, your body burns calories less efficiently and store excess calories as fat.

Therefore, when you're thirsty, drink water and keep it plain. You can also choose to increase fluid intake with vegetable/fruit juices or even soups. Just be mindful that juices and soups contain calories; it's best if you dilute your juices with equal parts of water or choose low-calorie soups.

And, if you would rather get fat than survive without sweetened drinks, here's a tip for you – try Stevia. Stevia doesn't appear to make you crave for more food and it's very sweet. But Stevia has a slight licorice almost bitter after taste so don't say I didn't warn you....

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