About 2 years ago my brother-n-law was having really bad joint pain. He stumbled on an article on the Internet about diet soda, in particular Diet Coke, having bad side-effects on your body. He was also a Diet Coke drinker. He read that drinking Diet coke can give you chronic joint pain among other symptoms:
Constant headaches
Almost weekly Migraines
Stiff neck
Overly dry skin and hair
Memory loss
Extreme fatigue
Lack of concentration
He stopped drinking a Diet Coke and his symptoms of joint pain started to go away! Awhile later he shared this with me because I was complaining about my knees hurting so bad at night. I researched it myself and I was amazed at all the symptoms I shared with Diet Coke drinkers! I never would have thought about it if it wasn't for my brother-n-law.
Aspartame Side Effects
I have read that there are over 92 side effects of Aspartame. Wow!
Marketed as 'NutraSweet,' 'Equal,' and 'Spoonful.'
Aspartame is a man-made, high intensity, non-caloric sweetener, used extensively worldwide in over 5,000 products.
Aspartame Is TOXIC To The Body!
Upon ingestion, aspartame is metabolized to two amino acids (phenylalanine and aspartic acid) and methanol. (Trefz) Methanol qualifies as an exceptionally toxic substance, even at very low doses. (Roe) The minimum methanol amount needed to cause death (without medical treatment) is 300-1000 mg./kg. This is equivalent to only 0.85 - 2.85 oz. for a 154 lb. (70 kg.) man (much less for a child). (Kavet)
The absorption of methanol into the body speeds up considerably when aspartame is heated. This occurs when aspartame-containing product is improperly stored or when it is cooked or heated (e.g., as part of a "food" product such as sugar-free gelatin or pudding).
The formaldehyde stores in the fat cells, particularly in the hips and thighs. According to the EPA, methanol is considered a cumulative poison due to its low rate of excretion once it is absorbed. They recommend limiting consumption to 7.8 mg./day. A one-liter, aspartame-sweetened beverage contains about 56 mg. of methanol- 7 times over the safe limit. (Monte)
Aspartame accounts for over 75% of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the U.S. Federal Drug Agency (F.D.A.). A February 1994 Department of Health and Human Services report the following portion of the 90 different documented Aspartame negative effects: (Kavet, Monte)
You can read many articles about Aspartame by Googling Aspartame Side Effects.
I am by all means not saying that I am not going to eat things that have Aspartame in them, but I am sure trying not to. I did have a Diet Dr. Pepper just last night! lol And alot of Sugar-free products out there are still only produced using Aspartame.
I am, how ever, trying to use products, or make products using Stevia instead!!!!
Stevia: Healthy Alternative to Sugar and Aspartame
Stevia comes from the dried leaves of the stevia plant. It is an excellent natural alternative to sugar. It has no calories, has none of the side effects or health risks of sugar, aspartame and saccharin and is not broken down by heat.
The natives in South America used stevia primarily as a sweetener, a practice adopted by European colonists in local regions. The indigenous tribes also used stevia to treat diabetes. (Leung)
Stevia accounts for nearly 40% of the sweetener market in Japan. Due to more strict safety restrictions, aspartame and saccharin are banned.
In the United States, stevia is not marketed as a sweetener, but as a dietary supplement due to federal regulations.
Since I have stopped consuming Diet Coke my joint pain is down at least 80%! I no longer have to sleep with my legs and elbows straitened out! Oh yeah, it was that bad. :(
I am positive I do not have as many headaches that I did a year ago and I know, (because I have been eating healthier too), that I have way more energy than I did a year ago!!! Without Diet Coke!!!
All in all, you can't go wrong with cutting down on the diet soda and aspartame.
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