As the dad of my household, I have not been the main grocery shopper in the past. But even so, I find it my duty as the dad to look out for the welfare of my family. I never thought I would see the day when there are dangers lurking in the local grocery store, but there are. Do you read the labels on the food items that you buy? If you don’t, you need to.
It is not the nutrition facts that really matter so much. Instead, it is all the ingredients. For today, I will mention one deadly poison (although there are many dangers evident in the standard American food supply). That dangerous ingredient is called SUCRALOSE. It sounds harmless enough, but what is it really?
According to Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia on the internet, sucralose is an artificial sweetener. Sucralose is also sold under the trade name of Splenda™. It is approximately twice as sweet as saccharin and four times as sweet as aspartame.
And according to my good friend, Dr. Joseph Mercola [www.mercola.com] of Schaumburg, Illinois, Sucralose is produced by chlorinating sugar. This involves chemically changing the structure of the sugar molecules by substituting three chlorine atoms for three hydroxyl groups. View the following website:
The Secret Dangers of Splenda (Sucralose), an Artificial Sweetener: http://www.mercola.com/2000/dec/3/sucralose_dangers.htm
Although sucralose (Splenda™) and other artificial sweeteners have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other food regulatory agencies, does that really mean they are healthy, safe, or nutritious? (Remember, that over time, many of these artificial sweeteners have been recalled.)
Sucralose was first approved for use in the United States in 1998. It has been seen as a replacement for other artificial sweeteners which have mostly fallen by the wayside because they either did not live up to their reputations or because it was found that they were unhealthy.
What really brought this question about sucralose home to me and my family is that my wife brought home a jug of Hawaiian Punch. Sounds healthy enough, doesn’t it? (It has been nutritious in the past.) But if you read through the ingredients, you may be surprised. A large percentage is water, of course. And the next top ingredient is high fructose corn syrup (in place of sugar). Sugar we know about and can live with (I assume high fructose corn syrup is also safe?). There is a smattering of fruit juices. After all it is called a fruit punch. Then there is citric acid and various artificial flavors and artificial colorings as well as preservatives and other additives.
All these I think I can live with. But I have to draw the line at artificial sweeteners (to me they are the same as poison). I took the Hawaiian Punch back to the store because one of the ingredients is sucralose. Why sucralose? Isn’t high fructose corn syrup enough sweetener for one product? Artificial sweeteners supposedly lessen the calories, but at what cost? If they are not healthy, I do not want them for myself or my family. There is absolutely no logical reason from a health standpoint to have high fructose corn syrup AND and an artificial sweetener in a fruit drink.
Also, at a church gathering recently, there was cake and punch. Because the hostess was proclaiming the punch to be “healthy for everyone,” I decide to look in the trash, and sure enough, there was a bottle of Sierra Mist™ FREE. It is touted as “caffeine free, sugar free, and calorie free.” I checked the ingredients, and in place of sugar was another deadly artificial sweetener called Aspartame™. The safety information that many specialists and the media give to consumers is that Splenda™ and Aspartame™ are safe to ingest as a diabetic sugar substitute “free of problems.” But are they?? Whole Foods Market, the world’s largest retailer of natural and organic foods, has made an official policy of not carrying products containing sucralose in any of its outlets. The retailer’s statement regarding this decision made allegations revolving around five essential points:
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Sucralose is an artificial substance, some of which is absorbed by the body
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Pre-approval tests indicated a potential for toxicity
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Sucralose is a chlorinated compound (a chlorocarbon)
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Independent, controlled human studies had not been performed
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Long-term human studies with sucralose had not been performed
See the Whole Foods Market policy statement on sucralose: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/wholebody/ingredients/sucralose.html
Also, the Sugar Association’s has established a website to criticize sucralose. It’s allegations revolve around three essential points:
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Sucralose is a chlorocarbon [which means that it has significant toxicity to animals, including humans]
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Up to 27% of sucralose that is ingested is absorbed into the body by the digestive system
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Long-term human studies with sucralose have not been performed.
See “The Truth About Splenda”:
http://www.truthaboutsplenda.com/To read more about Splenda (alias sucralose), Nutrasweet, aspartame, and other artificial sweeteners, my friend, Dr. Joseph Mercola, has a book available at Amazon.com [http://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Deception-Splenda-NutraSweet-Hazardous/dp/0785221794/ref=si3_rdr_bb_product/105-0001109-4179621] called “Sweet Deception” and a video by the same title. If you do not wish to purchase these, they are also available at a number of public libraries for loan or for viewing.
As for me and my house, I do not want sucralose, Splenda™, Nutrasweet™, aspartame, or any other artificial sweeteners. Their “benefits” are questionable and the risks are very great. They do not have a proven track record at all.
Here are a few other websites (although there are hundreds on this topic) which expose the dangers of sucralose:
Sweet Deception Splenda (Sucralose) Toxicity ExposedThe dangers of Sucralose/SplendaSucralose — Splenda — Substitute for Sugar. Is It Safe?The Potential Dangers of Sucralose
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