#011: Artificial Sweeteners, Zero Calories & The Pregnancy Warning You May Not Have Known About (Aspartame. Sucralose, Splenda, Saccharin, Stevia & More.)

We've all heard sugar is bad for us. But, have you ever stopped to think about the consequences of substituting sugar for 'DIET' alternatives – such as those brightly colored, zero-calorie, artificial sweeteners instead? Sucralose (Splenda), Saccharin (Sweet & Low), Aspartame (Equal or NutraSweet), Stevia (Sweet Leaf), & Sugar Alcohols (like Xylitol) are hiding in too many standard American food items to count. They've all been made in a lab by chemists discovering how to make our food sweeter with less calories – at the expense of our long term health. Plus, we can't deny the fact that they've been perfectly marketed to us as one of the most recognizable condiments available to us at almost every coffee shop and restaurant in America – for FREE. If you don't know them by name – we can confidently assume that you know them as the little "pink, yellow and blue packets" always crammed in next to the sugar. What's not to like about FREE stuff? Or better yet … SWEET stuff? We hope to make you stop and think about this long and hard today.   Are they good for us? Are they harmless? … Is zero calories really better? We dive into all of this and more during this episode while expanding on the bigger conversation from episode 10 where we discussed Added Sugar, the popular motto YOLO & It's Hidden Effects on Your Long-Term Health   We want to give you your Power back. What you do with this information is up to you. We're two critical care nurses on a mission to inspire you, motivate you, and empower you.   - Briana Reesing & Laura Gluck -    More information about us & this show can be found on our website at www.criticalconversationspodcast.com (including full show notes and resources from each episode.) Join Our Community on Instagram @CriticalConversations