Member Rating:
Expert Advice: The Skinny on Sugar Substitutes
The conflicting information on sugar substitutes and weight loss can make your head spin. What’s the truth?
By Bob Greene, bestselling author of The Best Life Diet.
Sugar substitutes do help with weight loss; sugar substitutes don’t help with weight loss. The back-and-forth about zero-calorie artificial sweeteners makes it hard to know what to believe.
For some people, I think sugar substitutes do help you lose weight, and many of my clients choose to keep them in their diet. I personally don’t like the taste of sugar substitutes, so when I want something sweet, I eat something made with fruit or even real sugar. Being very active helps me get away with it. But I realize that if you can’t afford the calories and feel that only something sweet will satisfy you, sugar substitutes can help. Most people have grown up with and become accustomed to very sweet foods, which makes it hard to drop them out of their diet overnight. Sugar substitutes can help you bridge the gap while taking out the calories that are preventing you from losing weight.
Foods and beverages that contain sugar substitutes sometimes say so right up front or are called diet, light (or lite), or sugar-free. If you do decide to consume foods or beverages that contain sugar substitutes, be judicious about it. Part of working toward the diet that’s going to allow you to keep weight off is changing your taste preferences; having artificially sweetened foods and drinks all day long isn’t going to help you lose your taste for sugar. While ultimately the healthiest diet is a diet that’s built on all-natural foods free from any type of additives, including sugar substitutes, I know that it’s not always easy to eat perfectly and that change doesn’t happen overnight. Work toward having the most wholesome diet possible, letting sugar substitutes help you along when necessary, but keeping them to a minimum.
About the Author
Bob Greene is an exercise physiologist and certified personal trainer specializing in fitness, metabolism and weight loss. He has been a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show. He is also a contributing writer and editor for O, The Oprah Magazine and writes on health and fitness for Oprah.com. Greene is the best-selling author of The Best Life Diet, Get With the Program! and several other books.BestLife Diet Seal of Approval
The BestLife Diet seal of approval is given to products that will help you lose weight and improve the nutritional quality of your diet. Companies offering these products have demonstrated a commitment to improving their food by reducing saturated fat, sodium, and sugar, and reducing or eliminating trans fat. Foods with the logo contain one or more of the following nutritious ingredients: whole grains, healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and other essential nutrients. These BestLife approved foods are available in supermarkets nationwide.
“BestLife” is a trademark of BestLife Corporation. BestLife and The BestLife Diet are registered trademarks of BestLife Corporation. Copyright 2006. All Rights Reserved.
Rate this article:
Post a Tip or Comment
SHARE
What about articles I have seen on the actual dangers of Aspartame, breaking down into poisonous substances? ? Fact or Fiction? ?
Does anyone have further info. on Aspartame ? I'm Just looking for answers ?
When I use a sugar substitute, I generally try to use Splenda if it's available.
Use Stevia which is a 0 calorie natural sweetner. I buy it at Food Lion and WalMart