Originally published February 2 2004
Abundance of low-carb grocery items leads to excessive consumption of
artificial chemical sweeteners like sucralose
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
This article offers a worthwhile overview of both what's happening to
the low-carb food industry and the fundamentals of the Atkins diet in
case you're new to the low-carbohydrate diet scene. What's interesting
here is to track the increase in the number of low-carb grocery items
introduced last year: 633 compared with 339 in 2002 and only 47 in 1999.
It seems like all the food manufacturers are retooling for the low-carb
market, and for good reason: shoppers are buying it up! But
manufactured low-carb foods aren't necessarily a panacea, and some
contain ingredients with a questionable safety record. The heavy
reliance on sucralose by low-carb dieters causes me concern, since
sucralose has never undergone long-term safety testing in humans. Some
low-carb dieters seem to live off this artificial chemical sweetener,
and you'll find it in virtually ever sweet tasting low-carb food on the
grocery store shelves.
A much better sweetener choice would be
stevia, an all-natural sweetener made from an extract of the sweetleaf
plant. Stevia has no calories, doesn't come from a laboratory, doesn't
impact blood sugar, doesn't cause dental cavities, and has been safely
used for decades by populations around the world. So why isn't stevia
used in the United States? The FDA is dragging its feet on approving
stevia, most likely for political reasons (to protect the profits of
makers of artificial sweeteners, namely).
To learn more, read my
guide that reveals which low-carb ingredients to avoid while following
the Atkins diet: Low-Carb Diet Warning.
Not too long ago, dietary fat was the enemy.
By the mid-1990s, the number of new foods and beverages whose labels
proclaimed "no fat" or "low fat" hit an all-time high.
A new generation of dieters, following weight-loss plans such as the
Atkins and South Beach diets, are gobbling up animal protein and
high-fat dairy products and sullying their plates with only the most
minute portions of starch and sugar.
Last year, 633 foods and drinks introduced in the United States
carried claims of low, lower or reduced carbohydrate content, compared
with 339 in 2002, according to market research company Productscan
Online of Naples, N.Y. In 1999, only 47 low-carbohydrate items were
introduced.
Carbohydrates are the starches, fiber and sugars found in fruits,
vegetables, whole grains and beans and "feel-good" foods such as ice
cream, desserts and snack chips.
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