Sugar is addictive…no doubt about it.  And it’s lethal combination of abundance and addiction that has resulted in our current health debacle where over 60% of the adults in the nation (US) are either overweight or obese.

At this rate some experts say that it can reach 75% by 2015.  That’s 3/4 of the entire nation!

This problem has spawned a MULTI-MILLION dollar industry of sugar alternatives as a solution to help curb sugar consumption in an effort to beat the overweight and obesity problem.

Artificial sweeteners are 300 times sweeter than sugar, they don’t cause an insulin spike and have low (or no) calories.

Sounds good to me…all the pleasure without the guilt.

Although, there are some “minor” health like issues like headaches, migraines, seizures and even brain tumors, that’s been linked to active ingredients like aspartame in artificial sweeteners—it’s all good because it still helps you lose weight (I’m being very sarcastic here if you didn’t catch that).

Well, that is until recently…

Studies have now come out that indicate sweeteners aren’t as effective at helping you lose weight as initially thought.  In fact, now there’s evidence that they actually promote weight GAIN!

Don’t get left in the dark about this ...read the full story here and find out what you can do about it:

The entire artificial sweetener industry is based on the fact that sugar causes weight gain and that by using sugar alternatives you’re better off than consuming real sugar.

That’s true to a point…but let’s face it, if you didn’t over consume sugar in the first place, none of this would be an issue.

The fact is, we need sugar to survive.

The simplest form of sugar is glucose and it is one of the most vital sources of energy for our body.

Back in our caveman days, food wasn’t abundant and we certainly didn’t have access to readily available forms of sugars.  So, our body evolved to be able to efficiently breakdown foods like fruits and vegetables into glucose for energy use.

The mechanism for breaking down various forms of carbohydrates to glucose is efficient and effective and it’s all controlled by hormones.  These chemical messengers are triggered by your brain, organs and even peripheral tissues like fat.  And each hormone triggers a cascade of other processes creating a complex network of signals and actions…but somehow it all works together.

But now, instead of scarcity, we’re dealing with too much abundance.  Now sugar is available in refined and processed forms that needs little to no breaking down.  And it’s consumed in immense volumes!  This has completely shocked our system and wrecked havoc to it.

Our body wasn’t intended for over consumption of refined and processed sugars and the evolutionary mechanisms that metabolizes carbohydrates to convert it for energy use is now being used and abused.  Our current consuming behavior is essentially de-evolving our metabolic processes.  We’re now becoming less robust, more susceptible and definitely more reliant on processed foods, artificial chemicals and man made drugs.

The result is what you see today…an obese, sick society dependent on foods and drugs developed by engineers and chemists working for major conglomerates.

So, it should come as no surprise that artificial sweeteners aren’t actually helpful for you, when it comes to losing weight.

Essentially, these sweeteners fool your brain into thinking it’s having sugar without causing the natural metabolic processes—in this case an insulin spike.  So when your brain is tricked, it never actually receives any feedback from your body that it got sugar (glucose).  This causes the hormones that trigger the sugar cravings to stop, to actually increase the signals, because it senses that your body is being deprived of it.

The enhanced sugar cravings ultimately become too strong and you eventually end up consuming more sugar than intended.  This means you consume more calories and produce an even higher insulin spike which equals more fat deposition and greater weight gain.

Your sugar cravings are there for a reason and it’s usually a symptom of something larger, that’s out of balance in your body.  It’s an indication that you’re metabolically off kilter…so you’re much better off fixing the source of the problem then just covering it up by eating sweets that have sugar alternatives

But what about natural sugar alternatives like stevia and xylitol?

Well, they’re definitely better than the artificial sweeteners.  These sweeteners come from real food sources and there hasn’t been any health effects associated with it.  That being said, majority of the big studies have been done on artificial sweeteners and not so much on these natural alternatives, so the jury is still out.  But, if you had to use a sweetener, I’d choose the natural sugar alternatives over the artificial ones any day!

However, the best healthiest solution for you body is to simply avoid all processed foods with man made ingredients.  These foods have a ton of hidden sugars and countless other unhealthy ingredients.  And remember, these chemicals have to be metabolized by your body and if your body doesn’t recognize it, it’s going to throw a wrench into your system and cause further damage.

Instead, eat real whole foods.  Foods that our ancestors ate.  Foods that grow on trees and come from mother earth.  Foods that roam the natural pastures or swim in the wild seas.  Foods that your body will recognize so it knows exactly how to metabolize it.

By cutting out all processed foods and refined sugars your body will slowly regain it’s natural homeostasis and balance out your hormonal signals.  Your overwhelming cravings for sugar and your insatiable appetite will slowly dissipate.

Feeding what your body was meant to be fed, is the best way to a healthier you.

So the next time you’re at your local coffee shop getting your morning caffeine fix, think twice before you reach for the sweeteners.

Sensible healthy eating composed of real whole foods combined with an effective workout program like Max Workouts, is your best “real” solution to permanent weight loss and a leaner, fitter you.

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What real whole foods do you eat on a daily basis?

And what processed foods do you need to start eliminating on a regular basis?

What do think about the ineffectiveness of sugar alternatives?  I’d love to hear your thoughts, so please leave your comments below!