Daily Calorie Goal: 1200 or less
Total calories eaten today: No idea. (A second day of cleaning at the old house, and eating on the fly all day. Sigh.)
So what is "phenylalanine," anyway?!
I have been drinking diet pop again this past week. STUPID STUPID STUPID. I know the health risks. I've read the articles. They're SCARY, to say the least. I know it's probably better to just count the calories in the "real" pop I drink, rather than drink the literal POISON that is artificial sweetener. I know.
I've been an addict my entire life. I'm addicted to pop. It's a real addiction, just like alcohol addiction, or nicotine addiction, or porn addiction. I can't stop! I love Coke Classic, Dr. Pepper, and Creme Soda. LOVE THEM.
And I can't stop drinking them, no matter how hard I try. Do they have rehab for this?!
Sadly, no.
A few aspartame facts to scare the holy crap out of whomever reads this:
Aspartame accounts for over 75 percent of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA. Many of these reactions are very serious including seizures and death.(1) A few of the 90 different documented symptoms listed in the report as being caused by aspartame include: Headaches/migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, vertigo, memory loss, and joint pain.
According to researchers and physicians studying the adverse effects of aspartame, the following chronic illnesses can be triggered or worsened by ingesting of aspartame:(2) Brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, parkinson's disease, alzheimer's, mental retardation, lymphoma, birth defects, fibromyalgia, and diabetes.
Aspartame is made up of three chemicals: aspartic acid, phenylalanine, and methanol. The book "Prescription for Nutritional Healing," by James and Phyllis Balch, lists aspartame under the category of "chemical poison." As you shall see, that is exactly what it is.
What Is Aspartame Made Of?
How Aspartate (and Glutamate) Cause Damage:
Aspartate and glutamate act as neurotransmitters in the brain by facilitating the transmission of information from neuron to neuron. Too much aspartate or glutamate in the brain kills certain neurons by allowing the influx of too much calcium into the cells. This influx triggers excessive amounts of free radicals, which kill the cells. The neural cell damage that can be caused by excessive aspartate and glutamate is why they are referred to as "excitotoxins." They "excite" or stimulate the neural cells to death.Aspartic acid is an amino acid. Taken in its free form (unbound to proteins) it significantly raises the blood plasma level of aspartate and glutamate. The excess aspartate and glutamate in the blood plasma shortly after ingesting aspartame or products with free glutamic acid (glutamate precursor) leads to a high level of those neurotransmitters in certain areas of the brain.
The blood brain barrier (BBB), which normally protects the brain from excess glutamate and aspartate as well as toxins, 1) is not fully developed during childhood, 2) does not fully protect all areas of the brain, 3) is damaged by numerous chronic and acute conditions, and 4) allows seepage of excess glutamate and aspartate into the brain even when intact.
The excess glutamate and aspartate slowly begin to destroy neurons. The large majority (75 percent or more) of neural cells in a particular area of the brain are killed before any clinical symptoms of a chronic illness are noticed. A few of the many chronic illnesses that have been shown to be contributed to by long-term exposure to excitatory amino acid damage include:
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A person might as well drink Draino and get it over with.
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| Quite literally The Devil in "food" form. |
And aspartame is found in foods that you don't even think of. It is in almost all gum, including Doublement, which you think is a full sugar gum. And it is in Sunny D, and not on the label.
ReplyDeleteI am highle alergic to aspartame, and have been for a very long time. It triggers migraines to a very severe level that can send me to the hospital. It is very very nasty stuff.
Most fountain diet pop is made with saccharin and aspartame mix as aspartame alone breaks down too fast. (just food for thought)