Diet Food Can Kill You
by Ronnee Ruselle
Next time you reach for a diet drink, food or medication, you may want to check and see whether it contains Aspartame.
What is it?
Aspartame (Food Code 951) which is a chemical that replaces sugar in diet foods, drinks and some medications is extremely dangerous. One would think that hearing the word 'chemical' would be enough. It's the sort of stuff you play with in labs remember? Think Frankenstein and Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde type of stuff (chuckle). Seriously though, this is a real concern. Our bodies are made to eat natural food and it's since wonderful technological changes such as these chemical additives that people have been getting sick as doctors watch figures on disease skyrocket.
With pregnant women watching their waistline, it's tempting to pick up a diet soft drink or meal thinking that they're doing the right thing when that very item can cause foetal defects. People who are trying to lose weight and get healthy are poisoning themselves instead.
Scientific research has shown the following facts:
- Aspartame (nutrasweet) breaks down into methanol (wood alcohol).
- Methanol quickly converts to formadehyde in the body.
- Formaldehyde causes gradual and eventually severe damage to the neurological system, immune system and causes permanent genetic damage at extremely low doses.
- Methanol from alcoholic beverages and from fruit and juices does not convert to formaldehyde and cause damage because there are protective chemicals in these traditionally ingested beverages.
- The most recent independent research in Europe demonstrates that ingestion of small amounts of aspartame leads to the accumulation of significant levels of formaldehyde (bound to protein) in organs (liver, kidneys, brain) and tissues.
- Excitotoxic amino acids such as the one which is immediately released from aspartame likely increases the damage caused by the formaldehyde.
(Info from the Aspartame Toxicity Info Center)
Where is it?
Aspartame can be found in almost any type of food on the market apart from fresh food. Diet drinks, sugar free gum, artificially sweetened juices, nutrisweet, light yoghurt, jellies and puddings, pre-packaged diet meals (some from diet companies) and other 'lite' products as well as some medication. Some people have found that the medication that is supposed to be easing their symptoms was basically killing them instead.
We've learned with the tobacco industry how hard manufacturers will work to prevent truthful information from reaching the public and this is no different. This poison is being peddled to over 90 countries worldwide and is found in more than 5000 consumer foods and beverages worldwide.
I'm not going to enter into the argument about whether it causes cancer. It's sufficient to point out that the company Monsanto who produce aspartame have paid scientists to dispute scientific research in relation to aspartame causing an increase in cancers and it all sounds very convincing too until you realize that the argument that is made by the company is actually different to the point that the research makes. It's the same old move that big industries make when they want to keep selling their product. Put out a statement that 'sounds' like it's disputing the scientific research. But I think it's fair enough to ask - at what cost?
Considering we cannot trust manufacturers to tell us the truth, we have to find out for ourselves and trust people who have nothing to gain from sharing their experiences.
Following are a range of symptoms that people have suffered from having aspartame. Many of these people have had agreement from their doctors that they should not have it. For others, their doctors were unable to work out what was wrong with them and they discovered themselves due to research that aspartame was the cause of their dilemmas.
The good news is that if you're suffering from some of these symptoms and you ingest aspartame, you may be able to try cutting it out of your diet to find out whether this removes the symptoms or lowers them. In this way you may be able to help yourself.
Symptoms
- headaches/migraines
- dizziness
- nausea/vomiting
- upset stomach
- flu like symptoms
- aching
- sore muscles
- irritable bowel
- clamminess
- out of breath
- irregular/weak pulse
- memory loss/ shortened attention span
- numbness
- increase in blood pressure/racing heart
- tremors/shivers
- pain in the limbs and joints
- neck spasms
- splitting nails
- hair loss
- yeast infections
- involuntary jerking of the head
- burning stomach pains
- loss of energy
- weight gain
- confusion/unclear thinking/fogginess in the brain
- cravings for carbohydrates
- insomnia
- weakness
- slurring of speech
- hypersensitivity to noise/tinnitus
- irritability/severe mood swings
- skin rashes/itchy skin
- giddiness
- dry lips(some people reported peeling of skin)
- dry eyes
- sinus problems
- panic attacks
- diahorrhea
- amenohorrea (cessation of menstrual periods)
- strobe-like flashes when eyes are closed
- deterioration of eyesight/blindness
- passing out/collapsing
- convulsions/seizures
- coma
- heart attack/death
- fibromyalgia, arthritis, diabetes and MS sufferers have noticed a worsening of symptoms with the ingestion of aspartame.
The original comments from the people concerned can be found here.
When we purchase food containing chemicals, we purchase an item because it's low in fat or sugar, not because it's high in poison. Ultimately, no matter which angle you look at it from, fresh food is the only way to ensure that you are eating what you think you are.