Hey, it’s Joel, and I’ve got somewhat of a confession to make.
You see, I used to be a big “diet” beverage drinker…like REALLY big. Diet sodas, diet teas, flavored waters…I drank them all, daily, and a lot of them.
In fact, it would be a pretty standard day if I had a six-pack of Nestle’s Pure Life Lemon flavored water, a few cans of Coke Zero, and a couple Diet Snapple iced teas throughout the day.
And the big problem is that they’re ALL loaded with artificial sweeteners.
Whether it’s aspartame (commercially known as Equal), saccharin (Sweet & Low), or sucralose (Splenda), all of these artificial sweeteners, and subsequently any beverage that contains them, are bad, bad news for your health, weight, and well-being.
First off, numerous studies have linked artificial sweeteners to weight gain and obesity, and the fact remains that these are all chemically altered substances that do not exist in nature. Do you really want to play roulette with your health by ingesting compounds that we really don’t know the long term side effects of?
Even worse, a study performed at Duke University showed that Splenda contains a chlorine atom that kills off the good bacteria in your gut just like chlorine kills microorganisms in swimming pools. These beneficial bacteria (known as probiotics) are critical to your immune system, metabolism, digestion, and overall health. Believe me, you want MORE of these guys in your gut, not less, and you can’t afford to have the beverages you’re drinking destroying them with every sip.
So, a while back I decided to give up artificial sweeteners completely, and along with that decision I made the following soda, water, and tea substitutions so I could still have my cake and eat it, too!
1. Zevia All-Natural Soda.
If you opened up my fridge before, you’d see rows and rows of Coke Zero. No more. Those rows have since been replaced by Zevia, an all-natural brand of soda that’s sweetened with stevia and erythritol…calorie free and big on taste just like Coke Zero was, but without any of the artificial sweeteners and additives.
My favorite flavors are Cola, Grape, and Orange, and you can likely find these at your local health food store (Whole Foods, etc).
2. Organic Lemon Water.
Instead of Nestle’s flavored lemon water sweetened with gut-destroying Splenda, I’m now drinking at least 6 bottles of water a day, with my own organic lemon twist. This is a great alternative for anyone who simply can’t fathom downing large amounts of plain water daily (like me) and just requires a little lemon juice squeeze bottle.
Directions:
1. Remove cap from water
2. Add one “squeeze” of lemon juice
3. Replace cap and shake for 2 seconds
Voila, all-natural lemon water!
You can even step your game up like I did and go with organic lemon juice…the squeeze bottle you see in the above picture will be enough lemon juice for 50+ bottles of water and it only cost me a buck at my local organic market.
3. Hansen’s Natural Tea Stix.
These all-natural iced tea stick packs taste as great as they are convenient (VERY!). Sweetened with Truvia (another natural stevia and erythritol blend), they just require you to add the contents of one stick pack to a 16 oz bottle of water, at which point you’ll be all set to enjoy a nice refreshing, flavorful beverage.
Another great tea option is fresh brewed, unsweetened iced tea. You can add lemon for added taste and truvia or stevia as a sweetener if you desire. Easy, but full of flavor and very refreshing.
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Simply put, you don’t have to consume artificial sweeteners to have a flavorful, zero-calorie or low-calorie beverage. Just give some of the suggestions above a try and I guarantee you’ll be able to easily cut out the artificially-sweetened beverages from your diet once and for all.
That said, another thing I’d like to point out about Splenda/sucralose (the most damaging of all artificial sweeteners), is that it’s in a LOT more than just beverages.
You see, Splenda is often found in many brands of yogurt, toothpaste, protein powders, powdered beverages and supplements, chewing gum, protein bars, baked goods, ice cream, microwave popcorn, sauces, syrups, and apple sauce… and that’s just scratching the surface.
In fact, the nutritional supplement industry is without a doubt the #1 offender of artificial sweetener and sucralose use…they remove the sugar only to add in health-destroying artificial sweeteners. Now who’s really looking out for who here?
Fact is, if you use (or have used) any of the above products, there is a very strong likelihood that your gut bacteria is out of balance, and even worse, that TOXIC belly bugs have already begun to take over your entire gastrointestinal tract and spread throughout your body.
This can do a MASSIVE amount of damage to the delicate cells of your body while accelerating aging and completely obliterating your immune system. The good news is that you can begin to REVERSE this devastating trend, starting today, with the 3 simple “gut-restoring” tips we share with you right here:
==> Eliminate TOXIC belly bugs with these 3 “quick and easy” tips
To your ultimate body,
Joel
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Joel Marion, CISSN
Co-Founder, BioTrust Nutrition
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