5K Part Deux

Rain, hail, sunshine..living in Seattle guarantees the unexpected.  I love living here, don't mind walking in the rain, so today's walk in my second official 5k was a pretty perfect day!  We walked the Can Do 5K in Bothell WA.  The walk benefitted children with special needs, funding special programs.  It was a pleasure to be part of this event in it's 4th year. It was even more special that I had SBF and my mom with me to do the deed.  

We woke up at the butt crack, had our Shakeology tasty beverage breakfast and prepared for the drive to Bothell. SBF got up early and did a quick 9ish miles before he joined us just in the nick of time to begin!  It was raining the whole way and we were soaked the cold before it started.  It didn't take long though before our blood was pumping and we were half way in.  Mom and I walked at a good pace while SBF jogged backward in front of us once more.  He got a lot of high fives and comments with his backward jogging, which were well deserved!  I think I had a pretty good time this round, finishing the 3.1 miles in 1:02:58.  Details can be found at: my Can Do 5K results. 


If I have any regrets for today it is that my sister wasn't able to join us...that was a total bummer.  All in all, I am very pleased all around with today and am anxious to start my next journey...on the way to the 10k!  My training is designed and the date picked. Look out 5/22/12.. I'm coming at ya! 

Speak to Me: Taco Bell

A question was asked by SBF about Taco Bell chicken burrito and it's nutritional value.  I looked it up in Cal Counter, the app I use on my phone that helps me keep track of my calorie intake.  There are 430 calories, 18 grams of fat, 48 grams carbohydrate, 18 grams protein giving it a "score" in the program of -3.40.  I don't know a lot about the scoring system of Cal Counter but I know that anything negatively scored is not a good thing. It measures the balance in these nutritional areas to see if it's worth the calorie intake you're consuming. In this case, Cal Counter says "not worth it".  


As far as what's in a Taco Bell Chicken Burrito...Here's something interesting: The USDA doesn't regulate what companies, such as restaurants, can describe to their customers in advertisements as "beef," "chicken" or "meat," says USDA press officer Neil Gaffney.  How can  you really know if you are you eating chicken?  They say it's chicken but that means nothing specific says the USDA! There are 38 ingredients in a McDonald chicken McNugget!  WOW!  I was not able to find a list of actual preservatives used in the Taco Bell burrito but I'm certain that they are there just like in all fast foods.  I've worked at Taco Bell back in the day. It was my first job, and I can confirm that the chicken they use comes in a bag.  It's boiled and dumped in a container to throw on the line when it's warm.  


Here's all they have to say about their ingredient list on the Taco Bell website for the chicken burrito: A warm, soft flour tortilla filled with our marinated all-white-meat chicken, seasoned rice, creamy avocado ranch sauce and topped with real cheddar cheese.  There's no telling what's in there really... I can appreciate the want for it because, well, let's face it.. it's delicious!  But, it's not natural, not healthy and unknown.


The taco meat filling that is used at Taco Bell comes in a bag that is boiled and thrown in a metal container similar to the chicken.  According to the USDA, "taco meat filling" is required to contain at least 40% fresh meat and must be labeled with the product name, including the word "filling".  What the heck is the other 60%?!? You guessed it...pink slime.  Yeah.. right into that Taco Bell taco!  As of 4 days ago, Taco Bell announced they would discontinue use of pink slime.  A step in the right direction! But who knows how many pounds of it we consumed up until now. 


On the minimal plus side, although all fast food restaurants are bad, contain artificial ingredients and colors, deep fried foods filled with trans fat, etc., Taco Bell is the better demon if you must choose one in this bloggers opinion.  They offer a fresco menu option that has 7 different items on it (including the Chicken Burrito) that are under 9 grams of fat.  These items have a pretty high salt to keep in mind though.  The fresco items replace cheese with salsa to cut out the fat grams. It does not stop the artificial unknown ingredients from entering your body. 


So here is the final answer: Is Taco Bell a healthy alternative to fast food?  No, a healthy alternative to fast food would be to make your own chicken burritos from home with wholesome ingredients from the organic section at the grocery store.  I'm sure the P90X program has a similar method of getting that chicken burrito too.  

And so it Begins...

I began this year with intentions of making a lot of personal changes in my life.  It started with a change in my diet (read all about it in my topics on toxic chemicals and nutrition), and ended with a reflection on the last 20 years, a curious defiance toward my doctor and a complete change in my lifestyle. 

On January 5^th 2012, I joined Curves.  At first I wasn’t sure if it was the right choice for me but after looking at what they had to offer, I found it to be a great alternative to an everyday gym.  My problem with a gym membership is I get there and have no idea what I am doing, what machines to utilize and/or what to do next!  The idea behind Curves is to obtain a 30 minute cardio work out and strength training at the same time. This is done by completing the “circuit”.  The circuit contains 14 machines that, at the end of the 30 second cycle, allow you to work out all the major muscles.  To keep your heart rate elevated throughout the routine (and provide a complete 25 minute cardio workout  in addition to strength training), they offer bounce boards between each station.  I choose to run on the bounce boards but you can do whatever you like to keep your heart rate elevated. 

I am not able to run routinely on roads due to a meniscus tear injury in 2004 that permanently damaged my left knee and resulted in arthritis and constant achy tenderness.  The bounce boards give me a cushion that allows for less stress on my injury, enabling me to get my run on.  I began my membership with a commitment to visit Curves at least three times a week.  For the month of January, I only faltered one week in this commitment… when it was snowing real bad and I couldn’t leave home and get there.

A body in motion…

After about the first month of weekly visits at curves, and a great reduction in the amount of chemicals/poisons I was ingesting, I began to crave more exercise in my routine.  I have attended many races with SBF (www.sbf-runs.com) as his transportation, confidant and support but never walked away with a medal of my own.  SBF suggested that I challenge myself by walking a 5K.  He found a 5K race right in our home town that gave out medals to all participants.  I pondered this for a while, not sure if my knee could carry me that far.  However, my body was already in motion and the challenge began to be quite appealing…I wanted that medal! 

I searched on the internet for training schedules and found a few, but SBF suggested I follow one created by Hal Higdon (www.halhigdon.com).  Hal has been running for half a century and many have used his training schedules for their preparedness, including SBF.  Hal is also a gifted writer having written many books on marathons, training and some non-fictions. I decided to adopt his 5K program with a few slight changes to fit my weekly schedule, and start my training.  The first week started out with short walks about 15 to 20 minutes three times a week with a longer walk on the weekends.  I began doing the short walks at work during my breaks and the long walks around my neighborhood.  As the training progressed, the walks increased and so did my stamina. 

On March 24^th 2012, SBF and I woke up at the butt crack (typical race day time to wake up) and drove to the trail head where the Cupcake Fun Run/Walk began.  We got there about an hour early to ensure we had parking onsite.  The offsite parking was about .4 miles away and I didn’t want to add .8 to my very first 5K. The route was along the centennial trail in north Marysville/Arlington area.  We were one of the first participants there.  It was extremely cold and we were in our race gear (real close thin material) making it even colder.  BRR!  But, once the race started it didn’t take long to warm up the blood. 

As we began, SBF decided to tempt me by jogging the race backwards, in front of me… just out of my reach.  He had additional reasons for running backwards, working out new muscles and stretching etc (read about it at www.sbf-runs.com) . He was an absolutely perfect inspiration, claiming to have a "carrot" for me if I caught him (hehe).  The trail was a pretty mild uphill grade, a turn around half way in and down grade all the way back.  The whole thing was perfect from start to finish (although note to self: next time we plan to spend time waiting in the truck, I’m bringing blankets!!).

I completed my very first 5K walk and received my cupcake medal, and in addition, SBF got a first place ribbon for being the first male finisher, WOOHOO!  My next 5K is scheduled for this weekend and is a charity run/walk to support Autism research in Bothell.  I am personally invested in this cause, as I have an autistic son.  I am able to continue my walking goals and help a great cause close to my heart.  It’s a win win!

Tends to stay in motion…

After the 5K race on Saturday, I met my  mom and sister for an afternoon stroll in downtown Seattle.  We walked an additional 3 or so miles with hills all around.  It was a great afternoon together as always.  At the end of the day, I started adding up my mileage, and I got to thinking…I bet I could do a 10K.  


My new training schedule starts next week.  It’s an 8 week schedule that I had to tweak a bit in order to have my relaxing Sundays, but I’m really looking forward to it.  The walks are longer during the week and even longer still on the weekends. The schedule includes strength training (which I will get at curves) and cross training.  I am going to use the glider my mom is storing in my garage to meet the cross training requirement.  I am thinking I will complete the 10k around Greenlake sometime near 5/22/12.  From there.. there’s no telling what I will do! 

I used to think I just had no time to exercise or to make it an important part of my life.  SBF found a quote recently that really seems to fit here: “If you have time for Face book, you have time to exercise.  It’s not about having time, it’s about making time!”  Exercise is now a big rock (big rock/little rock is a Steven Covey prioritization thing I will likely write about later) for me- something that is required.  So it cuts into my TV/Face book time.. I’m so not missing it!   

Hydrogenated Killas!

Hydrogenated oils are bad m'kay.  They are made using hydrogen atoms!  Anything that requires a lab to manipulate it's ingredient really shouldn't be consumed, especially when one of those ingredients is known to cause health issues!  The food industries these days are getting rich off the addicting ingredients they feed their consumers and using product label manipulation to fool us into thinking their product is a-okay to eat! 

Hydrogenated oil is a process in which hydrogen gas is added to vegetable oil in the presence of a nickel catalyst.  This process forms trans-fatty acids in the hydrogenated oil.  Partially hydrogenated oils (most widely used) are things like margarine, shortening, and some cooking oils. Foods that are made with these oils are where we get trans fat in our diet.  There is also a form of full hydrogenated vegetable oil.  It's made by exposing the oil to hydrogen for a long time and create a hard waxy fat that has no trans fat and doesn't use the nickel catalyst… but its is still hydrogenated. It will show up as "vegetable shortening" in a list of ingredients.  There is NO type of hydrogenated oil that is worse than the other.  They are ALL bad!  

In 1980 it was discovered that trans fat found in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils were linked to causing heart disease, diabetes, cancer, autism, food allergies, breast cancer and autoimmune disease. That's right- 1980, however it's still being used in over 90% of food produced.  That is just insane!  It's just not necessary to use partially hydrogenated oils anymore.. but take a peek in your cub bard, read the nutritional facts and see where you are surprised to find it!  Why on earth would the food manufacturers lobby for such a manipulation in labeling and why would the FDA go for it you ask?  There's a billion reasons… and they are all green!  Food processing companies and their patents on this process would lose massive amounts of money if they had to change their method of production.  

Food companies use hydrogenated oils as preservatives, lengthening the shelf life of their products.  This allows for massive production and shipping, less spoilage and returns.  They don't care about the long term effects of this unnatural preservative on the human body consumer… they just want to ride the green wave!  Yeah, it's killing consumers (YOU) but it's a slow death and their business won't suffer…the customer base is raising their children on the same toxic products, so the next generation customer continues where their obese, diabetic parent dies off.  Not convinced?  One of the largest food production companies today is Kraft Foods.  Did you know that Phillip Morris owns Kraft Foods?  That's right, the tobacco giant Phillip Morris!  Yeah.. think this is the most honest company out there?  Cigarettes don't kill people either do they?  Yeah… do your own research!  Learn the truth!  I mean, eat what you want.. but know what you're eating!  If you're a smoker, you know it's bad for you but you do it anyway!  Your food consumption shouldn't be any different! Make the conscious choice!   

In 2002, a massive letter writing campaign began to the FDA urging nutritional facts to acknowledge the presence of trans fat in products if not ban the use of partially hydrogenated oils all together.  January 1, 2006, the FDA made it mandatory that all food labels list the percentage of trans fat therein. As you can imagine, this royally pissed off the food corporation lobbiest. Their complaints, led to the FDA's "final" ruling allowed the nutritional facts to state "Trans Fat 0" on their labeling if the product has less than 1/2 a gram in each "serving size" (what the?? 0 isn't 0??).  So.. imagine your tiny package of processed snack food. You will probably eat that entire package even though it says 4 servings inside.  If there is just under 1/2 a gram of trans fat in each serving, that's two artery clogging, cancer causing grams in your body by the time that package is empty!  The lesson here is…don't be fooled by the "Trans Fat 0" label in the nutritional facts.  READ THE INGREDIENTS to be safe. If you see the word "hydrogenated" or "mono diglycerides (they are just hydrogenated oils with a different name)" Don't put it in your mouth yo! 

School boards have been forced buy petitions brought by the PTA to remove food containing hydrogenated oils from the hot lunch menus, and soda machines containing aspartame from over 200 schools nationwide!  If your school still allows hydrogenated oils, soda machines, or any other processed unnatural foods to your child, write to the board, attend meetings, let yourself be heard!  The only way to force change is to voice your concerns and fight for it!

So what oil is safe to use without killing yourself?  Unhydrogenated vegetable oils like olive, safflower, sunflower, and peanut oils.  They are all naturally occurring monounsaturated fats and are widely available. Flaxseed oil is a fantastic option and has actually been found to reduce tumors by 50%!  Applesauce, yogurt or tofu can be used to replace hydrogenated oils in baking!  Not only is it better for you than the oil but it's a tasty alternative that brings vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber into the recipe!  It's the little differences in your diet that can bring huge change in your life.  If there's a product out there made with this stuff that you just can't live without, look for an alternative!  For instance, Nutella is well loved in my home but is made with hydrogenated oils. However, only the American version is (what does that tell you??)!  The European version is not because Europeans demand change in their products.  You can import the European version and pay for it in green rather than your health.. or look for an organic alternative!  Most health food stores can find a healthy substitute for anything!  

Once you stop letting the FDA dictate to you how much toxic poison is acceptable and start believe that "0" means "0", you will find yourself with more energy, allowing you to possibly exercise more… less hunger, allowing your diet to actually work… and a heather natural weight loss!    

Shakeology - Shake that Wallet

Shakeology appears to be a pretty good product. The ingredients are 100% natural. It has a low sugar content (4% of DV) but a very high protein content (34% DV). The calorie, protein and fat content are similar to other protein mixes but some are made with milk and therefore raise the fat/sugar content. Shakeology is mixed with water. This also makes it easier to keep on the go as you can add it to bottled water, mix and enjoy.

There are 16 different fruits, roots, berries and leaves, 6 types of nondairy probiotics, 7 probiotic enzyme blend, a 9 additional ingredients in every scoop of mix. Three of these are noted in research as being questionable as promoting what they are said to promote in this mix. The three ingredients to note here are cordyceps, acai berry and ginkgo.

Cordyceps is said to increase exercise performance but there is no scientific evidence of this. According to a test conducted by the National Institutes of Health, " It is concluded that 5 weeks of CordyMax Cs-4 supplementation [cordyceps] has no effect on aerobic capacity or endurance exercise performance in endurance-trained male cyclists." We can conclude that the same results would be shown on any form of performance exercise.

Acai berry is widely said to be a super berry with the ability to help with anti-aging, weight loss, lower cholesterol, even prevent cancer. There is no scientific evidence that it actually does do everything it boasts. There are no side effects of this fruit and it is healthy, just no more healthy than a number of other fruits.

Ginkgo can interact with certain types of medications taken for seizures, diabetes and other illnesses. It is one of the oldest living tree species on earth. A lot of research says it has great healing qualities much like acai berry but there is no scientific evidence of this. There is however evidence that it has anti blood clotting properties. If someone is taking a medication with the same effect, it can have an impact.

These three ingredients are on the bottom of the list of what's in Shakeology so there is probably minimal amounts. But my thought process on "minimal" amounts is that they are still worth mentioning…just like with aspartame and succralose, even a little bit makes a difference! However, we are talking about three natural ingredients here, only one of which actually has a side effect and even then only applies to people who already take blood clotting medication.

My conclusion on Shakeology is "approved". I think this is a great product for making sure you are getting all the goodness in nature incorporated into your daily diet. It definitely seems like a great addition, but I'm not sure it would hold a runner in between meals..however that's the same with every shake type diet. The calorie content allows for a super protein full snack supplement rather than a meal. The question is.. does the price justify a snack supplement? That just has to be decided by the purchaser individually.

Shakeology costs $4 a serving for bulk or $5 if you want individual packets. Whoah! If you are able to supplement a meal with it..say lunch, that's not too bad. But if you're having it as a snack, that's quite a hunk of change! The only real good way to price this product is to have a friend who sales it or to sell it yourself...

Death by Diet!

Curious why you are not losing weight despite your best efforts to eat low fat, protein enriched foods, sugar free options and exercising regularly?  I was!  Then I started to do some research on the sugar substitutes used in so many of the "diet" foods in today's market.  Two of the biggest and most dangerous sweeteners used today are sucralose and aspartame.

Sucralose aka Splenda,  is one of the most common artificial sweetener available today.  It is a prime example of misleading marketing.  Sucralose was discovered while trying to create a new insecticide!  Splenda does a good job of making consumers think that their base ingredient, sucralose, is safe.  Most consumers believe that this is a natural sweetener due to advertising that it is made from sugar and because the name of this product itself sounds like sucrose (sugar).  Sucralose is made when sugar is treated with trityl chloride, acetic anhydride, hydrogen chlorine, thionyl chloride, and methanol in the presence of dimethylformamide, 4-methylmorpholine, toluene, methyl isobutyl ketone, acetic acid, benzyltriethlyammonium chloride, and sodium methoxide.  Does that sound like (two syllables) su-gar?  The presence of chlorine doesn't sound too appetizing either.  Chlorine is considered a carcinogen and has been used in poisonous gas, disinfectants, pesticides and plastics. 

On the Splenda website, you can find: Sucralose (or SPLENDA® Brand Sweetener), the high intensity sweetener used in all SPLENDA® Products is not natural. It is a no calorie sweetener that is made from a process that starts with sugar. Although sucralose has a structure like sugar’s and a sugar-like taste, it is not natural. The advertising and packaging for SPLENDA® Products do not represent the product as “natural.”   

Sucralose is a calorie free substance (since your body simply cannot digest it) but Splenda has calories.  This is because Splenda contains more than just sucralose!  It also gives you a nice helping of dextrose and maltodextrin…mmm yummy!  Did you know that there is an actual formula to help determine how much sucralose is safe for you to consume?  I didn't either, but here it is:  According to the FDA, the acceptable daily intake (ADI) for sucralose is set at 5 mg per kg of body weight per day.  To determine your ADI, divide your weight in pounds by 2.2 to get your weight in kg, and then multiply it by 5. Example: If you weigh 150 lbs., your weight in kg would be 68  (150 divided by 2.2) and your ADI for sucralose would be 340 mg (68 kg x 5).  The average figure of "safe" to consume sucralose adds to about a six pack of diet soda.  So, now that you know how much sucralose is "safe" to consume.. how much do you figure you put in your body each day?  

With over 4500 products made with Splenda, it's reasonable to assume the average dieter consumes at least a cup of this stuff!  When you count the syrup in your favorite sugar free coffee drink, the number of diet soda's or sparkling waters (yes, even some sparking water contains sucralose if you see Splenda proudly displayed on the label) and the "light" diet foods that we eat regularly, are you confident that you don't consume more than a six pack?  Would you consume less than a cup of poison a day if the FDA said it was safe?  What if it had a big skull and cross bones on it instead of a sugar sounding name like sucralose?    

A recent study found that Splenda affects the absorption of prescription medications in rats.  The rats were given sucralose at doses of 1.1-11 mg/kg. After 12 weeks, they found that the rats had lost half of the good bacteria in their gut flora.  They had increased pH levels in their intestines and increased body weight!   So, with only half of the good bacteria remaining, an increased pH and weight gain, while consuming a product that is highly addictive, are we really achieving a healthier diet?  Diabetics whose medication strength is cut to 50%, metabolism is reduced and whose bodies continuously gain weight are setting themselves up to fail, and for what?  An undigestible substitute to pure table sugar.  

Some other researchers have stated that the rat study is not true and state that the only way to know for sure is to do long term studies on humans which hasn't been done (hasn't been done?  Really?? Why is that when this product ins in so much of our food??). Common sense dictates that eating something that can not be digested, removes the good bacteria that you need in your stomach and slows your metabolism simply is not a good idea.  However, taking the time to test and protect consumers is just not cost effective.  So shovel it in weight loss fanatics!   

Oh and just so you know, even if you aren't an avid diet soda drinker, you're going to get that sucralose injection anyway.  Studies have shown that when the undigested waste comes out of your body and is flushed away (the percentage of it that actually comes out and isn't store in the bodies fat cells) it gets to the treatment plant where it continues to defy consumption!  It becomes part of the water supply and is a widespread contaminant in waste water, surface water and ground water!  Water samples from 19 US drinking water treatment plants serving more than 28 million people were analyzed for sucralose.  The sweetener was found to be present in 15 out of the 19 treatment plants tested!  Sucralose is a recalcitrant compound.   Recalcitrant compounds are organic or synthetic compounds that resist being broken down by chemical processes.  The average amounts of sucralose in source water was 440 ng/L and 350 ng/l in finished water. So even if your main source of refreshment is tap water, you're adding sucralose to your diet!  Like it or not, this stuff just doesn't go away and its everywhere!  

Trying to calculate the total mg's you are consuming each day can be impossible- especially when it's found in the least likely places (like tap water!).  Don't be fooled by labels that say "less than 2%".  Be sure to look at the serving size of that 20 oz diet soda and notice the 2.5 servings in your hand.  That's 4.5% of 20 ounces to add to your daily consumption… per bottle.  

Moving on from sucralose (with a slight shiver), another popular sweetener is aspartame aka NutraSweet.  Aspartame accounts for over 75% of the adverse reactions reported to food additives to the FDA.  Reactions such as headaches, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathy difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, memory loss and joint pain (phew)!  DKP is a byproduct of aspartame metabolized.  DKP has been implicated as causing brain tumors.  When it's nitrated in the gut, it produces a compound similar to n-nitrosourea, a powerful brain tumor causing chemical.  DKP has also been implicated as causing uterine polyps and changes in blood cholesterol.    

Here is a list of chronic illnesses that can be triggered or worsened by ingesting of aspartame: brain tumors, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, parkinson's disease, alzheimer's, mental retardation, lymphoma, birth defects, fibromyalgia and diabetes.  Wait, back up.. that last one.. it's DIABETES!  This is the main targeted consumer market for this product!  Diabetics are told that this is safe!  That's it's better for them than sugar and to use it in every meal as a safe reliable substitute! 

Why is our society seeing an increase in birth defects, fibromyalgia and diabetes?  I will give you one guess!  And once your diagnosed with diabetes, you're told to ingest the "light" enemy daily!  You consume sugar substitute due to the problem, your problem worsens, you take more medication, add more sugar free substitutes, gain wait, your problem worsens…a vicious killing cycle! 

According to the latest Autism statistics conducted 9/1/11, One in 91 children in the United States has Autism.  This is up from One in every 10,000 in the 1970's.  This figure does not include PDD, Asperger's and a few other spectrum disorders.  More children will be diagnosed with Autism this year than AIDS, diabetes and cancer combined.  Wow.  Autism is the only disorder that is rising dramatically while mental retardation, down syndrome and cystic fibrosis is staying about the same.  The cause is not in inability to diagnose, the problem is simply multiplying!  The cause for Autism is unknown but According to Dr John Olney, the cause is aspartame.  Dr Olney was the founder of the field of neuroscience called excitotxicity.  He tried to prevent approval of aspartame.  He said if the FDA approved this birth defects would be on the rise.  It is especially dangerous when mixed with other excitoneurotixins like MSG.  Aspartame changes the brains chemistry and causes psychiatric and behavioral problems.  It also interacts with vaccines which can cause autism.  "Children don't have a chance" said Olney.

So what is aspartame?  40% of aspartame is made from Aspartic acid.  It's an amino acid.  Aspartate acts as neurotransmitters in the brain by facilitating the transmission of information from neuron to neuron.  If you have too much aspartate in the brain, it kills certain neurons by allowing the influx of too much calcium into the cells.  It basically excites and/or stimulates the neural cells to death!  Oh and it's addicting so the more you eat the more you want Our brains have something called "The blood brain barrier (BBB), which is said to protect the brain from excess aspartate getting in but it does not protect all arrears of the brain and is also damaged by chronic conditions (such as those indicated above, including diabetes!!) and therefore allows more and more seepage of the aspartate into the brain to excite your cells to death.  Nice huh?  The vicious killing cycle continues…   

50% of aspartame is Phenylalanine.  This is an amino acid normally found in the brain.  People who suffer from PKU cannot metabolize phenylalanine.  "Contains phenylalanine" is the only warning label on a product containing aspartame to warn sufferers of PKU.  What about the rest of us? It has been shown that people who ingest aspartame, especially along with carbohydrates (which most foods have in some quantity), can have excess levels of phenylalanine in the brain even people who do not have PKU! Excessive levels of phenylalanine in the brain can cause the levels of seratonin to decrease, leading to emotional disorders such as depression.  Even a single use of aspartame causes the blood phenylalanine levels to rise.  

It has been shown that phenylalanine is metabolized much more efficiently by rats than humans.  SO.. all those test that say "oh yeah, it's okay to ingest this stuff" by the cup full, but are testing on rats.. don't really have a clue what the long term effects on humans are!  Early studies measuring phenylalanine build up in the brain have shown to cause schizophrenia and  more susceptation to seizures. So not only are we hopelessly obese due to the vicious killing cycle, we are depressed about it and possibly having seizures and schizophrenic mental problems!   

The remaining 10% of aspartame is methanol.  Methanol is a deadly poison.  It actually does have a skull and crossbones!  The EPA assessment of methanol states that it is considered a poison due to the low rate of excretion once it is absorbed (wait, doesn't sucralose have the same problem?  The "never go away" factor?)!  You can absorb more of this poison into your body by way of aspartame when you heat it up or improperly store it.  So, the next time you heat up America's favorite bowl of sugar-free Jello, if it contains aspartame, you are releasing a nice dose of methanol into your system!  The body breaks down methanol into formic acid and formaldehyde.  Formaldehyde is a deadly neurotoxin. You know, the stuff we use to embalm our dead?  The EPA says we should not consume more than 7.8 mg/day (of formaldehyde? What the?).  A one-liter aspartame sweetened soda contains about 56 mg of methanol.  If you are a diabetic told to eat sugar free foods, you could be consuming upwards to 250 mg of methanol daily…which is 32 times the EPA limit!

Symptoms from methanol poisoning include headaches, ear buzzing, dizziness, nausea, gastrointestinal disturbances, weakness, vertigo, chills, memory lapses, numbness, and shooting pains in the extremities.  It has also been linked to behavioral disturbances and neuritis.  The most well known problems from methanol poisoning are vision problems including retinal damage and blindness, which is another symptom brought on by diabetes (how can diabetics be the target of this market??).  It interferes with DNA replication and causes birth defects!  

Due to the lack of a couple of key enzymes, humans are many times more sensitive to the toxic effects of methanol than animals.  Studies that say it's safe due to their testing results on rats are misleading us all.  The troops of Desert Storm were given large amounts of aspartame sweetened beverages that were heated over 86 degrees in the Saudi Arabian sun.  Many returned home with numerous disorders similar to what has been seen in persons who have been chemically poisoned by formaldehyde.  I have bought a 12 pack or two from the Safeway fuel stations warm from being in the sun all day.  I just throw it in the fridge to cool before consuming!  However the damage is already done and the poison at work due to the increase in methanol! No warning labels, no skull and crossbones just a warm soda needing a glass with ice right?  So wrong!   

Cigarettes are commonly known to cause birth defects and be extremely unhealthy for you.  There is a warning label required on every pack!  I recently bought a Diet 7up because it said "100% natural flavor" on the side.  I read the list of ingredients and was shocked to see aspartame on the label!  I did some research and found that 7up was allowed this manipulation because they didn't add the aspartame as "flavor".  Are you serious?  Not only is there no huge warning label, there's a "100% natural flavor" stamped right on the package!  Unbelievable!  In 1993 the FDA approved aspartame as an ingredient in numerous foods that would always be heated above 86 degrees.  What the heck!?!  This is the government that is supposed to be protecting us!  Yeah.. right!  

So, why is aspartame so commonly accepted?  Besides the misleading research, I think it's a phenomenon of manipulative marketing and uneducated consumers.  I would venture to say the drug industry has a helping hand in this since the "diet" craze sugar substitutes have resulted in an increase of the need for medications and a continued steady increase in dosages as they slowly quit working on the poisoned body!

What's the answer?  We can't go without sweet in our day- especially those of us (me included) with a sweet tooth!  The answer is Stevia.  It's an all natural sugar substitute that does not have poison in it!  Not only that but it has been proven to actually promote additional insulin production in the body!  Great news for diabetics!  Its helping to reverse diabetes and metabolic syndrome!  The Japanese have been using Stevia for over 30 years with no adverse results.  I'd call that tried and true testing on humans.. not rats!  Stevia is a mix of about 240 species of herbs and shrubs in the sunflower family.  It's new to the market but growing in popularity as consumers learn of all the information i've outlined here. Safeway has a brand of natural refresh soda made with stevia.  It's delicious and about 50-80 safe calories.  More than zero, sure, but completely digestable without brain damage and beyond.  

If you can't find a stevia option for what you're after, your better off going with plane old sugar!  Yeah, it may have carbs and calories..all natural things...it's what it doesn't have that matters.  Look at the label, eat natural made when you gotta have some sweet...save your life! Take the time to write to the corporations that feed America like Kraft, Unilever, even Starbucks, etc.  Tell them we demand a better option in our food choices!  Stevia is available, we need to make a conscious effort to change- fight obesity, diabetes, birth defects, heart disease,etc.  Don't be fooled by misleading labels and close eyed consumerism!   We deserve better than that!    

I am not a doctor, or a nutritionist, a pharmaceutical rep or scientist.  I am a working mom with three children, one of which has Autism.  I am a consumer fooled by the labeling integrated into the masses.  I am a diabetic from a long line of diabetics.  After 17 years of increased prescriptions, regular exercise and sugar free food intake with no significant weight loss, I'm making a personal choice to change!