I went to a talk recently with Damian Kristof, an Australian naturopath practicing in both Australia and New Zealand. Like many before him he had a wee rant on the evils of nutrasweet and it’s active ingredient Aspartame. Given that my diet coke consumption is epic I decided that perhaps I needed to find out more…
- Aspartame Information Center has the official line with endorsements from leading health groups. But are they endorsements or simply “we can’t prove otherwise”?
- from wikipedia: Aspartame
- UK Food Guide to sweeteners and additives: E 951 Aspartame
- Aspartame kills with a downloadable documentary that I have yet to watch
- Aspartame Victims Support
- Urban Legends Reference Pages: Toxin du jour (Kiss My Aspartame)
Ok, so a total lack of consensus. I left out the people trying to sell detox programmes etc but one did claim that it would take 60 days to be aspartame clean. Yikes!
Well, it never hurts to have a clean up every so often so here goes. Today is officially day #4 which is quite major for me. Day #60 is the 5th October. Lets see how I go.
Hi Sarah, hows day 15 going? i have found it takes about 7-14 days for the real bad stuff to be out of the way… how are you feeling?
damian
Aaaaah, how did he know I fell off the wagon? Couldn’t resist having a glass with friday night F&C and then yesterday I let myself get really thirsty, was feeling low & “what the hell”-ish. But that’s not bad and while that means I’m not “clean” 2 glasses in 15 days aint bad when I used to drink a litre every day.
So long as I keep drinking water like a mad thing it’s not too bad – and since Damian reckons I should be drinking 2.6 litres a day anyway I’m just meeting that target. 2.6 litres is alot of water!!! Whatever happened to 8 glasses a day?
hi there,
I am a chronic diet coke drinker and want to detox. Could you perhaps email me information about your detox? i would be very appreciative!!! Thank you!! It would be good to keep in touch and see how you are doing on your road to health!
Elizabeth.
I’ve just been sent an email newsletter by Kathy Smith (it’s an opt in one I’ve been getting for years, but rarely have time to read) extolling the virtues of Xylitol.
Feeling rather cynical I googled for Xylitol to see what I could find. Sure enough there’s plenty of noise out there. What is heartening is that it does seem to be good.
Wikipedia: Xylitol
The Healthy Sweetener Use Guide on a Aspartame / Nutrasweet Detoxification site lists Xylitol under “Sweeteners to Use”.
but all those grand endorsements are rather undone by:
Hey Sarah… are you still going? or have you stopped? I’d reccommend a great book to read Changing Habits Changing Lives by Cindy O’Meara… very good read… it explains in more detail the things that i talked about at the health talk. 🙂
i hope you are well
Damian
well I think that detox is a good remedy to clean your body and it’s legal… It can help to get rid of different illnesses…
Xylitol does NOT have the same effect in humans as it does in dogs.
Its perfectly harmless to people, but yes, if you take more than 6 spoonfuls a day it may have a laxative effect – like figs or plenty of other food stuffs.
Its a very good options for people who cannot eat sugar.
Anyone have experience of Stevia? When I first found out about it I thought it sounded amazing but then I realized why its not available in Europe, I wondered if there is something to the studies relating to Stevia as a mutigen. But if so, why is it so widely used in Japan?
Keep up the good work. That Diet Coke can be hard to kick, but if you don’t … it will kill you!
I don’t know why there’s not warning labels on that stuff, like on cigs!
And just incase you needed more info…
WHAT WOULD MOLD LOOK LIKE IN DIET SODA?I DRANK A DIET DR PEPPERBACK IN JULY OF THIS YEAR,AND IT HAD WHAT APPEAREDTO BE TWO FINGER ENDS OF A LATEX RUBBER GLOVE.COULD THIS HAVE BEEN MOLD?
Way to go Sarah on your detox regime. Aspartame is as bad as sugar minus the sweetness. It won’t cause diabetes but will give you something else. The best would be to avoid soft drinks totally and go for fruit juices without sugar. That’s how i do it.
Now this is scary. I struggled to ditch the diet coke and really didn’t feel any better on or off the stuff. Then I was prescribed Loxamine (Arapax) and diet coke started making me feel unwell. It was painless to quit and now I can’t even drink a glass of the stuff – it tastes foul. I definately feel better off it.
So, could diet coke addiction be a symptom of depression?
I have been a 7-8 can and sometimes bottle of Diet Coke drinker a DAY for nearly 10 years. My health over the last two years has not been good. Extreme headaches and migraines, joint pain, jitterness, fatigue and overall just feeling like crud. People can say that sugars, arificial sweetners, caffeine and other ingredients are not addicting or bad for you, but when your body tells you something, it’s time to list. I have shared my whole story on my blog, http://www.dietdrinkaddiction.com and how I broke that addiction in 5 days with no withdrawal symptoms at all.
Thanks,
Mike
I have Fibromyalgia, Osteoarthritis, PTSD, Panic attacks, anxiety attacks, depression, COPD, Bipolar disorder, asthma, mood swings, insomnia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, overweight, swelling over entire body, pain over entire body, trouble standing from a chair, trouble getting out of bed. A friend of mine emailed me info about Aspartame on August 7 2009. Today is August 17 2009. I can get out of a chair with no problem, I can get out of bed, I’m not swollen, I’ve lost weight, my knees, ankles, feet, fingers, neck no longer hurt. I no longer have the twitch in my right elbow and left side. I’m not grumpy. I still have severe pain in my hips, back, shoulders and elbows. I could not walk 100 feet. I can now. Further than that!!!! I was drinking Diet Polar Orange Dry by the 6 pack or more daily for a few years. I’m all set with that now. I still have a case. I’m going to give it away. I”m not going to waste it. Now I know what was worsening my fibro and osteo and all my other health problems. Aspartame. STOP USING IT!!!!!!
Lorraine! That is so scary, thank you for posting your personal story. I really appreciate that you took the time to do so.
Every so often I read articles in the media reassuring us that Aspartame’s ok. Personal experience tells us that’s not the case.
Keep clean, and just like with any other substance abuse remember that it’s one day at a time. Put bad days behind you. If you stumble, pick yourself up and keep going.