A Sweet Debate?

When I started my journey a few months ago, I had a vague concept of where I wanted to go with this. I didn't set out to become an expert on physical fitness or a vision of toned, rippling muscles. I didn't set out to reach a perfect weight. Truthfully I just wanted to start making healthier choices day to day, so that I might break the cycle of doctors and illnesses that had beset me in the previous year. Surprisingly. however, each day I invested a little more in my journey, the clearer my goals have become and the further I have wanted to push them.

This has been both good and bad. It has led me to push myself beyond my comfort zone numerous times, but it has also led me down the wrong path on occasion as well. Recently I have become attuned to the amount of sugar the I consume daily. Don't get me wrong, I still have no intention of eliminating sugar from my diet, but I am trying to be more conscious of how much sugar I put in my body. Since I gave up sodas this past year, my drink of choice has become a cup of hot tea with cream and sugar. The advent of the Keurig in our house pushed my addiction to a new level, and it is rare to find me without a cup of tea somewhere within reach. At some point, I began second guessing the 2-3 teaspoons of sugar I use to sweeten the tea with, so I decided to try a few alternative sweeteners. I started with Sweet and Low and Equal, but did not like the aftertaste that came with them. I invested in a box of Truvia, convinced that because it came from a plant, I would be able to get the sweetness I was looking for without the aftertaste. Try as I might, I could not get used to the different flavor, so I gave up on the ideas of artificial sweeteners and returned to sugar.

When I went on my trip to Florida, I stayed with my mother who only keeps Splenda in her sugar bowl. This forced me to try something new again. Much to my surprise, I actually liked the taste of Splenda. By the time I returned home, I had found my new sweetener and was proud of myself for the healthier choice I was making. That is until today when I stumbled across an article detailing the many health risks associated with Splenda consumption, amongst which were potential Kidney problems and bloating. Hmm....I already had my own Kidney problems, probably didn't need any new ones.

I googled the subject and was amazed at all the information out there. A debate was raging in the health care community about the use of Splenda as a sugar substitute. There were several studies which exposed potential serious health concerns, but there were also an equal amount of experts out there providing opposing arguments advocating Splenda's safety and pointing to bias as a factor in the studies which suggested something different. Most of the experts agreed that short term usage presented no real problems, but there was a broad disagreement about the affects on the body on using it for longer periods of time. The real issue becomes who do you believe? Maybe I needed to become an expert on physical fitness after all, if I wanted to ensure I was making all the right choices.

While I tend to hold myself to the mantra "Everything in Moderation", the theory doesn't hold when applied to all situations...for instance, smoking cigarettes. So in the face of so much conflicting information and with the particular concerns that are unique to my own health situation, I have decided to err on the side of wholly natural this time and will convert back to sugar. I'm curious to see where everyone else lands on this debate.