Banner Sponsors
For artists and collectors sponsored by Intercal...your mohair supplier and Johnna's Mohair Store
DoodlebearsI'm asking this question in a new post as I think everyone should read this.
Under the heading of Cancer warning...PLEASE READ. Renae said
I've been a little more safety concious ever since the aspartame took away a few years of my life. And yet they still sell it in everything.
Wow Renae you mentioned Aspartame...please tell us all what happened, I for one would like to know.
I was always drinking diet Cola and not a lot else. I also used a sweetener in my hot drinks and on cereal. I decided that yes I was addicted to the stuff so I stopped drinking and using it on my food.
Oh boy was I sick...I had such withdrawal symptoms that you wouldn't believe. Headaches, shakes etc. but eventually the mind fog that I had obviously been suffering whilst drinking Cola started to lift and I felt so much more aware and alive. Heavens knows what damage I did to myself whilst drinking Aspartame laced drinks but I stay well away from anything that contains Aspartame now and will never go there again.
How can manufactures get away with adding poison to our drinks!
It appears that Aspartame breaks down into methylol alcohol which, if you drank it in the
pure form, would cause blindness. Scary don't you agree! 
If you want to read more about Aspartame's side effects go to:
http://www.sweetpoison.com/aspartame-side-effects.html
Hugs Jane. 
PottersHouse BearsI never touch anything with artificial sweetner. Since I do not like sweet drinks, this is not a problem. I have not had a soda of any kind for about 3 years. If you want a sweetner that has no calories, no side effects, and is perfectly natural, try stevia. It is an herb plain and simple. It is 100X sweeter than sugar, so a little goes a long way. It is scary to think what is allowed in our food. We sometimes wonder why all the sickness.
Posts: 3,540NO ONE is immune to aspartame poisoning! NO ONE. They may just take longer to show the effects of the poisoning is all.
Renae I'm pretty sure you can reverse the damage...I'll pm you... :hug:
Posts: 1,153I had to stop using Splenda having a very bad reaction and then reading a warning in a magazine about it...I was having the exact symptoms they published. After discontinuing using Splenda, all the symptoms are gone.
Having said that...not everyone has this reaction.
Nanc...
LutonWhen I was 16 and dieting I used to have sugar in my tea. So when on my diet I naturally chose to put sweetener in my tea instead apart from the fact it tasted awful I started to notice that I became a bit depressed. As time went on I used to feel tired and sluggish aswell although I was now down to a very healthy weight !!! So I stopped the sweetener. Well I felt better within days and much happier again !!!
Growing up my Mum would never buy fizzy drinks or diet drinks and we all drank tons of water. So maybe my reaction to the sweetener was quicker too !!!
Who knows ???
Claire
Posts: 3,540Xylitol and Light Agave nectar are other wonderful sugar alternatives. A little goes a long way, and the xylitol is actually proven to fight tooth decay ~ there's a nice bonus 
Back Road BearsGood grief! Now ya'll have made me feel the need to go sit and have a good hard look at my over all health.
I've been diabetic for 24 years and always drank "DIET" drinks, put Equal or Splenda in my coffee and tea, etc. I've never experienced any negative reactions that I am consciously aware of. I've heard the warnings but then think, "Oh, but I don't have any symptoms so it doesn't bother ME" then I just continue on my daily business.
Now I'm gonna go read all I can and be SURE I'm ok.
My theory... better to have a little REAL sugar once in a while than all this other artificial crap!
Posts: 1,836Renae,
I never use the stuff either...never. When it first hit the market my mom wouldn't allow us to use it..which was really really hard because it was in everything from children's vitamins to breakfast cereals. We didn't even have the internet back then, she did all of her research via the library and mom didn't like the phenylalanine (aspertame) PKU connections...so we were banned from it. Funny thing is years later they took it out of a lot kids products and told pregnant women to stay away from it. (???)
Once I got a little older I figured a diet soda couldn't hurt me here or there, but I found that every time I had aspartame (nutrisweet) I would get a wicked bad 2 day migraine instantly...like hospital ill. I never ever use the stuff.
After having some health issues I'm on a lifetime specialized diet and it works awesome for me, I've never felt better about what I'm consuming. I eat natural foods and liquids so there's no reason to worry about a few calories that natural sugars present. I don't used refined white sugar and no high fructose corn syrup (good Lord I could write a BOOK about the health concerns of that stuff! If you're using diet soda to loose weight cut out all products with high fructose corn syrup instead) If I need a sweetener I use honey, brown rice syrup or date sugar/ pure maple syrup in baking.
You never think about what the things you consume can really do to your body until you stop and take note of it. Some will roll their eyes and say it's silly and that's totally cool, but I always think of it like this...cars were made to run on gas...if you put something different in the tank it's not going to run. We technically weren't built to live on chemicals, dyes, artificial additives and junk.
Oh and here's one more bit of funny info...."Artificial Flavoirngs" and "Natural flavorings" are both made in a labratory. Natural flavorings only means it had a different creation process than the artificial flavoring process...it's not a "natural orange" that got squeezed into the gum or popsicle! "They are both made in a laboratory by a trained professional, a "flavorist," who blends appropriate chemicals together in the right proportions. The flavorist uses "natural" chemicals to make natural flavorings and "synthetic" chemicals to make artificial flavorings." !!"Chemicals"!! 
~Chrissi
Posts: 434I'll tell ya, nothing is good for you anymore is it. They make all this new stuff and claim it is better and you start using it. Then, you find out it's long term use is killing you. I started using ALL NATURAL honey from my parents bees to sweeten most things.
Me and my family tried to make a healthy life change with foods a while back. We decided to eat only home grown veggies, breads, and foods that were ALL natural. I'll tell you it is hard to find anything left in this world all natural. They inject our veggies with stuff, almost all bread has additives etc. If you do find all natural foods you have to go to health food stores here. Then, you pay out the rump for it. I didn't realize how much garbage is in ALL our food until I started reading the back of every box or label. I guess you just don't know what your eating until you wake up and make a life change. A lot of the words on the labels I can't even read. Then, I ask what is that? Nine times out of ten it is something artificial and it is bad for you. So, I began to ask, "Is their anything good for you in this world to eat?" I decided that answer for me was within reasonable per portion is okay. 
Nova Scotia,CanadaHelp!!!! I use a Wal-mart brand low calorie sweetner but it doesn't say aspartame or nutra sweet , how do I know if it's safe? The ingredients are Dextrose, sodium cyclamate and silicon dioxide ( okay, now having written that, I'm sure it can't be good) Renae , feel free to pm me. :redface: :redface:
I use one packet twice a day, it's super cheap, $1.60 for a box of 100. yes I have unexplained leg pain and health problems and allergies. HMMMM, I think I'll stop using it.
Past Time BearsWhoa, Renae . . . I'm so sorry about all the problems you've had to deal with throughout your life - what a bummer! I'm glad you found out about the aspartame as soon as you did - even though it did so much damage. The consequences could have been worse and we would never have gotten to know you on TT. You are a breath of fresh air, tell such wonderful stories with super photos, and liven up this board. It's great to have you here! :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
BrisbaneWell I just dumped my sweetener down the drain ....and the diet pop is going too!!! 
Real Deal BearsUT OHHhhhh..... I have been using sweetener for years. 
I wonder if thats why I have unexplained allergies.
My hubby is a diabetic and drinks diet coke....hummmmm
I think I will have to check it out.
Thank you so much for sharing that Renae. That's dreadful that your health has been affected so badly.
About 2 years ago, my 38 year old friend was taken to hospital with a suspected heart attack. The hospital could find nothing in their tests that suggested a heart attack. She later told me she was going to stop drinking diet drinks and having artificial sweetner in her coffee. Her Canadian partner thought it might be something to do with the sweetners. To be honest at the time I thought she'd gone a bit mad. Anyway, after reading your post tonight (I've never heard anything about aspartame until now) I've done a few internet searches and sure enough symptons mimicking heart attacks can be caused by aspartame.
My main reason for searching was because I drink a huge amount of tea and coffee with sweetners, I also suffer terribly with headaches. There's a lot of information about headaches and aspartame out there. Interestingly I stopped using sugar and started having sweetners about 15 years ago when I started to run into trouble with my teeth. Thinking about it now the headaches started around the same time. I've been to the doctor and been given anti-inflammatories, they didn't work. I visit an osteopath regularly to strighten out my spine and remove the tension. The only pain killers that work for me are codeine based and thinking about it the only time that I'm permanently headache free is when I'm on holiday and have forgotten my sweetners!
I can also tick the boxes for irritability, mood swings (husband will testify to that 
) and restless, twitchy legs.
I'm going to follow Sarah Janes lead and dump the sweetners and see what happens - and my girls will definitely not be drinking any more diet drinks.
Thank you so much.
Bears by EdieI have always been leery of aspartame and most other artificial sweeteners and avoid them like the plague. However I am now a little confused after the postings with the link to Snopes that showed Jane's concern for plastics in microwaves was perhaps not so serious and for fun checked out aspartame on Snopes and it says there that the idea there is a problem with aspartame is false!!! Did I not do this right?, or if they say aspartame is okay and so many people think it isn't, then maybe they are off base on the microwave/plastics thing too???
Bear hugs, Edie
Posts: 1,836Hi Edie!
This stuff can be maddening, especially when you're trying to get to the truth for your health. I personally believe the plastic thing and don't use it for microwaving at all and I don't reuse plastic drinking bottles either. Some people (like my husband!) are just not as sensitive and can eat anything and be exposed to anything and never have a bad day or issue. Then there are people like me who are sensitive to foods, perfumes, medications, etc. I always tell people why I do what I do, but it all comes down to educating yourself and what feels right for your health and well being. I personally wouldn't eat one strawberry in summer unless I knew it was organic (non organic always rank #1 for the highest levels and types of pesticides). Others might just be fine with it and not think it's a big deal. It's just about what each person decides is best for their health, but always be educated...the "studies" aren't always looking out for the consumer.
~Chrissi
Newcastle, OntarioI just popped in and read this post with interest. I've never liked the artificial sweeteners either - never trusted them. My husband was very ill when he was 40 and we went to an MD who was also a naturapath. Boy, did she give some informative info ie - my hubby used to drink TONS of coffee and diet pepsi, until she told us how bad the artificial sweeteners were and the aluminum tins it came in, and all of the pesticides used on coffee. She told him if he insisted on drinking coffee, buy the cheap stuff. The really good stuff was good because the beans grew bigger due all the pesticides. The cheaper the coffee, the less money was spent on pesticides! Made a lot of sense. Anyway, he now only drinks water. No one in our house drinks either pop or coffee, only water and natural juices. I'm particularly vigilent with our wee grandson, as we notice he reacts to articical colouring.
hugs,
Brenda
Jellybelly BearsRenae, sorry for your experience!! And thankyou for telling us all and making us aware...when my sister was diagnosed with MS one of the first things the nurses asked her when she was put on IV pred was if she has a lot of artificial sweetner...she has none and really has MS, but the medical professionals are aware of it...
Like Daphne I've been diabetic for 12 yrs and so just head for the artificial stuff. I don't drink soft drink now coz I don't like it anymore, but I do use splenda in tea and coffee, cereal, and also artifically sweetened lollies...I have so many health problems and I wonder whether these are making my head foggyness etc worse...I really like Splenda so hope that that one is safe...they say its made from sugar so I don't know....
sigh!!
Back Road BearsI believed in my natropath until the day she told me not to eat meat because likely those animals had negative thoughts and emotions just before they were slaughtered and I'd somehow (she had an explination) end up with those same bad feelings and bad dreams.
:crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup:
I couldn't take anything she told me for real after that! That was my last appointment with her!
I can see avoiding large amounts of anything that's bad for you. But I have to be honest, being diabetic and having to watch everything that goes in my mouth as far as portion size and number of carbs, remembering to take a shot everytime I eat and keeping track of anytime I eat fatty food so I know to take another shot in a couple of hours when that fat raises my blood sugar level... I just can't keep track of what chemical is in every little thing I stick in my mouth!!!! I'd go bonkers and spend my entire day at the grocery store looking for something 'healthy' and then go to the health food store and go broke. Never mind that I hate veggies and fruit! I'd starve to death! So I'm going to die no matter what I do here!
I will say this..... I bought the bags of prewashed and chopped salad greens a couple of times. You could TASTE the chemicals in that stuff and they made my tongue tingle!!! So, I'm not disagreeing with the fact that all the artificial stuff in food is bad for you. If it made my tongue tingle imagine what it would do to my insides after time??!!
But to be realistic I think some of it is portion control. In today's society, economics, high speed living style, etc. can the majority really avoid ALL artificial additives? No. But can you opt NOT to drink 5 cans of soda pop a day, just 1? Yes.
Jellybelly Bearshehe, yep daph, gotta die of something lol. don't think I will be giving up splenda just yet, and the lollies I have are that laxative sweetner..so hopefully okay.
you are too right...all the thinking that goes into just eating...drives me insane when it still doesn't go right even when you try your hardest!
Back Road BearsOK, I'm back again....
After reading about aspertame and sucralose (Splenda) I've decided to just eat SUGAR! The real thing!
Did you know sucralose was discovered when a team of scientists were trying to make an insecticide!!!?? And aspertame was found when a scientist was trying to create an anti-drug for something. And so then 'someone' decided to put it in our food cause it tasted sweet???? And aspertame can cause carb cravings so instead of being a good diet product it has the opposite effect.
Despite what individual groups claim for or against these products, (there are groups for and against EVERYTHING!) just knowing how they originated makes the thought of ingesting them scary! Sure, I suppose some very 'helpful for us' stuff was discovered upon accident. Take penecillin!! But still.........
Renae.... perhaps your links disclosed all of this. Sorry if I'm repeating.
But then there's eggs. One year they were good for us. Then they were bad for us.... cholesterol and all. Now they are good for us again. :doh:
I quit!
DoodlebearsI'm so pleased that I started this thread and got Renae to tell her story. When Renae mentioned Aspartame in another post I wanted to hear her story... no not because I'm nosey, it was because I have been left permanently damaged and I feel it was the Aspartame that I allowed to go into my body. After years of drinking Cola type drinks I was really fed up of not feeling well. I was having many symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and I was told that Aspartame may produce an MS-like syndrome. I stopped drinking the cola and cut out any foods that contained Aspartame. I had very bad withdrawal symptoms but gradually I felt a little better. Although I was feeling a little better I still showed symptoms of MS and my balance was bad and I kept falling over. I was admitted into hospital after knocking myself out when I fell one time. I saw a Neurosurgeon who convinced me to have a lumbar puncture done. Well if I didn't have problems enough already the incompetent ***** missed his target and has left me with permanent damage to my back. He didn't get the spinal fluid to test so if I have MS or not has never been proven but I do suffer every day from back pain and my walking has got less and less over the years since. All this came and spoilt my life because I drank diet Cola. I now can only walk with support and sometimes when it is particulary bad I have to use a wheelchair.
My advice to everyone is
DON'T DRINK ANYTHING OR EAT ANYTHING CONTAINING ASPARTAME
I know my case is not just through Aspartame but my life has been changed since I ingested it into my body.
STAY SAFE dump the Aspartame (Poison) laced foods and drinks!
Hugs Jane. :hug:
Posts: 3,540 Oh Jane what a nightmare! Talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire... :hug:
Bears by EdieThat is just awful to hear what aspartame has done to Renae and Jane - and to hear about the headaches and other symptoms some of the others have had! Isn't it unbelievable that something like that can stay on the market? Just like all the transfats that are in so many foods - I am so glad that they are finally doing something about that, after years of studying the labels to try to avoid transfats. You would think with everything they can do nowadays they could at least give us safe and healthy food to eat! I am sure that going the organic route is wise but it is just not really an option for a lot of us - not too many places where it is readily available in small towns. I guess all we can do is try to avoid the worst stuff and I really appreciate everyone sharing their stories for the benefit of the rest of us.
Bear hugs, Edie
Posts: 1,836OK, I'm back again....
After reading about aspertame and sucralose (Splenda) I've decided to just eat SUGAR! The real thing!
Did you know sucralose was discovered when a team of scientists were trying to make an insecticide!!!?? And aspertame was found when a scientist was trying to create an anti-drug for something. And so then 'someone' decided to put it in our food cause it tasted sweet???? And aspertame can cause carb cravings so instead of being a good diet product it has the opposite effect.
Once you start researching all of this stuff and noticing what you eat and how it truly affects you it's amazing what you find! I really liked the movie Super Size Me and I've since read both of Spurlock's books...there's one bit of info that made me say "WOW!". A simple potato...or so we thought. This simple potato was grown to be bug resistent and was used for years by Fast Food and snack manufacturers, until public concern made them stop. This potato was literally listed as a pesticide with the EPA or FDA, at this exact moment I forget which is was. Imagine what happened to this pesticide/toxin when it was fried and we were all eating it for years until the late 1990's!! "Launched in 1995, NewLeaf Potato is equipped with a gene from a microorganism to make a toxin that repels a bug called the Colorado potato beetle. "
Who knew. (??) This is why I try to eat as much organic and non GMO foods by buying sale items, using coupons, and freezing cheaper seasonal produce for yearly consumption. I'm probably making myself sound like a total granola over here :crackup: , but I'm really not. I just have such concern about the chemical laden junk we're bombarded with. In my area the organic sections of the "regular" food stores are growing larger and I do really see a trend in people wanting more of it and less blue dye #40 and pesticide flavored foods. The prices are getting better too.
It's all about educating yourself and doing what feels right for your own body and mind 
~Chrissi
