small object, LARGE SUBJECT

Walking through the drink isle in the grocery store they are standing there… that awkward person in the soda section, their eyes slowly migrating from coke to diet coke, from high in sugar to high in… chemicals? Human's taste buds can detect very small amounts of sugar or sweetness, so there is no question why we tend to crave that sweet little something. Products with artificial sweeteners, such as Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi, market to their consumers that they have fewer calories then their sugar filled friends in the drink isle, so they can seem like the perfect alternative to sugar.

Many people turn to artificial sweeteners, or substitutes for sugar (sucrose) because there are very few added calories. Sugar substitutes are also used because compared to actual sugar, you need to use only a small amount. Actual sugar is a faction of the sweetness of artificial sweeteners. This of course is a scam; size doesn’t matter, it is what makes up a food idem that can either be good or poor for your health. As the saying goes, "you are what you eat". If a person is trying to lose weight, artificial sweeteners can sound like a good alternative, but it does not mean that it is the only change in your diet a person would have to make.

Personally, I have never been a user of artificial sweeteners. The taste of sweeteners are so strong compared to regular sugar, that it doesn’t taste close enough for me. For example, my Grandma uses Splenda, an artificial sweetener, in her tea. She keeps it in a sugar bowl, so after dipping my finger for a taste, I got a very unpleasant surprise. After expecting real sugar, the taste was very different; too sweet and unnatural tasting. Even so, these companies market that consumers will not be able to taste the difference or it may even taste better to the consumer.

Producers know exactly what the consumers of their products are looking for. The main draw of artificial sweeteners is the fact that they have very few calories, especially compared to regular sugar. Using artificial sweeteners can also be a choice over sugar for people for diabetes. Artificial sweeteners generally don’t raise blood pressure levels as much as regular sugar because they are not carbohydrates. It is all a personal choice for users, but they must be informed to make a strong decision about what is right for their diet and body.