Sickeningly Sweet – The Food Allergy No One is Talking About

It seems that food allergies are a major part of the conversation regarding health these days. Most people have heard of allergies to shellfish, peanuts, dairy and gluten – all of which can make a person feel miserable if they haven’t figured out the culprit. A lesser-known allergen can be found in foods with artificial sweeteners. Three major offenders-aspartame, sucralose and saccharin- can be found in the sweetener selection on almost every restaurant table.

To fully understand the symptoms associated with each, let’s break down the chemical composition of each:

Aspartame is an artificial non-saccharide sugar substitute in some foods and beverages that is 200 times sweeter than table sugar.

What is in it?  Phenylalanine, aspartic acid and methanol. The taste is different from regular sugar in that the sweetness lasts longer and less is needed to achieve a sweet flavor. It is often combined with other sweeteners for a taste closer to sugar.

You could have an allergy if you are experiencing the following:

Headaches                             Fibromyalgia

Anxiety                                 Memory loss

Arthritis                                Abdominal pain

Nausea                                  Depression

Heart palpitations                 Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Seizures                                Neurological disorders

Vision problems                    Weight gain

Sucralose is found in many food and beverage products, used because it is a no-calorie sweetener, does not promote dental cavities, is deemed as safe for consumption by diabetics as non-diabetics, and does not affect insulin levels.

What is in it?  Sucralose is a synthetic additive created by chlorinating sugar. Manufacturers say the chlorine in sucralose is no different from that in table salt. Most ingested sucralose is not broken down by the body, so it is consider non-caloric.

You could have an allergy if you are experiencing the following:

Migraines

Head and muscle aches

Stomach cramps and diarrhea

Bladder issues

Skin irritation

Dizziness and inflammation

Saccharin is an artificial sweetener approximately 300 times as sweet as table sugar, but has a bitter or metallic aftertaste at high concentrations. It is used to sweeten products such as drinks, candies, cookies, medicines, and toothpaste.

What is in it?  Saccharin is a sulfa-based sweetener; its primary ingredient is benzoic sulfimide. Saccharin does not react chemically with other food ingredients and it stores well. Blends of saccharin with other sweeteners are used to mask the bad taste of each other.

For those with sulfa allergies, saccharin may cause:

Nausea

Diarrhea

Skin Problems

Other allergy-related symptoms

Although artificial sweeteners may be a subject of debate, no one can argue that sweeteners are made from chemicals, some of which are known to be not only harmful, but truly toxic. Whether or not you have an intolerance to artificial sweeteners depends on how responsive your own body is against the chemicals they contain.