The Word on Weightloss

One of the most popular diet trends in the last several years is to substitute real sugar for fake sugar. Sugary sweeteners are a dime a dozen these days, and you often have to go digging through the packets to find the real sugar. Diet sodas and sugar free desserts are eagerly consumed by people who are trying to lose weight, but is it even helping? Which is better: real sugar or fake sugar?

The Positives

Many people think that real sugar is better, because it is a more natural product than artificial sweeteners. The body knows how to break down sugar, but it has much more difficulty with fake sugars like Splenda and Sweet N Low. On the other hand, many people prefer fake sugars because they have no calories. Switching from Coke to Diet Coke will save almost 200 hundred calories per drink.

Does Fake Sugar Make You Eat More?

One downside to diet friendly food items like sugar free pudding and 100 calorie packs of cookies is that people often eat more. People assume that these food items are much better for them than the real sugar versions, so they take an extra spoonful or eat a 2nd pack.

Does Fake Sugar Satisfy?

While 3 or 4 normal cookies might only be 150 calories, people will pass them up for the 100 calorie packs. This seems like a good decision until their sweet tooth isn’t satisfied. Foods that are sugar free are just not as sweet and tasty as food made with real sugar. So people might reach for something with real sugar after trying to use fake sugar to satisfy their craving.

Which is Better?

The real sugar versus fake sugar argument is not an easy one to solve. Some people avoid fake sugars along with many other additives and eat more whole and fresh foods. This certainly seems like a healthier option, but it doesn't justify eating tons of fruit everytime you have a sweet tooth. It's still a lot of sugar. On the other hand, fake sugar sweeteners are basically just chemicals, and they can mess with your metabolism and other functions of the body.

Unfortunately, this is not an easy decision to make. Each individual person must decide whether they should use real sugar or fake sugar and how much they will try to avoid the other.