Starving Artists: Starving Artists -> Cigars...cigarettes...chicklettes...poison Anyone?

I discovered a great fudgsicle at the market the other day. And it was soooooo good! I was very impressed. It taste almost as real as real chocolate ice cream. It's only 1 point too! Oh here we go again...points, points, points. Honestly, this is what's been helping me lose a bit of weight. So far I've lost 9 pounds already. Anyway, this box contains only 6 fudge bars. So we went through that quite fast and went back and bought two more, dang it! It's not even by WW either, but it's R-E-A-L-L-Y delish. Honest, I'd never lie on this one.

The other day I decided to have one as a dessert and as I was indulging in it, bit time, I started reading the ingredients. Then my jaw just dropped...it contains aspartame? Uh-oh, back up a bit and read that again...yup, aspartame. Hey, isn't that ingredient really bad? I think I remember hearing about it...hmmm, lemme just go google it. And boy was I shocked to read how BAD aspartame is...I mean it's really bad and is included in a LOT of foods we consume, like a big percentage of diet items...diet sodas, candies, gum, even jello now, wow! Big WoW on that one.

Apparently there has been research done on this, but it's not really been concluded to cause extreme harm. Yet I have been reading that a lot of people have gotten really sick over this stuff. And we consume it like it's going out of style, most of us not fully aware or really knowledgeable on this. The side effects are overwhelming to me and I just couldn't believe it. Here's a list of reactions and side effects of aspartame I found online:

Eye
blindness in one or both eyes
decreased vision and/or other eye problems such as: blurring, bright flashes, squiggly lines, tunnel vision, decreased night vision
pain in one or both eyes
decreased tears
trouble with contact lenses
bulging eyes

Ear
tinnitus - ringing or buzzing sound
severe intolerance of noise
marked hearing impairment

Neurologic
epileptic seizures
headaches, migraines and (some severe)
dizziness, unsteadiness, both
confusion, memory loss, both
severe drowsiness and sleepiness
paresthesia or numbness of the limbs
severe slurring of speech
severe hyperactivity and restless legs
atypical facial pain
severe tremors

Psychological/Psychiatric
severe depression
irritability
aggression
anxiety
personality changes
insomnia
phobias

Chest
palpitations, tachycardia
shortness of breath
recent high blood pressure

Gastrointestinal
nausea
diarrhea, sometimes with blood in stools
abdominal pain
pain when swallowing

Skin and Allergies
itching without a rash
lip and mouth reactions
hives
aggravated respiratory allergies such as asthma

Endocrine and Metabolic
loss of control of diabetes
menstrual changes
marked thinning or loss of hair
marked weight loss
gradual weight gain
aggravated low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
severe PMS

Other
frequency of voiding and burning during urination
excessive thirst, fluid retention, leg swelling, and bloating
increased susceptibility to infection

Additional Symptoms of Aspartame Toxicity include the most critical symptoms of all:
death
irreversible brain damage
birth defects, including mental retardation
peptic ulcers
aspartame addiction and increased craving for sweets
hyperactivity in children
severe depression
aggressive behavior
suicidal tendencies

Aspartame may trigger, mimic, or cause the following illnesses:
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Epstein-Barr
Post-Polio Syndrome
Lyme Disease
Grave’s Disease
Meniere’s Disease
Alzheimer’s Disease
ALS
Epilepsy
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
EMS
Hypothyroidism
Mercury sensitivity from Amalgam fillings
Fibromyalgia
Lupus
non-Hodgkins
Lymphoma
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)


What! Why don't we see this on TV or in the news? I'm not sure, but you can surely find it easily online. Apparently, there are few doctors, researchers who acknowledge this is happening. BUT there is a larger percentage of people experiencing the effects and have linked them to their consumption of aspartame as soon as they realize what their diets consist of or as soon as they make the connection. Once they cease consumption, the effects disappear. Wow. And to think I found a little tasty treasure in my newly-found fudge bar. I really thought I found a huge treasure. Something that would only be one point and satisfy my chocolate cravings. *sigh* Oh well. No more fudge bars for me.

The other disappointment was learning that aspartame exist in almost every chewing gum. Again...what! My favorite brand of chewing gum contains aspartame. Rats. From what I learned online, there is a small amount of chewing gum brands without the poison and they are mostly cinnamon flavored gums....like yuck. I'm not too fond of cinnamon flavored gum. It's okay, just not fond of it.

So now I cannot have my fudge bar that I liked so much and now I can't even chew my favorite gum anymore. Even Juicy Fruit contains aspartame. Double rats! What's a girl to do without her fudge bar and her gum? Now every time I find something low in calories that taste good...or better yet, zero calories, I HAVE to look at the ingredients. Just why can't they make stuff without aspartame? Gee wiz. Why can't they make chewing gum without aspartame? Sheesh. And yet I regularly see people offer a stick gum, thinking they are being nice or offering a drink, like a soda or something..."I have regular or diet soda, which would you like?" When really it should be more like, "I have regular soda and soda with poison, which would you like?" Ummmm...errr....lemme tink about eeet...

*big sigh*