10/02/2026
The Artificial Sweeter trap.
I often hear people saying they are using artificial sweeteners to help lose weight but rarely does it make a difference. Why? What's going wrong?
Natural sugars are high calory additives to drinks and food to add sweetness. Artificial sweeteners add no calories to the same foods and are sweeter.
There is much debate around the safety of artificial sweeteners, which is not the purpose of this post, although many long-term studies have not found any links to major health concerns like cancer risk.
What goes wrong with using artificial sweeteners?
One theory is that we make deals with ourselves - "I'm being good drinking diet cola so I'm ok to have some cake!" Thus, we actually consume more sugars and calories.
Another theory is that artificial sweeteners change the way we perceive sweetness. They are far sweeter than natural sugars and may train us to find food less sweet (such as fruit and vegetables) unappealing to eat. Therefore, high nutrition and filling foods are less likely to be on the menu.
Artificial sweeteners may also prevent us from associating sweetness with calory intake. Meaning we will crave more sweets, choose sweeter foods over healthier options, and likely gain weight.
There is also the question of whether artificial sweeteners are more addictive. We already know from many animal studies that sugar is highly addictive.
Choosing foods with natural sugars makes more sense overall.
Natural sugar foods in their whole form are nutrient dense, high fiber and lower glycemic.
Go less processed and enjoy your meal.
