Do you habitually weigh yourself daily? Are you anxiously waiting to see if the number is a little different today, praying the pizza last night didn’t inflict too much damage? Do you measure your fat percentage on some slick scale hoping the ketogenic diet is working? Look, it’s great to have a system to know if you’re within designated, personal parameters. However, the mercurial nature of weight may often lead to increased stress and anxiety; or some blend of self-loathing, shame, tension, and guilt- all of which increases oxidative stress in your body. (Ironically enough, oxidative stress can actually worsen weight status).  

​Consider tabling the micromanaging and shift to kinder approaches of self-monitoring. The following are a few ideas to initiate a paradigm shift on how you look at your health:  

In a world where unicorns fly, we consume unlimited quantities of a sweet substance with absolutely no health detriments. Alas, we do not live in that world. Everyone knows that inhaling sugar on a daily basis is bad for your health. Alternative sweeteners are quite popular and have been marketed for decades as the main method of satisfying a sweet tooth without increasing your caloric intake, blood sugars, and weight. But is this actually true? Dive with me deeper into the world of artificial sweeteners and find out if your spoonful of “sugar” is doing more harm than good.
 
The degree to which issues may manifest from artificial sugar consumption varies from the type of product, quantity being consumed, and the person doing the consuming. The main concerns from researchers and health experts are: 

•  It’s a derivative from genetically modified organisms or foods
•  Carcinogenic
•  Increases insulin levels which ultimately causes or worsens insulin resistance.
•  Impairs thyroid function
•  Potentially a neuro-excitotoxin which can lead to neuron cell death
•  Alters your sugar palate that may require increased stimulus.  
•  Can induce hunger and sugar cravings
•  Alters the microbiome of the gut

There are varying degrees of ugly, so I broke them down into three different categories: artificial sweeteners (worst), sugar alcohols (bad), and “natural” sweeteners (meh).
 
It’s a troublesome list and if you don’t feel like reading, here’s a quick cheat sheet for easy perusing.