Dietitian says we don't need to fear aspartame

by Tim Ditman
OSF Healthcare

URBANA - With the new year starting this week, your mind may wander back to conflicting summer news about aspartame, an artificial sweetener found in things like diet soda, gum, ice cream, yogurt and other sugar-free foods. The World Health Organization (WHO) cited “limited evidence” of aspartame being “possibly carcinogenic to humans.”

Not so fast, responded the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“Aspartame is one of the most studied food additives in the human food supply,” the agency said. “FDA scientists do not have safety concerns when aspartame is used under the approved conditions.”

Carly Zimmer, a registered dietitian-nutritionist at OSF HealthCare, explains how we got here.

Zimmer says the agency within WHO that researches cancer has four levels of certainty that a substance can cause the disease. Group one is labeled “carcinogenic to humans.” Things like tobacco, alcohol and solar radiation are here. Group 2A is “probably carcinogenic to humans.” Group 2B is “possibly carcinogenic to humans.” And group three is “not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity to humans.” Coffee and mercury are in this group.

WHO put aspartame in group 2B along with aloe vera plant extract and traditional Asian pickled vegetables.

“That group B classification means there is a possible risk for that substance to cause cancer, not that it’s necessarily linked to cancer,” Zimmer says.

The other thing to consider: Zimmer says the FDA sets an acceptable daily intake for the six sweeteners it has approved. For aspartame, the limit is 50 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. For example, someone who is 60 kilograms (or 132 pounds) would have to consume 75 packets of aspartame (think of brand names like Equal, NutraSweet and Sugar Twin) in a day to reach the limit.

“It would be pretty hard to reach those numbers,” Zimmer says.

That’s not a license to add a lot of sweeteners to your drinks or drink soda with every meal. Sugary foods are bad for your heart, among other things, and should be consumed in moderation. But cancer risk from diet soda? It’s not something to lose sleep over.

“Artificial sweeteners definitely have a place [in diets], but we don’t want to consume them in excess,” Zimmer says. For example, sweeteners can add sweetness to foods without raising blood sugar. That’s helpful for people with diabetes or heart disease. Want to cut aspartame out greatly or all together? Try fruit-infused water, which you can make at home or get at the store. But check the label. Zimmer says drink mixes like Crystal Light often have aspartame. Hint Water is a better choice, she says. Also, look for high levels of added sugar on the food label.

And in general, talk to your health care provider or a dietitian if you have questions about what you should eat and drink.


What we eat is the biggest risk factor for heart disease

by Tim Ditman
OSF Healthcare

URBANA - Philip Ovadia, MD, has a roadmap for the next time you go to the grocery store: stick to the outer sections. That’s where you’ll find fruits, vegetables, dairy and less processed meats.

The further in you go, the more likely you are to encounter sugary, processed foods that can harm your health when consumed en masse.

“What we eat on a daily basis is the biggest risk factor for developing heart disease,” says Dr. Ovadia, an OSF HealthCare cardiothoracic surgeon who, himself, changed his eating habits and went on a weight loss journey.

Moreover, he says, health care experts have moved away from high fat and high cholesterol foods driving heart disease risk. That’s not a license to eat those foods all the time. But it’s more important, experts say, to keep an eye on sugary and processed foods.

Some chief examples: candy, snack cakes, cereal, cookies, chips, crackers and packaged or canned food. Think boxes, bags and colorful labels. After all, the manufacturers want you to buy the products.

And here’s one you’ll hear many doctors say: don’t drink your calories. In other words, avoid excess sugary drinks like soda and juice.

“The problem with fruit juices, as opposed to eating the fruit, is that a lot of the fiber has been stripped out of the juice,” Dr. Ovadia warns. “You’re getting very concentrated levels of sugar.”

For example, Dr. Ovadia says a glass of orange juice may contain the juice of around eight oranges. You wouldn’t think twice about downing the orange juice, but would you eat eight oranges in one sitting?

Consequences

In the short term, Dr. Ovadia says eating a lot of sugary and processed foods will cause your blood sugar level to rise.

“Increased sugar in the bloodstream is directly damaging to our blood vessels,” Dr. Ovadia says. “This is one of the things that can start the process of plaque formation, or blockages, in the blood vessels.”

Long term, Dr. Ovadia says your body can become insulin-resistant. Insulin is the primary hormone your body uses to control blood sugar level. If you’re insulin-resistant, insulin can’t do its job. Dr. Ovadia says this is a precursor to diabetes and metabolic syndrome, a cluster of unhealthy conditions. Both are “major” risks for heart disease, he says.

Some tips:

Look for “added sugar” on the food or drink label, and consider skipping that food.

Find foods that are as close to naturally occurring as possible. As Dr. Ovadia puts it: things that grow in the ground or things that eat things that grow in the ground.

“You should be able to look at your food and know exactly what’s in it,” Dr. Ovadia says. “It should have simple ingredients. You can look at them and know what they are.”

Or ask yourself: would my great grandparents have this food available? Would they even recognize it as food?

For breakfast, try fresh fruit or a hard-boiled egg instead of a biscuit. For lunch, eat a salad with ingredients you mixed instead of a pre-packaged salad. And for dinner, get a lean protein like chicken or fish from the deli counter, not sliced meat in a package.

Pay attention to how you feel after eating.

“If you find yourself getting hungry very quickly after eating, that’s a sign that food is not providing your body with the nutrition it’s looking for,” Dr. Ovadia says.

That means you shouldn’t look at junk food as “in moderation,” Dr. Ovadia says, because you’ll most always be left hungry. He prefers the phrase: “the lower junk food, the better.”


Key takeaways:

  • Sugary, processed foods are a big risk for heart disease.
  • When shopping, stick to the outer aisles. Buy items with simple ingredients.
  • If you feel hungry again soon after eating, the food you ate is likely not providing the body the nutrition it needs.

Guest Commentary | The only way to lose weight is to get religious

by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator


2024 is here and congratulations – you are here to celebrate!

This is the time of the year when people are making New Year’s resolutions. Typically, the most common is to lose a few pounds.

I suspect you want to lose a couple of pounds. Maybe you need to lose a lot of pounds. Many of us do. From September 1 through December, 27 I gained 15 pounds. I know, that’s really bad. I wasn’t bad for four months but I had a few good spells of being bad. On September 1st, I weighed 198 pounds. Then on December 27th, I weighed 213 pounds.

My trend started when I had my colonoscopy. My doctor didn’t want me to eat any salads and a number of other healthy foods in preparation for my procedure. I had some very happy meals and gained almost two pounds leading up to my test. A couple of family get togethers, a vacation, Thanksgiving and Christmas added up to 15 pounds. Let me tell you, I can tell the difference when I put my shoes on. Also, developing plantar fasciitis and a sore foot didn’t help matters either. Many Americans deal with this occasional foot issue. During flare ups it really hurts to walk.

The only way I’ll be able to shed the pounds is to get real religious on my eating. We gain weight by eating too much and we lose weight when we cut back the portions and eat much less. A lot of our eating is habit. We think we have to be eating all the time. Winter months are tough because on cold dreary days and nights we hibernate in front of the TV and think we have to have food going into our mouths.

Consider sane proportional eating. Eat three small meals a day. Women can typically lose weight if they keep the calories to 1200 a day. If you are active then maybe 1400. Aim for three four hundred calorie meals. Men typically can lose on about 1700 calories a day. This gives you three meals at just under 600 per meal. Keep in mind that often, food has more calories than we think.

Another option is to graze all day. A fitness trainer friend says he eats six times a day, but it’s only about 300 calories at a time. The upside to this plan is you are always looking forward to your next little meal. If you like to eat all the time this may be your best plan.

Any activity that you can employ will also help. Winter months are tough so you have to be creative. Walk in place. Clean your house. Do setups while watching television. Do some toe touches, pushups, squats and anything that will get your heart rate up. Gym memberships soar at this time of the year. If you have time to go to the gym it might help you get through the winter. Mentally, it might help you to get out of the house.

I’m with you on this. My hope is to lose one pound a week. Maybe by Easter I’ll be back to where I want to be. Drop me a note at GlennMollette.com or gmollette@aol.com and let me know how you are doing and I’ll post more later if I have been able to shed my extra pounds. Good luck!


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He is the author of 13 books including Uncommom Sense, the Spiritual Chocolate series, Grandpa's Store, Minister's Guidebook insights from a fellow minister. His column is published weekly in over 600 publications in all 50 states. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of any other group or organization. We welcome comments and views from our readers. Submit your letters to the editor or commentary on a current event 24/7 to editor@oursentinel.com.

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The agony of defeat; buzzer-beater sinks Spartans at the Classic

Luke Landus in disbelief
BLOOMINGTON - SJO's Luke Landrus reacts after El Paso-Gridley's Chancesaye Maxon, Jr.'s last second three-pointer goes through the net in hit team's State Farm Classic finale on Saturday. Up by two and with less than two seconds on the game clock, St. Joseph-Ogden lost the back-and-forth game by one point when the 20-footer was good just before the buzzer, 49-48. More photos coming after the new year.




Recent study suggests childhood trauma could haunt Illinois adults for life
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Still running out front: Unity collects sectional title, SJO qualifies for XC state


MATTOON - The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Class 1A Sectional Cross Country Meet at Lake Land College in Mattoon saw area powerhouse Unity advance to the state meet for the fourth consecutive year, finishing in first place with a score of 79 points. This year’s event, held on Saturday, November 2, took place under cloudy skies and cool conditions, with crip temperatures in the upper-50s at race time.