Aspartame is so lame!

While at work (my second part time job is at a local grocery store) I had to go back to the dairy department and it caught my eye that a brand of yogurt I use as a snack or occasionally in smoothies said "NOW WITH OUT ASPARTAME!" on the front and my heart sank.  I claim to be an almost vegan because want a cup of yogurt or a glass of milk everyone in a while.  The main point for me choosing to be a vegan is that I want to stay away from processed foods and just enjoy natural fresh foods that I make.  I guess with the few processed foods I do eat I don't normally read the labels but now I am really regretting it.

Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that is used to replace sugar for a low calorie sweetener.  It is about 4 times sweeter than sucrose.  I am totally against the use of high fructose corn syrup, genetically modified foods, and fake sugars.  None of these are natural, and they are so hard for the body to break down... if the body can even break it down.  It is rumored that aspartame can not be broken down by the body and that is not hard for me to believe.  If the body can not break something down it can be stored or be flushed out of your system.

Now if you doing your own research the web might not be helpful.  When I tried to look up a definition for aspartame I got a site that was all about promoting it.  I assume the site was set up by a big company who uses it in the diet drinks they make to make it seem more user friendly.  Honestly though I was not buying it.  Wikipieda can give you a good explanation of it but you have to have a little chemistry background to understand.  Do your own research as you choose but let it be known that you need to be checking your yogurt labels from now on (if you are not totally vegan that is).

I have learned my lesson that from now on I will be paying more close attention to the few food labels that come through my kitchen.  As a time saver remember to keep it simple.  If the ingredient list is more that a few ingredients long then its not simple and not going to make you feel good.  Stick to as much fresh produce as you can!  If you do want to eat something processed try to make sure its as natural as possible, but in general eating simply means you would not eat processed food.

After eating clean and almost vegan for a few weeks along with regular exercise I am feeling great physically, mentally, and emotionally.  Also, I haven't slept so well in a long time.

Happy munching!