24 foods that artificial sweeteners are hiding in
Walk into any big box grocery store and you'll find that artificial sweeteners are everywhere.
They're tucked into soft drinks, baked goods, and fruit juices to make them taste sweet without the extra calories.
Most products that contain artificial sweeteners are usually labeled as "diet" or "reduced sugar," but not all are (you can even find some in foods that claim to have "natural" ingredients).
Because they're not always clearly labeled on food packaging, consumers may not realize that they're eating them.
These include sweeteners such as sucralose (Splenda®), aspartame (NutraSweet®, Equal®), and acesulfame-K (Sunett®, Sweet One®).
It's worth noting, however, that although many artificial sweeteners have gotten a bad rap, most are FDA-approved and don't appear to be bad for you in moderation.
The approval process means that these compounds gone through a series of scientific tests that suggest they're safe for human consumption. But there's still a lot we don't know about how they affect the body.
For instance, they're marketed toward those trying to lose weight, but some studies suggest that consuming artificially-sweetened foods long-term is linked to weight gain. It's also unclear how eating these super-sweet compounds for years can affect children, so it's best for young people to avoid them.
We went to a grocery store in New York to see where these ingredients are popping up. Here are 24 food products we found artificial sweeteners hiding in.
Source: NPR
Source: FDA
The FDA says that sorbitol may begin to have a laxative effect on adults when they eat the maximum (or more) of the recommended level. This is about twice as much as the estimated average adult consumption.
People usually think that Stevia is a more "natural" low-calorie sweetener because it comes from a plant, but even plant-products can be dangerous and must be rigorously tested for safety.
Source: FDA