What are artificial sweetener side effects and benefits? Are artificial sweeteners vegan? Gluten free? Acidic or alkaline? Low fodmap? Good for you? Healthy? Sustainable? Here are artificial sweetener pros and cons: all the info on artificial sweeteners that every ethical consumer wants to know…
Food is something we consume every day. If you’re like me, you do all the research you can to make sure you don’t hurt yourself, the planet, animals or others when shopping. As an ethical consumer myself, I am giving you all the info I’ve found on artificial sweetener benefits and side effects.
You are going to learn all about artificial sweetener benefits and side effects. This will include artificial sweetener benefits for your health and potential risks, artificial sweetener water footprint and carbon footprint, sustainability, if artificial sweeteners are vegan or impact animals in other ways, and much more.
After learning if artificial sweeteners are good or bad for you, the environment, animals and human rights, you will be able to make the best choices you can the next time you buy food.
This post is all about artificial sweetener benefits and side effects that every ethical consumer should know.
Artificial Sweetener Benefits And Side Effects
HEALTH
Energy: artificial sweetener side effects may include depression, disrupted sleep, headaches, increased appetite, poor blood sugar control
Longevity: artificial sweetener side effects may include developing diabetes, metabolic syndrome, possibly cause cancer, weakened immune system
Appearance: artificial sweetener benefits include decrease the likelihood of tooth decay (when compared to real sugar) | artificial sweetener side effects may include obesity, weight gain
Artificial sweeteners are…
- Acidic pH level once digested
- Gluten-free
- Not a common food allergen
- Low-FODMAP (artificial sweeteners not ending in -ol)
ENVIRONMENT
Water footprint: unknown
Carbon footprint: low, 0.1 kg CO2e to produce 1 kilogram or 2.2 pounds of sugar and sweeteners, a car driving equivalent of .25 miles or .5 kilometers, UK market data, artificial sweeteners have a relatively low carbon footprint
Destruction: unknown
Artificial sweeteners may be…
- Sustainable or Unsustainable
ANIMALS
Kills: none, artificial sweeteners do not require any animals to die
Harms: none, artificial sweeteners do not require any animals
Indirectly kills or harms: many artificial sweeteners involve lab animal testing
Artificial sweeteners are typically…
- Vegan but many artificial sweeteners involve animal testing
- Sweet N Low is Vegan and not tested on animals
- Equal is Not Vegan, as it contains aspartame
- Splenda is Not Vegan, as they tested the effects of sucralose on more than 12,000 animals
LABORERS
Health and safety: varies, overall, agriculture continues to be one of the most dangerous industries, farmworkers may be subject to dehydration, heat stroke, unprotected exposure to harmful, toxic chemicals and pesticides, unsafe machinery and clean drinking water may not always accessible
Living conditions: varies, laborer exploitation is common, they may face tough working conditions including long hours in the sun and heat performing physically exhausting tasks, labor laws and rights may or may not be in place, even if worker protection exists, employer violations may go unreported, refugees and migrant workers are especially vulnerable to abuse and mistreatment, fearing consequences of job loss or deportation
Wages: varies, generally farmworkers earn meager wages, there are many cases of underpaid agricultural workers, wage theft and no overtime payment or benefits
Artificial sweeteners are…
- May have labor issues
Are artificial sweeteners alkaline or acidic?
Artificial sweeteners are acidic.
When you eat food, it breaks down to an ash residue that can be neutral, acidic or alkaline. Minerals such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, zinc, silver, copper and iron produce an alkaline ash; whereas sulfur, phosphorus, chlorine and iodine, which are in meat, coffee, dairy and alcohol, leave an acid ash.
Going alkaline easier than ever with this: Acidic and Alkaline Foods List
Are artificial sweeteners gluten free?
Yes, artificial sweeteners are gluten free. Artificial sweeteners do not contain gluten.
While celiac disease may not be as rampant as many marketing trends lead us to believe, you may have a gluten sensitivity…
Celiac and gluten sensitivity symptoms are similar and may include:
- recurring abdominal pain
- chronic diarrhea
- constipation
- tingling
- numbness in hands and feet
- chronic fatigue
- joint pain
- unexplained infertility
- low bone density (osteopenia or osteoporosis)
There are hundreds of potential symptoms, many of which are also symptoms of other conditions.
Going gluten-free easier than ever with this: Gluten and Gluten Free Foods List
Are artificial sweeteners a common food allergen?
No, artificial sweeteners are not a common food allergen. Some people may experience allergic reactions to artificial sweeteners but it is relatively rare by comparison.
A group of the eight major allergenic foods, AKA the Big-8, include:
- milk
- eggs
- fish
- crustacean shellfish
- tree nuts
- peanuts
- wheat
- soybeans
These foods account for about 90% of all food allergies in the United States.
Severe food allergies can be life threatening. Following ingestion of a food allergen, a person with food allergies can experience a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis.
Persons may still be allergic to and have serious reactions to foods other than the eight foods identified by the law.
Be aware of common dietary restrictions and food allergens with this: The Big 8 Most Common Food Allergens List
Are artificial sweeteners low FODMAP?
Yes, artificial sweeteners are low-fodmap and fit into a low fodmap diet unless it ends in -ol, in which case the artificial sweetener is high fodmap.
A low FODMAP diet may help those with bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhea, stomach pain, and IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).
It’s all about knowing your body. Observe what works and what doesn’t. You body might even react negatively to a low-FODMAP food simply due to intolerance. Everyone is different! Be mindful and patient. Take time to get to know what’s best for your physical health and overall wellbeing.
Are artificial sweeteners vegan?
Yes, artificial sweeteners are vegan. Artificial sweeteners may come from plant extracts or processed by chemical synthesis and not an animal product or byproduct, therefore making it a vegan food. However, many artificial sweeteners involve animal testing.
Because we cannot see for ourselves how these animals live and what they endure does not mean it isn’t happening. The meat, poultry and dairy industries do everything they can to distance us from knowing how our food comes to be in order to keep us in the dark about what we support each time we buy animal derived products and byproducts.
Go vegan for animals!
It’s the best way to help animals and it’s not as difficult as you may think. Speak for animals with your actions, for they cannot speak at all.
Going vegan is easier than ever, at a glance with this: Vegan and Non-Vegan Foods List
Are artificial sweeteners sustainable?
No, artificial sweetener production is relatively unsustainable due to sweetener residue pollution which negatively impacts the ecosystem, particularly aquatic life (first algae, then water fleas then larger sea animals).
A 2018 Oxford University study – which is the most comprehensive analysis to date of the damage farming does to the planet – found that ‘avoiding meat and dairy is the single biggest way to reduce your impact on Earth’ as animal farming provides just 18% of calories but takes up 83% of our farmland.
Consuming animal products and byproducts is not environmentally friendly and is one of the worst things for the Earth. Not only is meat production wasteful, it causes enormous amounts of pollution. The industry is one of the biggest causes of climate change.
A 2010 United Nations report said that a global shift towards a vegan diet is vital to save the world the worst impacts of climate change.
Read more about ‘What Makes Food Sustainable Or Unsustainable?’
Do artificial sweeteners have human rights issues?
At this time there are no major concerns with artificial sweeteners production but that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening! It’s important to stay aware of human rights concerns and worker exploitation that may come with specific brands.
Did you know the single largest employer in the world is agriculture? The labor involved behind each and every product cannot go unrecognized.
Sadly, many labor concerns exist around the world in both developed and developing countries. We must be vigilant to ensure what we buy is not contributing to industries that are unfair to their valuable workers. Some known problems include workplace health and safety, child labor, gender inequality, inadequate pay, wage theft and exploitation. Workers can even experience harassment, humiliation and violence and unfair employers often fail to provide laborers with access to shade, drinking water, restrooms and breaks. Consequently, laborers can face nausea, dizziness, heat exhaustion, dehydration and heat stroke -the leading cause of farmworker death!
Such mistreatment is like modern day slavery. Workers are often afraid to report issues because they fear it will result in losing their jobs or deportation.
Fair trade organizations fight to ensure better social, environmental and economic standards.
We can improve people’s lives with foods we eat every day simply by buying products that are certified fair trade.
Be sure to read up on this list of ‘Foods You Should Always Buy Fair Trade‘
This post was all about artificial sweetener benefits and side effects.
Sources:
Artificial Sweeteners and Cancer – National Cancer Institute
High-Intensity Sweeteners | FDA – US Food and Drug
Artificial sweeteners as a sugar substitute: Are they really safe?
Sugar substitutes: Health controversy over perceived benefits
