Artificial Sweeteners and Cancer: What’s the Connection?

Breaking news: A HUGE study, published in March 2022, showed that people who consumed high amounts of aspartame were associated with a 22% higher risk of developing breast cancer and 15% higher risk of developing obesity-related cancers. Other sweeteners that were included in the study were sucralose (Splenda) and acesulfame potassium, though 58% of the participants consumed aspartame.

The cohort study was initiated in France in 2009, and looked at the diet of 102,685 people. It’s important to note that almost all of the participants consumed less than the government-recommended allowable daily intake… so it’s not like they were consuming it all day long, all the time. Even a small amount seemed to make a difference in health outcomes.

Artificial sweeteners can be found in:

Gum
Diet drinks
Light yogurt
Pedialyte
Microwave popcorn
Whole wheat bread and English muffins
“Carb balance” tortillas
Some protein powders and health bars (including Pure Protein and Quest)
Sugar free candy
Sugar free coffee syrups
Energy drinks
Sugar free ice cream and other desserts

Aspartame has long been linked to tumors in mice, but other artificial sweeteners (including Splenda/sucralose) are also linked to depression, anxiety, ADHD, cognitive decline, insulin resistance, weight gain, cardiovascular disease, and microbial imbalances (which affect everything else).

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Biohacking Hunger Hormones and Blood Sugar to Survive the Holidays

Steve Welch is a nutrition research expert and past guest on the show. He is the co-author of the book, The Ketogenic Key. In our first episode, he shared why fat is good and doesn’t impact cholesterol the way we have been told. In this episode, we discuss why people get stuck in the cravings cycle over the holidays and how to combat that with a few easy tricks!

Key Topics:

steve headshot asae

How to avoid the temptation of sugary treats
How fat keeps you full and optimizes hunger hormones
What leptin and ghrelin are and how they regulate your eating and influence your urge to overeat
The importance of nutrient density vs fueling on processed carbs
The science behind a post-meal walk
Brain-boosting benefits of exercise
Benefits of fasted exercise
Best post-workout fuel
The impact of ketones on our immune system

Learn more about Steve at his website here.

Don’t forget to use the code whole20 for 20% off your vitamin and supplement needs at http://www.Swanson.com

What’s the Deal with Sugar Cravings?

I feel like I have ultimate credibility when it comes to sugar cravings. I battled them for most of my life. There are many factors at play there: gut dysbiosis, adrenal fatigue, low dopamine, and nutrient deficiencies, but one of the biggest hurdles is that I had a HORRIBLE relationship with food.

I was a chronic dieter. There were good foods, there were bad foods, and somewhere in that system of thinking I associated good food and bad food with Good Erin and Bad Erin. My food issues became intertwined with my value as a human.

While one of the best things I have ever done is address my gut health and nutrient deficiencies, I also have received so much healing from normalizing sugar.

If I want something sweet, I have it. When I allow myself the freedom to have whatever I want, nothing off limits, the appeal of the forbidden goes down. In fact, I’m better able to take a few bites of something and tell if it’s worth eating. Sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn’t.

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Delicious Dessert Nachos

My newest discovery in foodie land is the amazing Japanese sweet potato. Maybe it appeals to me because it’s purple on the outside (my favorite color), maybe it’s just because it’s unique, but either way – it is an extremely versatile friend in my kitchen. This guy has the ability to go sweet OR savory – no easy feat.

Because I’ve always loved a good sweet treat, I decided to go in the sweet direction. It makes it fun for kids, too! My 2 year old had to fight me for the last few bites of these “nachos.”

As usual, I used my air fryer for this recipe, but it’s doable in the oven too – might just take a little more time to get nice and crispy.

You can use peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower butter, whatever your favorite is. Trader Joe’s has a fabulous mixed nut butter that would be good on this too! The chia seeds give it some crunch, and the coconut/honey combo complete the flavor explosion. If you really want to get crazy, sprinkle some cocoa powder on top! Oh, the options!

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