So you are still drinking Diet Coke and Chewing Artificial Sweetener Gum? Wow. You must be a true “Risk Taker!”

I hate to pick on my brother, Doug. But, I assure you that nothing I share here involves content that I have not already shared with him. So, he is going to have to serve as yet another example of “what NOT to do” along your quest to successfully eat “Low Glycemic”.

As I have mentioned, Doug’s experience with the Docs at Cenegenics acted as one of the driving forces to get me and my lovely wife started down the path to finally making the decision to change our evil ways and start eating “Low Glycemic”.  But, that simple fact does not also mean that Doug is successfully eating “Low Glycemic” himself.  My poor brother has always had a strong relationship with food….and, with things to augment the tastiness of his food.  Most of his friends don’t have to think too far back to remember dinners out with Doug where he asked for a side of Alfredo Sauce IN ADDITION TO  the alfredo sauce that was already going to be a part of his Chicken Alfredo Pasta….Why? Because he intended to dip anything else he saw on the table….(maybe even his whole body)….into the stuff prior to pushing it into his eagerly waiting mouth.

In short, Doug loves food….like we all do….but, Doug likes his to be just a “little bit tastier” than anyone else’s seated at the table at which he happens to be eating it!

This fondness for tastiness has been a bit hard for him to shake even after the inception of his Low Glycemic diet.  Don’t get me wrong….according to Doug’s rules of “Eating Low Glycemic”, he is following this nutritional concept to the exact letter….Doug is a bit of an obsessive compulsive….(as am I)….And, once he gets started down a path, he is highly unlikely to do much swerving off the course.

Unfortunately, Doug truly (unintentionally) forgot the part in the book that talks about Artificial Sweetener.  In short, folks, there is basically no type of Artificial Sweetener that is any more okay than the table sugar sitting there on the table next to it.  Artificial Sweetener causes a very similar spike to your blood insulin levels as does natural sugar.  That may not be the worst of the news though….the really bad news can be found when you read all the nasty artificial stuff that can be found in the ingredients list on that artificial sweetener package.  (Without that list of ingredients with very long names, artificial sweetener would have, of course, no chance of acting as a close approximation of natural sugar.)  The problem is that your body’s internal detectives can’t seem to do a very good job of telling the difference between artificial sweetener and natural sugar……and, as such, (to protect you) they immediately raise your insulin levels no matter which one you have ingested.  Ooops.

So, when you are drinking that Diet Coke, remember this:  Ingesting that liquid causes a comparable glycemic spike to your insulin levels as the one your body would experience if you had just gone ahead and drank Regular Coke….and, worse yet, you also added a whole additional list of scary chemicals into your bloodstream (from the artificial sweetener ingredients) at the same time.  In truth, you would have just “done your belly and body” a favor by just going ahead and drinking the Regular Coke and have done with it.  (Either way, you are NOT drinking a “Low Glycemic” beverage!  And, although I am NOT stating that Regular Coke is good for you…..(do they really clean the truck engines at the factory by soaking them in vats of Coke?)……I am saying that it is BETTER for you than Diet Coke!)

By the way, the same holds true for Artificial Sweetener in anything you eat….gum, coffee, etc.  If you need something sweetened, your BEST option is Honey….and, remember, it also spikes your blood sugar.  So, let’s not get carried away with it either.  Your 2nd best option is natural sugar.  And, the thing you should avoid at all cost is putting anything with Artificial Sweetener into your mouth….and, consequently….your bloodstream!

Next time you think you want a Diet Coke or Coke, how about trying an Unsweetened Iced Tea?  If you cannot make that work, how about some water flavored with a real lemon wedge or two?  If you cannot make that work, Unsweetened Hot Tea anyone?  And, if you cannot make that work, you may have a problem…………….

Just my two cents about Eating What I Eat!  Over and Out.