Hail Aspartame! / Diet Drinks Kill

I have been avoiding aspartame at all costs since it's emergence as the wonder diet solution. My Mom fell in love with it. But it gave me instant painful migraines and even the powder used to test TB mask fit would trouble me for hours. I was told that my allergy is not possible, but even when I'm unaware that it has been added I get tremendous pain after ingesting a small amount.

So I was not surprised to hear it can cause you to gain weight. Almost any unnatural substance can cause your body to change it's structures to deal with it. But natural sugar can make you gain weight faster. Now I read all over that it is a poison and slowly kills thousands. That it is directly linked to brain cancer, MS and systemic Lupus.

Well, I have avoided it like the plague and I had a brain tumor removed this year, and am being tested for the others. So I know it wasn't the 'cause' for me. Our society is a bit scare crazy. Everything causes cancer anymore. But really, just breathing shortens your life span, should we stop doing that too?

While I appreciate that aspartame is not great, I do not believe diet drinks are killing anyone. Maybe obesity is offing Americans at alarming rates, but we can't really blame soda plants for that. Marketing people? Hmm, well that would mean it's their fault for telling us what to do and we are blameless because we did as we were told. Which always makes me hear my Mom's voice; "if they jumped off a bridge..."

The truth? You can never take anything as fact. Yo must ALWAYS research it and make your own decisions. Just as I CHOOSE to avoid aspartame, I do not avoid diet drinks because of fear. I also choose to eat less processed foods, and try to store things in BPA free containers. I don't do this always, but as often as possible.

Why? Because I have seen a 10 year old water bottle distorted and yet intact. Because I was given aluminum cups of Koo-laid as a child, and because it's an easy thing to avoid. I believe that it breaks down, very slowly. And I choose to stay away from cans because it reminds me of that metallic taste I hated as a kid.  My choice. Not because of marketing propaganda.

Which makes me think of Hitler. I know, WAY huge leap! I have been watching History channel again. What amazes me is not what we did not know, but that so many questions were never asked. The people that GAVE him the power to do heinous crimes in their name were unaware of the evil he was plotting. He spread lies like we share supper bowl commercials.

Why am I even thinking of this? Because it just proves that you must ALWAYS ferret out your own information! This goes for anywhere you find yourself. I truly believe this. Not that I want my children to be cynical, and ever un-trusting, but I do want them to be informed and confident. We have a generation of children that have watched their parents lay back and reap the rewards of their own parents labors and truth gathering.

I do not intend on giving my children their education. I plan on teaching them. One of my  toughest lessons was learning to ask the right questions, and finding where to go for accurate answers. But once you find an answer the hard way, you'll never forget it. That's simple brain physiology. But don't take my word for it!