ASPARTAME. It’s a word that’s being talked about. A lot. But whether you’re familiar with it or not, it’s something we’ve always taken very seriously at Peppersmith HQ. And feel you need to, too.
So, what is it and why’s it such a big deal?
You’ll find Aspartame in the production of food and drinks, far and wide. It’s been used to sweeten the likes of fizzy drinks and other sweet treats since the 1980s. Used in replacement of sugar, it gives a taste said to be a mega 200 times sweeter than sugar – with the additional benefit of it being a lot fewer calories than sugar too.
So. If it’s so tasty and low on calories, why the bad press? Well. Firstly, Aspartame is totally artificial – that means it’s totally chemical based and manmade, created in a lab. In fact, there’s nothing natural about it whatsoever. Which means that often, our bodies can not only have a tough time recognising it in our system, they can have a tough time working out how to digest it too.
And the bad news doesn’t stop there. As discussed in recent news, Aspartame’s been linked as a cause of cancer. That IS mega. And while it’s been stipulated it might take a LOT of it on a daily basis to really be at risk – the link is there. Not so appealing now, right?
KNOW YOUR SWEETENERS.
Aspartame and other artificial, manmade sweeteners are everywhere – and often in seemingly ‘healthy’ looking products: from yoghurts to chewy vitamins, fruit juices to Chewing Gum. So, what’s the sensible solution from here for those sweet toothed ‘treataholics’ among us? Especially when we all know that sugar isn’t healthy in the first place - and is something that should also be moderated and often avoided too due to its high calories, addictive qualities and harm it can cause to our teeth and our health*.
The good news is (insert drum roll), not all sweeteners are bad for you. It’s true. And, we have a lot of love and knowledge around this fact too. Here’s a mini guide to help get sweetener savvy:
So, what’s the secret to still being able to enjoy deliciously tasty, sweet treats in future?
- Look out for which sweeteners are in your food and drink in the first place; which ones are artificial and which ones are plant based, and therefore better for you.
- Know your good food brands from the bad; check out your fave products and see which brands use the good sweeteners (and which use the bad too).
Just one small step to stop, think and learn about what is in your food can go a long way…
ONLY THE GOOD STUFF.
Talking of good stuff, want to know the even better news? Peppersmith have only ever used plant based sweetener, Xylitol in all of our tasty treats. And while that’s a pretty scary sounding word, it’s the least scary kind of sweetener you can get. Xylitol is 100% natural and the properties in it actively clean your teeth and your mouth, making it good for you, your health and your smile too. We’re so good even the dentists love us – as does the Oral Health Foundation. That really IS good.
So, you can hit the sweet spot and treat yourself AND your friends to our mintylicious Peppersmith Mints, Chewing Gum and Pastilles totally guilt free.
You’re welcome.
*We’re not medical experts but there’s a lot of research and science pointing to excess consumption of sugar being unhealthy and lead to type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other chronic illnesses.