In this modern age of manufactured food, we seem to have become conditioned to expect a sweet taste in almost everything we eat. Even your favorite beef jerky brand now includes high fructose corn syrup as an ingredient. You can opt for low-fat versions of foods, if it is suggested that fat is not good for your diet. The problem is that when manufacturers remove the fat, the product often loses its desired flavor or texture. To remedy this, some type of sugar is regularly added to make the product more palatable.

With reports of the rise in obesity and diabetes and a myriad of other health problems pointing to sugar as a major contributor, it is no wonder that both manufacturers and consumers are looking for sugar substitutes. We are conditioned to expect something sweet to eat almost every time, so it seems natural that we want to stick to the same diet but with a healthier sweetening agent.

Unfortunately, many of these substitutes create the same glycemic response as sugar within your body when digested. This means that they cause insulin spikes and can lead to glucose intolerance. Some of these sweeteners cause a host of other complications in the digestive system and throughout the body. Specifically, we are talking about commonly available products like Aspartame (aka NutraSweet or Equal), Sucralose (aka Splenda), Saccharin (aka Sweet’N Low), Acesulfame Potassium (aka Sunett or Sweet One) and neotame.

Some of these products, aspartame in particular, create a stronger insulin reaction in the body than natural sugar. These products also stimulate a strong hunger reaction in the body, prompting you to eat more – exactly what you were trying to avoid by choosing a ‘diet’ or ‘light’ option. This means that consuming diet versions of products that include aspartame can lead to faster weight gain than sugar. Studies show that people who consume diet sodas are susceptible to major sugar-related illnesses, as are those who consume the full sugar versions of the products. These diseases include obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and stroke.

Worse still, aspartame has been linked to causing cancer and other tumors in laboratory animals. One of the oldest substitutes, in terms of availability in mass production and marketing, is saccharin. New research shows that saccharin disrupts the balance of beneficial bacteria in our digestive system, leading to glucose intolerance and other metabolic disorders. In general, these sweeteners simply need to be eliminated from your diet.

If you insist on looking for sugar substitutes because you can’t seem to break down that sweet taste, look for something like pure stevia. Stevia is a naturally sweet product extracted from the leaves of the stevia plant and does not appear to create any of the negative effects of artificial sweeteners. Be careful to read the label before putting the product in your shopping cart. Some products have stevia on the front of the box, but dextrose is the main ingredient on the back. Dextrose is a glucose product that is often extracted from corn and has nothing to do with stevia. Similarly, avoid high-fructose products, as fructose generates the highest insulin response in your body. This includes products like agave syrup and honey, unless you can find raw, locally grown honey and then use it sparingly.

Maybe it’s time to change your mind about sugar instead of swapping your sugar for a different sugar. Drinking water, tea, or coffee instead of soda with no added sugar is a good start. Eating full-fat plain yogurt with a handful of berries for breakfast is another. Look for every opportunity to eliminate sugar and its various substitutes from your diet. Your taste buds may rebel against you at first, but you’ll soon adapt and you may start to enjoy new flavors in your food that you didn’t know were there. Your body and waist will let you know that you made the right decision.