If you have a serious sweet tooth, drinking unsweetened black coffee can sound like a nightmare. But by now, it’s no secret that excessive sugar intake is terrible for your overall health. No matter how much we hate to admit it, we all know that laying off the sweets is the best way to keep our bodies functioning properly (and looking great). For this reason, many people opt for artificial sweeteners in order to improve the taste of their morning-pick-me up without overloading on sugar and calories. Unfortunately, though, these alternatives aren’t necessarily healthier. In fact, many health experts will tell you that artificial sweeteners have their own fair share of serious health risks.
To learn more about the dangers of adding artificial sweeteners to your coffee, we spoke to dietitian Lisa Richards, creator of The Candida Diet. She warns that frequently consuming these processed ingredients can lead to digestive issues, sugar cravings, weight gain, and more. Find all of her insight below!
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1. Bloating and digestive issues
One of the most popular artificial sweeteners is sucralose. Unfortunately, Richards says it's also one of the worst options for your health, especially when it comes to your gut. If you frequently struggle with digestive issues, it's probably best to leave this sweetener out of your morning joe.
"Sucralose causes gastrointestinal irritation and bloating along with reducing the healthy gut bacteria," Richards explains. "This bacteria helps to prevent bloating by improving overall gut health." And when you overload on ingredients that disrupt the balance of that bacteria (like artificial sweeteners!), you put yourself at risk of gut dysbiosis, which can lead to a whole range of issues like gas, bloating, and more. Yikes!
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2. Sugar cravings and overeating
Although artificial sweeteners may save you calories on the short term, you may just be prolonging an increased sugar intake when you choose these varieties over natural ones. That's because, as Richards explains, "false sugar substitutes can cause us to crave sugar more than when we eat real sugar. This is because these sugar alternatives are many times more sweet than real sugar, which can desensitize us to the sweetness of actual sugar." Who knew?!
"Another side effect of artificial sweeteners is the likelihood that the consumer will overeat in the following meal," Richards goes on, noting that these ingredients "are linked to overeating" which could make all that bloating we mentioned above even worse. In the long run, all those sugar cravings can contribute to overeating, weight gain, and the risk of serious disease like diabetes.
So, if you shouldn't eat sugar, and artificial sweeteners aren't a great idea either, what are you left with? Luckily, there are several healthier, natural varieties to choose from. These include coconut sugar, monk fruit sugar, and stevia. Of course, your best option is always to take your coffee black and unsweetened—but, hey, life is short, and a little sweetness every now and then won't kill you.
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