I’m sitting in a restaurant right now, and the table next to me ordered “Cola Zero.” While wondering if anyone still drinks it, I suddenly felt the need to write this.

My dear friends, you know me. Instead of giving negative dietary advice, I always talk about readily available, easily accessible options. But I couldn’t leave this out.

There’s something I’ve been saying for years:

❗️ Don’t use artificial sweeteners! It’s one of the most harmful things in the world. It severely damages the brain and gut flora, and last month, the World Health Organization added aspartame to its list of carcinogens. This is a big deal because most products labeled “diet,” “diabetes-free,” or “sugar-free” contain aspartame and its derivatives. Sweeteners in tea, carbonated drinks labeled “zero” or “light” that claim to have 0 calories (0 calories doesn’t mean it’s healthy or helps with weight loss), chewing gum, some toothpastes… It’s in so many products.

Sweeteners are not your friend. I’ve said this thousands of times, and now the World Health Organization has even added it to its list of the most dangerous sugars.

Don’t drink it; but if you do drink it or eat it, avoid these artificially sweetened versions. Beet sugar pales in comparison. I’m not saying eat that, but we need to completely move away from these lab-grown sweeteners. I think they might even have warning labels like cigarette labels soon.

You can find my other article on sugar alternatives by searching ‘Sema Özpekmezci Sugar Alternatives’ on Google.

With love 💗

Sema