The diet food ingredient designed for cravings

When artificial sweeteners hit the market, dieters thought it was a godsend. And so did their doctors who were warning, “Lose weight or die.” An entire industry sprouted around diet foods using these low-calorie, zero-fat sweeteners — enough to end obesity.

So why are we slap in the middle of a growing obesity epidemic fueling some of the most persistent and deadly chronic diseases known to man… diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and cancer?

It’s taken years to discover, but researchers now know that artificial sweeteners are not the panacea everyone had hoped. Their biggest failing as a diet aid? Artificial sweeteners can cause you to actually overeat. Intentional or not, diet food made with artificial sweeteners is designed to spur cravings… cravings to eat more and more because it doesn’t do the one thing that sugar can for you.

And that is: satisfy your sweet tooth.

A review of studies by Yale University found that even though both sugar and artificial sweeteners can increase your appetite — artificial sweeteners don’t activate the food reward pathways the way that sugar does.

When you consume real sugar, the reward center in your brain signals to your body that your craving was satisfied. That just doesn’t happen with foods sweetened with the fake stuff. So your brain and your body can more easily persuade you to eat more of the diet foods to feel rewarded. Before you know it you’ve eaten five diet cookies when you may have been quite happy with just two real sugar chocolate chip cookies.

Of course when it comes to the sweet stuff, you have plenty of natural options you’d be better suited to reach for over the artificial junk any day. White, refined sugar — though a better option that artificial sweeteners — is not your only, or best, choice.

That’s because going overboard with sugar can also lead to a host of diseases — so it’s best to limit yourself on the sweet snacks in general, and consider the safer sugar alternatives.

For a handy infographic you can save to reference anytime, click here, and see what agave nectar, coconut sugar, maple syrup, raw honey — and more —can do to keep you satisfied.

For more on the tricks the food industry uses to keep you addicted to the foods they want you to buy, click here.