Sweet Poison

Aspartame (NutraSweet™ or Equal™) = POISON. Strong statistical evidence links it to breast cancer - http://www.21stcenturyradio.com/articles/0318084.html
http://aspartamekills.com/mpvalley

Now a growing number of professionals are seeing the consequences of medium and long-term aspartame uses and have begun to warn their clients to stay away from Aspartame. And finally if you think taking aspartame is helping to make you thinner, aspartame actually causes a craving for carbohydrates resulting in the opposite.
http://www.naturodoc.com/library/nutrition/aspartame.htm

The government sent boatloads of diet drinks to the Gulf where they sat in the Arabian sun for weeks decomposing into formaldehyde cocktails, which the troops drank constantly to avoid dehydration. As a result many died a gruesome death from aspartame poisoning. http://www.wnho.net/openlettertofda.htm

Many major airlines do not allow their pilots to consume products that contain aspartame because it increases the risk of memory loss, vertigo, and dizziness.
http://www.e-health-zone.com/aspartame-health-risks.htm

Searle falsified results of their animal testing when they presented evidence of aspartame safety to the FDA for approval as a "food additive" in 1981. Among the findings Searle Laboratories ended up with were mammary tumors, brain tumors, uterine polyps, and enlarged pituitary and thyroid glands. An FDA statistician stated that the brain tumor data from Searle Laboratories on Aspartame was so “worrisome” that he could not recommend approval. But his concerns were disregarded when a new FDA Director, Dr. Arthur Hull Hayes, Jr, was brought in by President Reagan, who immediately had Aspartame approved by his tie breaking vote over vigorous objections from the FDA's own scientists and toxicologists. In July of 1983, it was approved for use in soft drink formulas even though the National Soft Drink Association presented strong dissent to Congress. Following that second controversial approval, the FDA Director Dr.Hayes quit his office and went to work for the NutraSweet PR firm, Burson and Marsteller, for a thousand dollars a day. http://www.mercola.com/article/aspartame/fda.htm

So switch to … Sucralose (Splenda). Think it’s safe? Think again. Splenda = POISON http://www.squidoo.com/dangersofsplenda

The FDA is at it again! Probe: FDA Bent Rules to Approve Aduhelm. The Washington Post, 30 Dec 2022, by Mark Johnson. The biotechnology company Biogen and its regulator, the Food and Drug Administration, worked in concert, ignoring internal concerns from the company and skirting the agency’s own written guidance, to allow the Alzheimer’s treatment Aduhelm to receive accelerated approval and hit the market at a cost to patients of $56,000 a year. Although the FDA often follows an advisory committee’s recommendation, it did not this time. After no member of the advisory committee recommended Aduhelm, the FDA changed course, allowing Biogen to move its drug to an accelerated approval process. At the FDA’s suggestion, the drug was labeled for use by the nation’s more than 6 million Alzheimer’s patients, even though it had been tested only on people with early Alzheimer’s and mild symptoms, the report said, an unprecedented alliance between the company and the FDA.

Now back to what's sweet and safe. White Table Sugar!? Yes another sweet POISON. White Table Sugar is highly refined by chemical processes from sugarcane, beet sugar, or corn. It contains over 90 percent sucrose to provide a fast-release carbohydrate into the body requiring a lot of insulin to break it down which in turn drops our blood-sugar levels (accounting for our sugary highs and lows). These rapid fluctuations of blood-sugar levels are not healthy because of the stress they place on the body. Further, in the process of refining white table sugar from a cane plant, all of the plant’s nutrients and fiber are stripped away. The harsh result of this refinement process is that our bodies actually have to use their own mineral reserves to digest the sugar. So, not only does the sugar not offer the body any nutrients or goodness, it takes away the nutrients and minerals that were present in the body before consuming the sugar; in other words, eating sugar creates deficiency in our bodies that is greater than eating nothing.
Aspartame: by Far the Most Dangerous Substance Added to Most Foods Today http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/11/06/aspartame-most-dangerous-substance-added-to-food.aspx 

So should we switch to Agave Nectar? Agave syrup is actually quite similar to high fructose corn syrup. http://www.rawfor30days.com/blog/?p=2420

Fructose, one of the components of sucrose, is a particularly bad kind of sugar. http://health.usnews.com/health-news/blogs/on-fitness/2009/04/03/sorting-out-sweeteners-agave-corn-syrup-sugar-and-more
Fructose make you fat! Eating or drinking fructose appears to cause changes in the brain that can lead to overeating, a Yale University found.
http://news.discovery.com/human/fructose-may-trigger-appetite-dnews-nugget-130102.html

So what’s the best sweetener?
Here are alternatives for our addiction to sugar.

Stevia. It's a plant herb in the sunflower family, native to subtropical and tropical South America and Central America. Stevia, commonly known as “sweetleaf,” is widely grown for its sweet leaves. As a sugar substitute, Stevia's taste has a slower onset and longer duration than that of sugar, with no bitter aftertaste. It has a zero glycemic index, no calories, and no carbohydrates. Use two drops in place of one teaspoon of sugar. Recent studies find no safety issues. Some studies even suggest Stevia improves insulin sensitivity in rats and may even promote additional insulin production, helping to reverse diabetes and metabolic syndrome. And preliminary human studies show Stevia can help reduce hypertension. In 2006, the World Health Organization (WHO) performed a thorough evaluation of recent experimental studies of Stevia and concluded that it was not carcinogenic. Furthermore, the report noted that it has shown some evidence of pharmacological effects in patients with hypertension or with type-2 diabetes. These recent studies are important to note because in 1991, at the request of an anonymous complaint, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) labeled Stevia as an "unsafe food additive" and restricted its import, but the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act forced the FDA in 1995 to revise its stance to permit Stevia to be used as a dietary supplement and not as a food additive. The FDA has not revealed the source of the original complaint in its responses to requests filed under the Freedom of Information Act, but banning it has been in the interests of G.D. Searle Co., marketers of Nutrasweet and Equal.
“Stevia: A Better Alternative to Sugar and Artificial Sweeteners” http://www.stevia.com/Stevia_article/Stevia_A_Better_Alternative_to_Sugar_and_Artificial_Sweeteners/8111 http://www.mercola.com/Downloads/bonus/stevia-natural-safe-sugar-alternative/report.aspx

Truvia is a Stevia-based sugar substitute, developed jointly by The Coca Cola Company and Cargill. Truvia consists partly of stevia and contains rebiana, natural flavors and erythritol, a natural sugar alcohol that is almost non-caloric, does not affect blood sugar, does not cause tooth decay, and, in regular use does not cause side effects. Truvia tastes better than Stevia, but since it is not 100% from the leaves of the stevia plant, I recommend Stevia.
“Side Effects of Truvia” http://www.livestrong.com/article/366479-the-side-effects-of-truvia   “Side Effects of Stevia” http://www.livestrong.com/article/368454-known-side-effects-of-stevia  
“Stevia vs Truvia” http://www.steviavstruvia.com
http://www.differencebetween.com/difference-between-truvia-and-vs-stevia  

Organic, Raw Local Honey is unpasteurized and unfiltered, taken directly from the hive, a treasure chest of nutritional and medicinal values. The differences between raw and pasteurized honey are substantial. See http://1bob5.blogspot.com/2008/06/raw-local-honey.html

Pure Maple Syrup contains fewer calories and a higher concentration of minerals than honey. It provides an array of nutrients including manganese and zinc. It’s one of the best natural sweeteners, and the extra money paid for Pure Maple Syrup over other pancake syrups with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is well worth it.
“Maple Syrup” http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=115

Blackstrap Molasses a sweetener that is actually good for you. Unlike refined white sugar and corn syrup, which are stripped of virtually all nutrients except simple carbohydrates, blackstrap molasses is a healthful sweetener that contains significant amounts of a variety of minerals that promote your health. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=118&tname=foodspice  

Sugar Alcohols (xylitol, sorbitol, and erythritol - natural sweeteners made through a fermentation process of corn or sugar cane) While sugar alcohol might be better for you than actual sugar (what wouldn’t be?) it is still not intrinsically healthy. If you’ve got an insatiable craving for something sweet, sugar alcohols are the lesser evil, but in terms of healthy-eating, you would be much better off grabbing a piece of fruit than downing a protein bar full of this stuff. http://www.builtlean.com/2012/10/08/sugar-alcohol  

Zevia is a zero calorie soda with Stevia, a better alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners. Buy Zevia at Harris Teeter, the Fresh Market, Kroger, Whole Foods Market, Farm Fresh, Harris Teeter and BJ'S. “Zevia with Stevia” http://www.zevia.com/ourstory

References:
“What Is The Best Sweetener?” http://www.realfooduniversity.com/best-sweetener  
“The 4 Best, and 3 Worst, Sweeteners to Have in Your Kitchen” http://www.rodale.com/sweeteners?page=0,0  
“Secrets of the Superhuman Food Pyramid: Pros and Cons of Natural Fruit Sweeteners” http://superhumancoach.com/2012/pros-and-cons-of-natural-fruit-sweeteners