Americans consume more refined sugars than any other nationality. This extra burden on your pancreas eventually reduces its ability to produce insulin as well as the other enzymes and digestive juices needed to properly complete the digestion and absorption of your foods.
     The results of your pancreas malfunctioning or not functioning properly include everything from digestive problems to problems with elimination to diabetes to obesity to heart problems to a multitude of chronic degenerative diseases to what have you. Over the years we have seen many people with chronic, recurring back, neck, and other joint aches and pains find total relief by simply no longer drinking soda pop and drastically reducing their consumption of simple sugars.      No problem, you say. You only drink sugar-free pop and you only eat sugar-free snacks and things. Unfortunately, all artificial sweeteners are the same types of chemicals. The list of harmful side effects and adverse reactions to artificial sweeteners is very similar to and as long as the one for monosodium glutamate (MSG). Please read the article on our web site about Food Additives and Artificial Sweeteners
     All chemical food additives must be detoxified by your body with extremely dangerous, toxic, and damaging byproducts being produced during the process of trying to

eliminate them. It is almost impossible to decide which is ultimately more damaging to your body, sugar or artificial sweeteners.
     The best, and only reasonable, choice is to avoid, whenever possible, consuming anything containing artificial sweeteners or simple sugars in any form or by any name. If you cannot sweeten things with sugar or with artificial sweeteners, what can you use? The healthiest sweetener you can use is pure stevia extract. This totally natural sweetener is hundreds of times sweeter than sugar and good for you as well. One of the best cookbooks for using Stevia is The Stevia Cookbook.
     What can you and your children drink instead of colas and other types of soda pop? Pure, unchlorinated, unfluoridated, high alkaline pH water; non-caffeinated herbal teas; freshly made vegetable juices; freshly made fruit juices that are diluted fifty-fifty with water; and, occasionally, pure, naturally carbonated spring water.
     For years my boys thought pop was something you made at home with fresh juice and Perrier. Now they are just fresh juice fanatics with their juicers being their number one kitchen appliance.