Okay, we all know that chemicals like aspartame are not good for us, but I like to think my diet coke habit isn't a big problem. I was listening to Fresh Air on NPR today and Terri Gross was interviewing a woman who has been studying cancer and the causes of cancer. I don't remember her name, but I gathered that she was pretty important in the field.
She was talking about the problem with cancer research is that it is all focused on finding cures rather than understanding causes. She said that the problem is that most of the groups throwing money at research don't want to know the cause because the finger will probably be pointed at their own products, decisions, etc.
Anyway this woman pointed to aspartame as one of the most dangerous carcinogens. Apparently no one in the scientific community approved of aspartame for food use, but Donald Rumsfeld was a part of some committee that gave the go ahead. Now, I don't know about you, but I don't find Donald Rumsfeld to be a trustworthy person or a person that does anything for the greater good. He's seems to only ever be motivated by personal gain. So I've been polluting my body with a product that Rummy made possible.
So, I know I need to quit drinking it. Before hearing any of this I already have been trying to cut back, but now I am motivated by my immense dislike of Rumsfeld to stop drinking diet coke. It's hard though because I love all of it, the fizz, the flavor (all other pop is too sweet!), and the caffeine in a cold beverage. I also love that when I drink it, I don't feel so hungry. Nothing else compares. But I have to be strong...
1 comment:
I don't want to derail your quest to give up diet coke but aspartame is one of the most tested food additives out there - especially after the saccharin scare. If I'm not mistaken it even had some sort of international panel look at it. Now....Noah was right, there was a flood coming so who am I to say that one person isn't right but I don't think it's quite the way the activists present it.
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