ARE you drinking low-calorie or sugar-free drinks to lose weight?

If so, you may be craving sugar even more than you usually would.

Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and saccharine are added to low calorie, sugar-free or diet foods and drinks to make then taste sweet.

They are much sweeter than sugar itself.

These sweeteners will also cause you to crave more carbohydrates and sugars, increase your appetite and increase fat storage which will lead to weight gain.

Swapping sugar for artificial sweeteners can mean you actually end up putting more sugars into your body and end up consuming more calories.

Aspartame also comes with many side effects, which many people are unaware of and so will not link to aspartame or the food and drink which they consume.

The side effects of aspartame can hit immediately, can be a gradual reaction or can also be acute in some people.

Some of the many side effects are headaches, muscle cramps, irritability, insomnia, diarrhoea, depression, loss of sight, hyperactivity, palpitations, thinning or loss of hair.....there are also much more severe health problems and disease that can be mimicked, triggered or caused by aspartame.

If you have any of these and have not yet found a reason or cure for them then it will be worth looking at the content of the food and drink that you consume.

Try to eliminate aspartame completely.

If you have a sweet-tooth or need a drink with a little taste, try adding fruit to sparkling water or a little honey in your cup of tea.

You could make your own flavoured water by leaving a jug of water in the fridge over night with loads of sliced fruit in.

Sliced cucumber or tomato in water can be refreshing too.

As for sugary foods, the more you have, the more you'll want.

Try to eat real wholesome foods and decrease the sugars in your diet. This will gradually reduce the amount of sugar/sweet things you crave.