Stopped using artificial sweeteners

I'm on my 10th day of stopping my use of artificial sweeteners such as Splenda, Equal, and Sweet&Low.

My usual routine was to put two packets of Splenda into each cup of coffee. Usually drink 3 or 4 cups a day.
I'd put two packages on my oatmeal or cereal in the morning.
I'd drink Diet Coke all day - maybe 5 or 6.

Some of the recent articles in the news made me decide to just give it up.
Very difficult to do for the first day or two.
A lot easier to do now that my habits are different.

Now, I'm one of those people that orders "ice water with a slice of lemon" in restaurants.
I drink coffee with milk in it only (now I only drink 2 cups a day - doesn't taste as good to me as in the past).

.

 

Interesting. I had not heard that.
Like you said, apparently there are real risks.

Restaurant Lemons Tested Positive for Fecal Matter and E-Coli - ABC News

Restaurant Lemons Tested Positive for Fecal Matter and E-Coli.

It may be tempting to take a twist of lemon along with a refreshing summer drink. But beware because that splash of citrus could have bacteria that may make you sick.

"Good Morning America" tested lemon wedges from six popular family restaurants and what they found was more frightening than refreshing. At four restaurants, "GMA" found the lemons were contaminated with fecal matter, including one sample that contaminated with E. coli.

To put the lemons to the "GMA" test, we visited three sets of chain restaurants: Applebee's, TGI Fridays, and Chili's. All six of the causal dining restaurants were in New Jersey.

After swabbing each lemon we were served, the samples were sent to a microbiology lab at New York University's Medical Center.

We found yeast and harmless bacteria that are commonly found on fruits and in our environment. But four of the samples were contaminated with dangerous bacteria.

"A small risk, but a risk nevertheless by ingesting byproducts of these lemons," Philip Tierno, director of the clinical microbiology at NYU.

The fecal matter was found at both of the Applebee's and TGI Friday's restaurants. The E. coli was found at the Applebee's in Clifton, N.J. At Chili's, we found no evidence of fecal matter or E. coli at either restaurant.

But that's not all. At half of the restaurants we caught workers grabbing lemons with their bare hands. New Jersey's health code insists that workers wear gloves or use tongs.

"I see that people have no concern of where they put their fingers," said Tierno. "They'll take things with their bare hands rather than gloving up and distributing the food stuff as they should."

Restaurants Respond

Representatives from TGI Fridays and Applebee's tell "GMA" they take health and safety very seriously.

TGI Fridays told "GMA" in a statement: "As we do with all matters of safety and health in our restaurants, we took this very seriously. We immediately stopped utilizing lemons at all of our restaurants until we could investigate this matter further and review our procedures to ensure this was an isolated issue.

"We've taken quick, thorough and appropriate measures to rectify this situation. We have very high health and safety standards, including extensive food safety training for all team members. The health and safety of our guests and team members is our top priority."

And Applebee's said in a statement: "Applebee's takes these findings very seriously as the health and safety of our guests are top priorities. We believe these are isolated incidents and not reflective across the system in our company or franchise restaurants. Nonetheless we have reinforced our processes for produce washing, washing of all our cooking utensils and silverware and employee hygiene in all our restaurants."

Not the First Time

In a study released last year, Anne LaGrange Loving, a New Jersey microbiologist, tested lemons at 21 restaurants. She found disease-causing bacteria on two-thirds of all lemons, including fecal bacteria.

People need to be aware of the kind of bacteria on lemons, Loving said in a HealthInspections.com report.

"It was like they had dipped it in raw meat or something," Loving, a science professor at Passaic County Community College said. "It was gross."

What You Can Do

The best advice is to squeeze the lemon juice into your drink and put the whole lemon aside, instead of putting the lemon in your drink.

Experts told "GMA" that a lemon's acidity will not kill bacteria. Hard alcoholic drinks, like a martini, can kill bacteria, but beer's lower alcohol content will not.

In New York, employees at Peter's restaurant cut lemons with gloves and distribute the wedges with little spears, mindful of all that workers can come in contact with during a shift, including handling filthy money.

Looking for safety protocols like those may be the best practice the next time you order a lemon with your favorite drink.
.

 

Actually, I do feel a little better than I used to.
Could be psychological, but it is easier for me to stay closer to my reduced-carb diet (I want to lose 20 pounds slowly over a 6 - 9 month time period).

Also, I think I'm sleeping better. I fall asleep faster now.
That might be due to the reduced caffeine every day (fewer cups of coffee in the morning and no Diet Cokes throughout the day).

Now that it has been over a week, I don't miss it at all.
.