Layouts

I've done 6 layouts with minor differences in each..

FINAL DESIGNS

So, after playing around alot with layouts etc. I have finalised two posters.

Poster 1: CAUTION SIGN

VIsualization for poster 1:

Poster 2: A supermarket shelf wrapped with Caution tape, warning the audience to read the label.

Visualization for poster 2: An actual supermarket shelf with 'fat-free' or 'low-fat' products wrapped with caution tape, near a park where people go to jog/walk or outside a gym.

Idea 4 Revisited

So, after feedback, I revisited my idea where I wanted to use warning signs and looked at crime scenes, etc. for inspiration. Instead of a 'crime-scene', because I think it has negative connotations, and wouldn't suit the tastes and style of Cranfield University. I'm going to instead use the word 'Caution' through Caution signs. The Campaign will then behave like a Warning; Cautionary. However, it also needs to be slightly informative and not just an image based visual, in order to make it work better as a whole.

The campaign will have 2 parts. One will be a poster and 2 will be a live installation; a 4-D poster.

Samples

I did a sample photo-shoot at home with household sugar. And did some quick photoshopping to get an idea of what my poster would come out to be like.

(Meant to look like hand-wiped dust off a window-shield and the message is revealed from beneath)

________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

IMAGE: Will be better, more professional versions of the above. Also, I might use brown sugar or bigger crystals of white sugar to eliminate any confusion.

COPY: I'm not very satisfied with the copy. I'll need to work on it after feedback.

TYPEFACE: This may or may not be the typeface I will use on my final designs. Here I've just used Helvetica Nueu for the sample.

Crime Scene

I had another idea for my visual.

Just like there's a chalked-out border at a crime scene...I can have a border made of sugar surrounding an anonymous low-fat product...and have my message across on the yellow warning tape.

Sugar drawings

I thought of creating an image/text with sugar. And I remembered this video I saw once of this Ukrainian sand-artist.

I also found these few ads that could inspire the image I wanted to create.

Cocaine images

I started looking at images and ads related to drugs and cocaine.

I found this one image from PostSecret that I really really liked. Especially because it talks about how cocaine is used to lose weight. I immediately drew the link between Low-fat foods and how their target audience consists of people who want to lose weight. I see some serious potential here.

FINE LINE

I happened to read some of the comments on the article 'Low Fat Meals that Aren't' and there was one particular comment that said:

Kristi Holl January 30, 2008 at 11:00 am

This is a microcosm for life, I think. Hopefully, most people can be trusted to be up front, but many are NOT as advertised! It can be difficult to walk the fine line between trust (bordering on stupidity) and discernment (bordering on suspicion.) It takes making a lot of mistakes to find that fine line!

______________________________________________________________________________

The words 'fine line between trust and discernment' really appealed to me. Because Low Fat foods are all about trust and judgement and they lure consumers into thinking the opposite. I started to delve into these words and decided to stick to the two words 'fine line' because there's a double meaning to them and have a lot of potential visual-wise.

I started thinking of other ways to depict a 'fine line', and I somehow thought of the fine lines cocaine is laid out in before they are smoked up or whatever. I'm really clueless of the terminology related to drugs etc.

Also, cocaine, when laid out in those fine lines, looks very similar to salt and sugar. And that had to be the image for my campaign, whatever medium it might shape into.

SWEET SCAM

A website explaining and clarifying myths about sweeteners: SweetScam

And their nationally running ad :

Low Fat Meals that Aren't

Low Fat Meals that Aren't!

Notice the most prominent writing on this label – “97% fat free” – in large, impossible-to-miss letters. So clearly this must be a healthy, low-fat product. It says so right there on the box!

It also has the tick of approval of the ‘National Heart Foundation’ (bottom left), so it must be good. But as I said before, things are not always (in fact often) what they seem, especially when it comes to some low-fat food options.

Now let’s take a look at the reverse side of the packet and we will discover how misleading some packaging and marketing can be. You may need to really pay attention and put on your thinking cap for the next bit. It’s hard to make out, but the second green line in the nutrition information box says:

Fat, total (2.7% of meal) and we’ve already discovered from the front of the box that this meal is 97% fat-free, so that all stacks up.

However…

What if the formula that these companies use to calculate fat doesn’t really tell us the true story? What if it’s misleading?

When (most) companies calculate the fat percentage of their products they do so based on the weight of those products. For example, if a product weighs 100 grams and it contains 10 grams of fat, then that product is claimed to be 10% fat, or as often is the case, 90% fat-free. If we look at this particular product, we see that it weighs 340 grams and that it contains 9.2 grams of fat – therefore we have a meal which is only 2.7% fat. Or do we?

Now, if the weightof food was the issue (in terms of it’s impact on our body) then they would be right, but when it comes to you or I gaining or losing body-fat, it ain’t about the weight of food we put in our body, it’s about it’s energy density – how many calories that product contains. If it was only about the weight of food, I’d have to give up watermelon ’cause it’s kinda heavy!!

What we need to know to accurately estimate the fat percentage of any food (and therefore it’s potential impact on us) is this:

1. Total calories contained in that meal or product

2. How many of those (total) calories come from fat.

Simply calculate the fat calories as a percentage of the total calories and thenyou’ll get an accurate picture of whether a product truly is low in fat. For example:

The above ‘low-fat’ meal contains a total of 378 calories and we know that it contains 9.2 grams of fat (the nutrition label gives us this info). We also know that one gram of fat contains 9 calories (well, you do now), so by simply multiplying 9.2 (the total grams of fat in this meal) by 9 (the calories per gram of fat) we can calculate that 82.8 of the total calories in this meal come from fat!!

In other words, just under 25% of the calories in this ‘low-fat’ meal are derived from fat!!

Hmmm, no wonder they use the ‘weight’ thing as opposed to the energy density thing. It would be much harder to sell a low-fat meal that was 25% fat wouldn’t it?

Guerilla Marketing: Fat Missing

From Australia an original and ironic campaign to promote milk's benefits. By Marketforce, West Perth.

The British Heart Foundation offers Food4Thought

In the UK the British Heart Foundation has recently launched the Food4Thoughtwebsite with the aim of promoting healthy lifestyle to children. The site is a sort of adventure game, where children play exploring a virtual city full of junk food advertising messages. As explained on NMA, the idea of the BHF is to run a digital campaign that employes the tactics used by snack brands which continue to advertise through child-focused sites. Food4Thought is the first digital-only campaign rolled out by the BHF, which is also running online ads on youth relevant sites such as Bebo and MSN.

The agency behind the website is Fingal, while the online ads have been created by Avenue A/Razorfish.

Facts about Sugar-Free Sweeteners

Sugar free sweeteners

How safe are sugar free products? Some food scientists regard them as the new generation junk foods. Sugar free and artificial sweeteners can be found in many products including drinks, yoghurts, sweets and medications. We don’t recommend them except for diabetics.

1. Sugar free sweeteners: the Polyols

420 Sorbitol

421 Mannitol

953 Isomalt

965 Maltitol or hydrogenated glucose syrup

966 Lactitol

967 Xylitol

968 Erythritol

1200 Polydextrose

Food regulations require these additives to be labelled ‘Excessive consumption may have a laxative effect’, but as with other additives, consumers can be unaware of the cause of their problems because:

· consumers don’t make the connection if symptoms occur more than 30 minutes later, and these are likely to be hours later

· consumers don't think of sudden diarrhoea, excruciating stomach cramps or massive bloating and gas as ‘a laxative effect’

· consumers don't regard one stick of chewing gum or one candy bar as ‘excessive consumption’

· consumers don’t regard chewing gum as food (‘I didn’t swallow it’)

so they can't work out what is going on.

Readers’ stories: [386] Effects of ‘sugar-free” polyols (January 2006)

A few months ago I started chewing sugar free chewing gum several times a day and since then, my stomach has been almost continuously bloated. On occasions the amount of gas in my stomach is so extreme that I have to force myself to burp to relieve the pressure in my stomach - Male, 30s, Australia, sorbitol and maltitol, twice daily.

I was suffering with a sort of what I thought was "gastritis", causing extreme obnoxious embarrassing gas and bloating, and after an hour or two, constant gas every 10 minutes for hours and hours .... it was so bad I wanted to run away from myself, I know that’s funny but it was quite disgusting, the doctors told me I had a spastic colon but I noticed the "health" food candy bars I thought were healthy had sorbitol and my stomach feels perfect since I've been reading the labels and staying away from the sorbitol - female, 30s, USA, sorbitol, daily

I ate 5 caramels that I thought were safe because they were free of artificial colours and other additives. A few hours later I had excruciating stomach pains and sudden diarrhea – female, 40s, Australia, maltitol, one serve

[388] Blackouts from aspartame (March 2006)

I just wanted to tell you about the effects of aspartame on my insulin dependant father in-law. He has drunk at least a can of diet soft drink every day for the last 10 yrs since becoming diabetic, thinking he was doing the right thing. But about 12 months ago he started having regular blackouts every few months or so. He is 6ft 5in and a very big man so when he falls there is a lot of room for damage of some description. The last blackout on his veranda whilst sitting on a chair putting on his boots resulted in a badly dislocated shoulder with permanent damage. He no longer drinks diet drinks after I researched and found some absolutely shocking information linking aspartame to blackouts and has not had a blackout in over 12 months. Aspartame is definitely not recommended for diabetics and no-one should ingest this poison. The alarming thing is I have recently found it in salad dressing and things kids would eat. It’s also in most low fat products. - Simonne, by email

[389] Aspartame made me very sick (March 2006)

I have been unwell for a few years with many mysterious and varied complaints. I experienced a bout of Optic Neuritis in March 2004. I was hospitalised with a possible MS diagnosis. It's a long story but I was researching a link between my maladies and a toxin as a possible cause of my health complaints when I came across aspartame and its numerous effects on health. My problems I believe can be related to the vast quantities of Diet Coke I was drinking, 1.25 litres every second day and I was addicted to this stuff. Diet coke was my preferred drink. I also had lots of sugarfree chewing gum, pocket breath strips, diet foods etc. Coke and Wrigley say its safe because FSANZ say it is. I deleted aspartame from my diet in Sept 2004 and my symptoms have gone or abated at the least. I was put on a nasty anti-depressant as well back in March so life was a struggle. I have avoided all aspartame since Sept 2004 and got off the anti-depressant in Nov 2004 and am slowly feeling like my old self. I know aspartame did terrible things to me and I hope I have not suffered permanent damage. I fear for our kids. - Andrea, by email

FDA Petition

The Centre for Science in the Public Interest has petitioned the FDA about the potential adverse health effects of eating too much sorbitol, and the special danger posed to children, and have requested that the label be changed to: ‘this product contains [name of polyol], which may cause diarrhoea, bloating, and abdominal pain. Not suitable for consumption by children. To protect yourself, start by eating no more than one serving at a time’. You can read the full petition including medical references at Jacobson MF, Petition to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Regulatory Action to Revise the Labeling Requirements for Foods Containing Sorbitol, Center for Science in the Public Interest, September 27, 1999 www.cspinet.org/foodsafety/labeling_sorbitol.html

From the medical journals

1) Breitenbach RA, Simon J, Cases from the aerospace medicine resident teaching file. Case #59. A case of "unbearable" gremlinenteritis, Aviat Space Environ Med, 1994 ;65(5):432-3.

A flight surgeon presents with severe diarrhea of sudden onset. The unusual cause could be traced to sorbitol, a common sweetener that is widely available and could easily affect many aviators. The symptoms are exacerbated in the aerospace environment and close investigation of the dietary history may be the only clue to this elusive diagnosis.

2) Jain NK AND OTHERS, Sorbitol intolerance in adults, Am J Gastroenterol. 1985;80(9):678-81.

Sorbitol is a commonly used sugar substitute in "sugar-free" food products. Although sorbitol intolerance manifested by abdominal pain, bloating, and diarrhea has been observed in children, it has not been well documented in adults. Forty-two healthy adults (23 whites, 19 nonwhites) participated in this study. After ingestion of 10 g of sorbitol solution, end expiratory breath samples were collected at 15-min intervals for 4 h and analyzed for H2 concentration. Clinical sorbitol intolerance was detected in 43% of the whites and 55% of the nonwhites, the difference not being statistically significant. However, severe clinical sorbitol intolerance was significantly more prevalent in nonwhites (32%) as compared to whites (4%). There was a good correlation between the severity of symptoms and the amount of hydrogen exhaled. Dietetic foods, many of them containing sorbitol, are very popular with diabetics and "weight watchers." Based on our observations, we believe that a large number of adults could be suffering from sorbitol-induced nonspecific abdominal symptoms and diarrhea. These symptoms could lead to an extensive diagnostic work-up and lifelong diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome.

3) Hill RE and Kamath KR, "Pink" diarrhoea: osmotic diarrhoea from a sorbitol-containing vitamin C supplement. , Med J Aust, 1982;1(9):387-9,

Sorbitol was the sole cause of protracted diarrhoea in seven children seen in two paediatric-gastroenterology outpatient departments. The sorbitol had been administered in the form of a vitamin C supplement in all seven children. Pink staining of napkins was a prominent feature in five of these seven patients, and was attributed to the cochineal dye contained in the vitamin C supplement. In children with chronic or intermittent watery diarrhoea, a careful dietary history should be obtained. If sorbitol ingestion is documented, a trial of sorbitol exclusion is recommended before embarking on extensive investigations.

2. Artificial sweeteners

The safety of artificial sweeteners has not been proven, and we do not recommend them except for diabetics; we do not recommend aspartame (951) for anyone. If you have to avoid sugar due to diabetes, polyols such as sorbitol are better than artificial sweeteners but watch for the development of irritable bowel symptoms, sometimes over some months.

950 Acesulphame-K

951 Aspartame (Nutrasweet, Equal)

952 Cyclamates

954 Saccharin

955 Sucralose

Recent concerns on the safety of aspartame (30/11/2005)

European food manufacturers will have to wait longer to find out if they can continue to use aspartame, after the EU's food safety regulator said it had still not received evidence from an Italian research centre indicating that the artificial sweetener causes cancer. Researchers at the Ramazzini Institute for Cancer Research in Italy caused a stir earlier this year by claiming that their study shows that aspartame causes lymphomas and leukaemia in female laboratory animals "at doses very close to the acceptable daily intake for humans". The authors of the study also say that while rats fed aspartame ate less food, there was no difference in body weight between treated and untreated animals.http://www.foodproductiondaily.com/news/printNewsBis.asp?id=64231

A summary of safety concerns from www.AdditiveAlert.com.au

950 Acesulphame-K: caused cancer and tumours in animal tests

951 Aspartame (Nutrasweet, Equal): linked to many health problems including headaches, seizures and brain tumours. The FDA has received more complaints about aspartame than any other food additive

952 Cyclamates: suspected carcinogen banned in the UK and USA in 1970 but still permitted in Australia

954 Saccharin: linked to bladder and reproductive cancers banned in the USA in 1977 but reinstated with strict labelling provisions

955 Sucralose: caused kidney and liver damage in tests, more research needed

From the medical journals

Olney JW, Farber NB, Spitznagel E, Robins LN, Increasing brain tumor rates: is there a link to aspartame? J Neuropathol Exp Neurol. 1996;55(11):1115-23.

In the past two decades brain tumor rates have risen in several industrialized countries, including the United States. During this time, brain tumor data have been gathered by the National Cancer Institute from catchment areas representing 10% of the United States population. In the present study, we analyzed these data from 1975 to 1992 and found that the brain tumor increases in the United States occurred in two distinct phases, an early modest increase that may primarily reflect improved diagnostic technology, and a more recent sustained increase in the incidence and shift toward greater malignancy that must be explained by some other factor(s). Compared to other environmental factors putatively linked to brain tumors, the artificial sweetener aspartame is a promising candidate to explain the recent increase in incidence and degree of malignancy of brain tumors. Evidence potentially implicating aspartame includes an early animal study revealing an exceedingly high incidence of brain tumors in aspartame-fed rats compared to no brain tumors in concurrent controls, the recent finding that the aspartame molecule has mutagenic potential, and the close temporal association (aspartame was introduced into US food and beverage markets several years prior to the sharp increase in brain tumor incidence and malignancy). We conclude that there is need for reassessing the carcinogenic potential of aspartame.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND: TEA PARTY

I suddenly thought of this scene from Alice in Wonderland's. The conversation at the tea party..

Alice is offended because she is offered tea but is given none -- even though she hadn't asked for tea in the first place. So she helps herself to tea and bread and butter.

At exactly 3:38 seconds, the conversation goes like this:

Mad Hatter to Alice: "Would you like a little more tea"

Alice: "But I haven't had any yet! So I can't very well take more."

March Hare: "Ahh you mean you can't very well take less."

Mad Hatter: "Yes! You can always take more than nothing!"

In a way, that's exactly what happens when we offer our bodies the sweet taste of diet foods, but give them no calories. I remember being told by my mom once that aspartame and other artificial sweeteners infact increase your appetite. There was a study conducted on this as well with rats when they were fed artificial sweeteners they craved more calories than usual.

"If you offer your body something that tastes like a lot of calories, but they aren't there, your body is alerted to the possibility that there is something there and it will search for the calories promised but not delivered"

Polyols, i.e. Sugar Alcohols explained.

Eat any sugar alcohol lately?

If you've looked lately at the “Nutrition Facts” panel on a pack of sugar-free gum or candy, you might be surprised to see that it contains “sugar alcohol.” Don't let the name fool you. These ingredients were given this consumer-friendly name because part of their structure resembles sugar and part is similar to alcohol.

Not one in the same
Don't be confused. Although they share a similar name, sugar alcohol and alcoholic beverages do not have the same chemical structure. Sugar alcohol does not contain ethanol, which is found in alcoholic beverages.

What is sugar alcohol?
Sugar alcohols, also know as polyols, are ingredients used as sweeteners and bulking agents. They occur naturally in foods and come from plant products such as fruits and berries. As a sugar substitute, they provide fewer calories (about a half to one-third less calories) than regular sugar. This is because they are converted to glucose more slowly, require little or no insulin to be metabolized and don't cause sudden increases in blood sugar. This makes them popular among individuals with diabetes; however, their use is becoming more common by just about everyone. You may be consuming them and not even know it.

Identifying them
Common sugar alcohols are mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol, lactitol, isomalt, maltitol and hydrogenated starch hydrolysates (HSH). Sugar alcohols are not commonly used in home food preparation, but are found in many processed foods. Food products labeled “sugar-free,” including hard candies, cookies, chewing gums, soft drinks and throat lozenges often consist of sugar alcohols. They are frequently used in toothpaste and mouthwash too.

Check carbohydrates
So why are sugar alcohols used so often? For one thing, they help to provide the sweet flavor to food in many products marketed towards individuals with diabetes. But, beware! There is often the misconception that all sugar alcohol-containing products are “free foods.” Some of these products may still contain significant amounts of carbohydrates. It's important to check the food label for the total carbohydrate contained in the product and talk with a registered dietitian to determine how it will best fit into your meal plan.

If a manufacturer uses the term “sugar free” or “no added sugar,” they must list the grams of sugar alcohols. If more than one sugar alcohol is used in a product, the “Nutrition Facts” panel will list the amount of sugar alcohol it contains under the total carbohydrate. If just one sugar alcohol is used, the label will list its specific name, for example, “mannitol” or “hydrogenated starch hydrolysates.”

Pros and cons of sugar alcohols
On the positive side, sugar alcohols contain less calories (1.5 - 3 calories per gram) than sugar (4 calories per gram), and they do not cause tooth decay like sugar does. Therefore, many “sugar-free” gums including Trident® and Extra® are made with sugar alcohols. Sugar alcohols also add texture to foods, retain moisture better and prevent foods from browning when they are heated.

Unfortunately, there are some negatives associated with sugar alcohols. The most common side effect is the possibility of bloating and diarrhea when sugar alcohols are eaten in excessive amounts. There is also some evidence that sugar alcohols, much like fructose (natural fruit sugar) in fruit and fruit juice can cause a “laxative effect.” Weight gain has been seen when these products are overeaten. The American Diabetes Association claims that sugar alcohols are acceptable in a moderate amount but should not be eaten in excess. Some people with diabetes, especially Type I diabetics, have found that their blood sugars rise if sugar alcohols are eaten in uncontrolled amounts.

Sugar alcohols vs. artificial sweeteners
Sugar alcohols and artificial sweeteners, such as saccharin (Sweet & Low®) and aspartame (Equal® or Nutrasweet®), are not one and the same. One difference between the two types of sugar substitutes is that the artificial sweeteners contain zero calories whereas sugar alcohols contain about 2.6 calories per gram. Another issue is diabetes management. Artificial sweeteners do not contain carbohydrates so they do not cause blood sugar to elevate, whereas, sugar alcohols have some effect on blood sugar. Overall, both can be useful in diabetes management when used properly.

Forms of sugar alcohol
Mannitol occurs naturally in pineapples, olives, asparagus, sweet potatoes and carrots. It is extracted from seaweed for use in food manufacturing. Mannitol has 50-70 percent of the relative sweetness of sugar, which means more must be used to equal the sweetness of sugar. Mannitol lingers in the intestines for a long time and therefore often causes bloating and diarrhea.

Sorbitol is found naturally in fruits and vegetables. It is manufactured from corn syrup. Sorbitol has only 50 percent of the relative sweetness of sugar which means twice as much must be used to deliver a similar amount of sweetness to a product. It has less of a tendency to cause diarrhea compared to mannitol. It is often an ingredient in sugar-free gums and candies.

Xylitol is also called “wood sugar” and occurs naturally in straw, corncobs, fruit, vegetables, cereals, mushrooms and some cereals. Xylitol has the same relative sweetness as sugar. It is found in chewing gums.

Lactitol has about 30-40 percent of sugar's sweetening power, but its taste and solubility profile resembles sugar so it is often found in sugar-free ice cream, chocolate, hard and soft candies, baked goods, sugar-reduced preserves and chewing gums.

Isomalt is 45 - 65 percent as sweet as sugar and does not tend to lose its sweetness or break down during the heating process. Isomalt absorbs little water, so it is often used in hard candies, toffee, cough drops and lollipops.

Maltitol is 75 percent as sweet as sugar. It is used in sugar-free hard candies, chewing gum, chocolate-flavored desserts, baked goods and ice cream because it gives a creamy texture to foods.

Hydrogenated starch hydrolysates (HSH) are produced by the partial hydrolysis of corn. HSH are nutritive sweeteners that provide 40 - 90 percent of the sweetness of sugar. HSH do not crystallize and are used extensively in confections, baked goods and mouthwashes.

WeightWatchers Bus-ad

Low Fat Cheese: Britannia

This is an example of how companies lure consumers into buying low-fat products.

Ambient advertising by Britannia cheese when they introduced their low fat version in the Indian market. They placed a sticker between two seat numbers in trains to catch the attention of regular commuters/office goers, etc. Doesn't need an explanation. Effective and makes you smile :) but its a total SCAM!

Sorry for the small picture. You can see the high-res version here at ads of the world.

Clogged Straw

With health diseases being one the main causes of death in Portugal, a stealth campaign at several fast-food restaurants was put in action by replacing ordinary straws with special ones.

The replacing straws were clogged, just like arteries, and with people trying to figure out what happened they ended up reading the message along the straw: “This is how your arteries end up with high cholesterol: clogged. Watch your diet. Health Ministry.”

The agency was Fischer Portugal and was advertised by the Portugal Ministry of Health.

I really like the interactivity of the campaign and would like to do something like this for my project too.

Artificial sweeteners: A safe alternative to sugar?

Find out the benefits and potential pitfalls of using artificial sweeteners.

By Mayo Clinic staff

More than ever, people are consuming large amounts of sugar as part of their daily diet. But in excess, sugar can take its toll. Eating large amounts of sugar adds extra calories, which can cause weight gain. So many people opt for artificial sweeteners — also referred to as sugar substitutes or low-calorie sweeteners — as a way to enjoy their favorite foods without as many calories.

What are artificial sweeteners?

Artificial sweeteners are chemicals or natural compounds that offer the sweetness of sugar without as many calories. Because the substitutes are much sweeter than sugar, it takes a much smaller quantity to create the same sweetness. Products made with artificial sweeteners have a much lower calorie count than do those made with sugar. Artificial sweeteners are often used as part of a weight-loss plan or as a means to control weight gain.

People with diabetes may use artificial sweeteners because they make food taste sweet without raising blood sugar levels. But keep in mind that if you do have diabetes, some foods containing artificial sweeteners, such as sugar-free yogurt, can still affect your blood sugar level due to other carbohydrates or proteins in the food. Some foods labeled "sugar-free" — such as sugar-free cookies and chocolates — may contain sweeteners, such as sorbitol or mannitol, which contain calories and can affect your blood sugar level. Some sugar-free products may also contain flour, which will raise blood sugar levels. Also, remember that foods containing sugar substitutes may also contain calories that may undermine your ability to lose weight and control blood sugar.

Sweet choices

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the following low-calorie sweeteners for use in a variety of foods. The FDA has established an "acceptable daily intake" (ADI) for each sweetener. This is the maximum amount considered safe to eat each day during your lifetime. ADIs are intended to be about 100 times less than the smallest amount that might cause health concerns.

Artificial sweetener	ADI*	Estimated ADI equivalent**	OK for cooking?
Aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal)	50 milligrams (mg) per kilogram (kg)	18 to 19 cans of diet cola	No
Saccharin (Sweet'N Low, SugarTwin)	5 mg per kg	9 to 12 packets of sweetener	Yes
Acesulfame K (Sunett, Sweet One)	15 mg per kg	30 to 32 cans of diet lemon-lime soda***	Yes
Sucralose (Splenda)	5 mg per kg	6 cans of diet cola***	Yes

*FDA-established acceptable daily intake (ADI) limit per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight.
**Product-consumption equivalent for a person weighing 150 pounds (68 kilograms).
***These products usually contain more than one type of sweetener.

Safety of artificial sweeteners

Artificial sweeteners are often the subject of stories, presented in the popular press and on the Internet, claiming that they cause a variety of health problems, including cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, however, there's no scientific evidence that any of the artificial sweeteners approved for use in the United States cause cancer. And numerous studies confirm that artificial sweeteners are safe for the general population.

Aspartame does carry a cautionary note, however. It isn't safe for people who have the rare hereditary disease phenylketonuria (PKU). Products that contain aspartame must carry a PKU warning on the label.

Still empty calories

Just removing sugar from cookies and chocolates doesn't make them low-calorie, low-fat foods. If you eat too many, you'll still get more calories than you may need, and you may not get enough nutritious foods. Unlike fruits, vegetables and whole grains, sugar-free soft drinks, candy and desserts often provide few — if any — beneficial nutrients.

Use artificial sweeteners sensibly. It's OK to substitute a diet soda for a regular soda, for example, but diet soda shouldn't be the only beverage you drink.