When Splenda came on the scene, the world of weight loss seemed to have finally found the answer. Advertisements would herald the glorious news of a safe and natural alternative to the artificial sweeteners that have been proven to be toxic.

Splenda has found it's way into homes and business in over 80 countries of the world. More than 3,500 products containing Splenda are now distributed and bought worldwide. Countless tons of the feather weight powder have been consumed by health conscious individuals.

I too was a great Splenda fan. If someone dared to categorize my sweetener with the others on the market, I would defend my product. "Splenda is sugar. It's natural," I would boldly proclaim.

Yesterday, I asked my husband to pick something up for me at my local health food store. They always poke a little magazine or newsletter inside when they bag your merchandise.

I casually browsed through a selection of articles that was posted in the magazine when I came across something that threatened to shatter my loyalty to the new sweet wonder of Splenda. Not willing to base a belief on one source, I began to research. What I found in my research confirmed what I found in the article - Splenda is not as sweet as I have been led to believe.

It turns out, Splenda is not natural at all, neither is it really sugar. While it does begin as sugar, the changes that have been made to remove the calories make it nothing more than a chemical sweetener. Therefore, our wonderful and "safe" sweetener may indeed cause some measure of toxicity to the body.

Splenda, or sucralose, is made by beginning with a molecule of true and natural sugar. Three hydroxyl groups, or atoms that are composed of hydrogen and oxygen, are removed. These are then substituted with three atoms of chlorine.

Yep, it's the same chlorine found in the bottle of bleach that you use to sanitize the toilet. Surprised?

It is common knowledge that many drinking water sources use chlorine to ensure the safety of the water. So why is this such a bad thing?

The chlorination in Splenda is what makes it difficult for the body to absorb the sugar. Since there's minimal absorbtion, the product delivers very few, if any, calories to the body. Though this sounds good, the changes that take place in the "sugar molecule" during the digestive process is not so good. The molecule is transformed into a chlorcarbon. Many chlorocarbons are known to be toxic to the body, why would this be different?

Are you still not convinced? Do you need further proof? Find out the truth on Splenda's very own website. Go to the FAQ's page and read to your heart's content. Here's the link. Pay close attention to the questions..."How is SPLENDA® No Calorie Sweetener made? and..."Is sucralose (or SPLENDA® Brand Sweetener) natural?"

This post is not intended to tear down the Splenda company nor it's reputaion, but is provided as a means of information. Like I said, I was a Splenda fan too. However, I feel that people have the right to know what they're putting into their bodies, and many never research such things for themselves.