Recommended by most doctors as a soda alternative, this powdered drink mix is extremely toxic

Have you taken Crystal Light recently? It is a product that Kraft pushes on consumers as a calorie-free way to add flavor to their water.

It’s also very popular among dieters and is often recommended by Western medical doctors.  So let’s see what’s wrong with Crystal Light, exactly.

Crystal Light Ingredients and Health Dangers

Classic Crystal Light, which comes in a range of flavors, such as lemonade, fruit punch, strawberry kiwi, orange and raspberry, peach or lemon iced tea, contains pretty the same ingredients :

Citric Acid
Potassium Citrate
Maltodextrin
Aspartame
Magnesium Oxide
Contains Less than 2% of Natural Flavor
Acesulfame Potassium
Soy Lecithin
Artificial Color and Red 40

So Let’s take a look at these ingredients

Citric Acid: Citric acid is the most common food additive in the market today; however, did you know that in Europe, it’s been described as the most dangerous carcinogen of all? Citric acid is used as both a flavor enhancer and a preservative ingredient. The problem with citric acid today is that produced from black mold, Aspergillus Niger, the same black mold that causes respiratory illness if found in the air ducts of your home air conditioning unit. Citric acid has been known to irritate the digestive system (ascorbic acid has similar attributes), causing heartburn and damage to the mucous membrane of the stomach. The eyes, skin and respiratory organs can also suffer scratchy, itchy sensations from overconsumption of citric acid. There have also been European studies which suggest that citric acid could be responsible for promoting tooth decay as well.

Maltodextrin

Maltodextrin is used as a thickener, filler or preservative in many processed foods.  Although maltodextrin comes from natural foods, it’s highly processed. Almost all the maltodextrin used in health foods, vitamins, and supplements are derived from genetically modified corn. Though not a sugar, it still has a GI (glycemic index) of 130 by itself (table sugar is only 65)! The glycemic index is a measurement of how quickly blood sugar rises after eating it. It’s high glycemic index, which creates a huge upswing in blood sugar, results in a huge upswing of a hormone insulin.

A 2013 study published in the Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology found that maltodextrin consumption, especially at higher doses, may cause gastrointestinal symptoms, such as gurgling sounds, gas and even diarrhea. There have also been reports of other allergic reactions to maltodextrin, such as skin irritations, cramping and bloating.

Aspartame:

Aspartame is a synthetic chemical composed of the amino acids phenylalanine and aspartic acid. It is composed of two amino acids, phenylalanine and aspartic acid. The aspartic acid is as powerful as an exitotoxin as is glutamate. Phenylalanine is known to produce seizures and act as a neurotoxin in the brain. … When a sweetener contains high amounts of these isolated amino acids the brain level may, after ingestion, become high enough to cause brain cell death, seizures and death.

A study published in the Journal of Applied Nutrition said that Aspartame causes brain damage by leaving traces of methanol in the blood. An additional study published by the Washington University Medical School outlined a connection between Aspartame and brain tumors.

Acesulfame Potassium: This is another controversial artificial sweetener that is 200 times sweeter than sugar. Acesulfame K contains the carcinogen methylene chloride which can cause headaches, depression, nausea, mental confusion, liver effects, kidney effects, visual disturbances. Early studies showed a link to multiple cancer developments in lab animals.

Soy Lecithin: The biggest problem associated with soy lecithin comes from soy itself because most of the soy in the market is genetically modified (GM). Researchers have proven that GM foods can create potential damages to our health. GM soy contains high levels of toxicants which represent thousands of plant biochemicals and has exhibited toxic effects on animals.

Additionally, it also acts as goitrogens, which suppress your thyroid function, and triggers many other health problems associated with thyroid suppression. Studies have shown that soy contains toxins and plant oestrogens that could disrupt women’s menstrual cycles, damage the thyroid, lower testosterone levels, stimulate the progression of breast cancer.

So why are doctors recommending it? Most of its ingredients  are causally linked to many health problems in both animals and humans.