Could "diet" products cause you to store fat?

I remember in high school when the big craze in the quest to be thin was fat free and diet products.  Well, what we have learned since then is that there is a lot more to successful weight loss and maintaining healthy weight; and eating less fat and substituting with artificial sweeteners are not the answers. 

Our bodies store toxins in fat cells, so when we are constantly ingesting foods with toxins, like chemical flavor enhancers in fat free products or the pesticide-like chemicals in artificial sweeteners, our bodies will create fat cells to store those toxins in.  When our bodies are burning energy trying to detoxify, we use less energy to burn fat, so keeping our toxic load to a minimum is key in maintaining healthy body weight. 

Because these diet foods are chemical based, they cause inflammation in our bodies.  When there is inflammation in the intestines, C-Reactive protein levels in the body will rise.  Leptin, the hormone that tells you when to feel full, will actually bind to C-Reactive Protein. The more inflammation you have, the more C-reactive Protein you have, which means you will have less active Leptin available which will leave you feeling hungry and eating more. 

We create more fat cells and burn less fat when we are toxic, we have more inflammation and feel more hungry when we are toxic…what about blood sugar?  Isn’t that why many people drink diet drinks and eat sugar free foods?  Studies done by the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio show that using sugar free/diet products with artificial sweeteners actually increases blood glucose levels, increases waist circumference, and increases the risk for beta cell destruction in the pancreas, thus leading to an increased risk of Diabetes. (Http://www.uthsca.edu/hscnews) 

Then what should we do to maintain healthy body weight?  Obviously, going to a fat free and diet eating plan is not only ineffective, but dangerous in terms of long-term health outcomes.  What I typically advise my clients to do is a detoxification process to cleanse of toxins already stored over the years.  Then I guide them through a restorative diet based on an anti-inflammatory, low-glycemic index food plan that decreases inflammation in the body and provides increased nutrients. The goal is to make a lifestyle change including sufficient sleep, exercise, and the restorative diet.  The outcome is always positive and clients usually do make the lifestyle change a permanent one when they discover how good they feel, and how they can maintain healthy weight without necessarily restricting calories, but instead, eating healing foods. Hormone balance is also affected by toxic load and can affect weight gain and ability to lose weight. Be sure to sign up for my newsletter with your email address to be alerted when I drop new blogs with information such as hormone balancing.