Halloween Fun at GRMC

At GRMC, we have a Celebration Council made up of employees who plan fun activities throughout the year. After all, we spend a lot of time at work with our teammates and having the opportunity to enjoy each other's company during a break in the action is always welcome.This year, the Celebration Council planned a pumpkin decorating contest. Here are some snaps of the very creative designs that GRMC staff brought to share this week.

Some are popular - like Si Robertson!

Some are very clever!

Some are medical or traditional.

Some are very cute!

And for some, there simply are no words. 

Be on the watch for our little trick or treaters out and about tonight. 

Have a safe and happy Halloween!

Artificial Sweeteners and Sugar Substitutes: How Much is Too Much?

by Lily Taylor, RD, LD, GRMC Clinical Dietitian

It's hard to know, isn't it?

We know that too much sugar is not good for us. But what about the alternatives?

Common artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes have little to no calories in each serving. Listed below are a few available types that you might see in stores now:

Aspartame - also known as Equal or NutraSweet is 200 times sweeter than sugar. It was discovered in 1965 at a pharmaceutical company, approved by the FDA in 1981.

Sucralose - also known as Splenda. It is 600 times sweeter than sugar and was discovered at a British college and approved by the FDA in 1998. Made from sugar.

Saccharin - also known as Sweet n' Low. It is 300 times sweeter than sugar and discovered in 1879 at Johns Hopkins University.

Stevia - known also as Truvia - is 200-300 times sweeter than sugar and comes from the leaves of a plant native to Central and South America.

Are they safe?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved six sugar substitutes to be on the market. These are sucralose, saccharin, stevia, acesulfame-K, and neotame. The FDA reviewed more than 100 safety studies on sweeteners before approving their use. People who have the hereditary disease, phenylketonuria (PKU) should avoid aspartame. In women who are pregnant, saccharin is known to cross the placenta and accumulate in fetal tissue. It isn't clear if that is harmful to the baby at this point, but it may be a good idea to avoid saccharin if you are pregnant. 

How much is too much?
The acceptable daily intake (ADI) or recommended daily limit depends on a person's weight. The ADI has a safety net factored in, too. Scientists determined what the minimum amount would be that a person would have to consume to see a negative effect, and the ADI is one one-hundredth that amount, to be on the safe side. Consuming sweeteners at these amounts could lead to adverse health effects. 

Check out the tables below to see how much is too much for a 150-pound adult and a 50-pound child.

150 Pound Adult Acceptable Daily Intake
Sweetener	# of 12 oz cans of diet soda to reach the ADI	# of artificial sweetener packets to reach the ADI
Acesulfame-K*	25.6	20.4
Aspartame	17	97.4
Saccharin	2.4	8.6
Sucralose	4.8	68.2
Stevia	Product info not available, sodas containing stevia are not widely available at this time	30

50 Pound Child Acceptable Daily Intake
Sweetener	# of 12 oz cans of diet soda to reach the ADI	# of artificial sweetener packets to reach the ADI
Acesulfame-K	8.6	6.8
Aspartame	5.6	32.4
Saccharin	0.8	2.8
Sucralose	1.6	22.8
Stevia	Product info not available, sodas containing stevia are not widely available at this time	10

The choice is up to you for how you want to satisfy that sweet tooth, whether you use sugar, artificial sweeteners, or sugar substitutes. The bottom line is that moderation is usually best when it comes to healthy eating and decision making. 

What You Need to Know about the New Health Insurance Marketplace

Click here to watch a new video from the Iowa Hospital Association and American Hospital Association on what you need to know about the new Health Insurance Marketplace.