I want to share something important today not to scare you, but to help you make sense of why some “healthy swaps” don’t always feel healthy in your body. Most people think of it as a diet ingredient. But biologically, it behaves very differently than we’ve been told. That ingredient is sucralose. Why this one matters more than most. Sucralose isn’t a plant extract. It’s not a food that’s been gently processed. It’s made by chemically altering sugar and attaching chlorine to it. Sucralose was discovered during chemical research involving chlorinated sugars, a class of compounds often explored for antimicrobial and pesticidal activity. Yes, pesticide! That detail matters a lot. Chlorine’s job, by nature, is to kill living organisms. That’s why it’s used to disinfect pools, hot tubs and drinking water. It’s antimicrobial. It’s anti-life. Anti-biotic. Now think about where sucralose goes once you consume it. Straight into your gut, where trillions of beneficial bacteria live and work for you. Those bacteria help with your - - digestion - hormone signaling - immune balance - inflammation control - even fat loss and blood sugar regulation - When a chlorine-based compound shows up regularly, it doesn’t just “pass through.” It creates an environment that’s hostile to healthy microbes. That’s one reason research keeps pointing to - - disrupted gut lining - increased inflammation - changes in gene activity Not because your body is broken but because the environment you’re creating inside the gut isn’t friendly to life. Here’s where it gets even trickier. Certain gut bacteria actually interact with sucralose and convert it into a more reactive compound inside the body. So what’s on the label isn’t always the final form your tissues are exposed to. That helps explain why so many people say - - “I get bloated from ‘sugar-free’ stuff.” - “My energy crashes for no reason.” - “My digestion feels off but I can’t pinpoint why.” It’s not willpower. It’s just chemistry & biology.

Supported by research. - Short strolls after meals help blunt blood sugar spikes even 2-5 minutes can make a measurable difference. Increase to 10-15 (when you're conditioned enough) - Walking before breakfast shifts your metabolism toward fat use because insulin is low in the fasted state. - Interval walking (when you're conditioned enough) can yield more improvements in fat loss and fitness than steady walking for the same total time. 1- 2 minute "faster" and 1-2 minutes "slower" - Uphill walking (when you're conditioned enough) increases calorie use and recruits bigger muscle groups. - Moderate-pace walking trains your body to burn fat more efficiently over time. - Spending time walking in green spaces can lower stress hormones and support better sleep and mood. - Tracking your steps reliably increases daily movement and builds consistency. - Adding a bit of weight (when you're conditioned enough) to your walk increases the metabolic cost and strengthens muscles. A backpack can work easily. Which 1 or 2 will you start this week?

Most people think thyroid problems come from the thyroid. But often, the issue is competition, not failure. Let’s talk about the three hidden competitors to iodine in modern life. - Fluorine - Chlorine - Bromine Together, these are called halogens and they directly compete with iodine in the body. Why do halogens matter? Iodine is a Halogen. So are fluorine, chlorine, and bromine. Because they’re chemically similar, they use the same transporters and binding sites. So when your environment is high in fluorine, chlorine, or bromine, it can - - Block iodine uptake into the thyroid - Displace iodine from tissues - Reduce thyroid hormone production - Increase iodine loss from the body Where would I be exposed to these other Halides? Fluorine (fluoride) - Fluoridated drinking water - Toothpaste and mouthwash - Some medications (especially antibiotics and psych meds) - Processed beverages made with fluoridated water - Non-stick cookware off-gassing Chlorine - Tap water and swimming pools - Bleached paper products (toilet paper, white coffee filters) - Cleaning products and disinfectants - Shower water (absorbed through skin and inhaled) - Processed foods washed or prepared with chlorinated water Bromine - Brominated flame retardants in furniture, mattresses (child & adult), electronics - That new car smell is off gassing - Brominated vegetable oil (in some sodas and sports drinks) - Bakery products made with bromated flour - Some medications and dyes - Hot tubs and some pool sanitizers How does this affect the thyroid specifically? Your thyroid needs iodine to make T4 and T3. Halogens interfere by- - Competing for iodine transport into the thyroid - Binding to iodine receptors without functioning properly - Increasing iodine excretion - Triggering low-grade inflammation in thyroid tissue This can lead to- - Functional iodine deficiency - Reduced thyroid hormone production - Higher TSH - Thyroid resistance - Increased autoimmune risk in vulnerable individuals

A lot of "learning" seems to be unlearning the B.S. (Bad Science) we've been fed by big companies with dollars and shareholder focus as their primary driving initiatives rather than healthy potential outcomes for all of Life and our Lives in general. Big Ag, Big Pharma, Big Food, Big Energy, Big Finance, Big Insurance/Managed care, Big Media (movies, ads, news) , Big Tech. BlackRock, Vanguard and State Street have the largest share of ALL of these Sectors. They’re like the giant spider in the middle of the web - they don’t usually run the companies directly, but they own big chunks of almost all of them and quietly shape the whole system. It's a closed System and guess who is the "Consumer". So while each industry looks separate, the same three shareholders are often sitting near the top of the shareholder list across them all. This means- - Profit from ultra-processed foods leading to - Profit from diabetes or ("pick your disease") drugs leading to - Profit from medical devices/surgery/hospitalization leading to - Profit from ad-driven tech platforms that help market all of it leading to - Insurance profits leading to.......the list goes on. Different “Bigs,” same ultimate financial beneficiaries. Until we take back control of our Health personally, We are the Product being sold. We take control of our Health & Lives by voting with our purchasing dollars. What's one Action or purchase that you could drop this week that you know is not supporting your Health? What's one Action or purchase that you could take this week that totally supports your Health?

One day we decide we want to stay away from real sugar calories and opt in for "Sugar- Free" alternatives. Sucralose (found in Splenda® and many “sugar-free” products) is made by adding chlorine to real sugar. That chlorine changes how your body sees it. - Your body doesn’t recognize it as food. - So it passes through your digestive system mostly unchanged - And ends up in your gut microbiome where the real trouble starts Here’s what studies show happens - - Reduces good gut bacteria that help keep metabolism, hormones, and digestion running smoothly. - Weakens gut lining which can contribute to bloating and inflammation. - Can trigger insulin spikes even without calories (making belly fat harder to lose). - Acts kind of like an antibiotic, wiping out healthy bacteria and allowing harmful ones to grow. FitnHealthy Forever Tip - Sucralose may seem like a “free pass” sweetener, but it can slow metabolism, increase cravings, and disrupt hormones and that's the last things we want when working to release weight over 40.