Your comments are proof that MD's don't receive enough training in biochemistry. Give what your doctor said to you, I'm pretty certain I've received more training in chemistry and nutritional biology than your doctor. But that's just talk on the internet, let's look at what we know to be true.
Aspartame has three components: phenylalanine (an essential amino acids), aspartic acid (another amino acid), and methanol.
A 12 oz. Diet Coke contains the following:
Phenylalanine - 90 mg
Aspartic Acid - 72 mg
Methanol ------ 18 mg
A 3 oz. piece of grilled chicken, eaten with a cup of tomato juice, contains the following:
Phenylalanine - 1,060 mg
Aspartic Acid - 2,400 mg
Methanol ------ 80 mg
So, a small piece of grilled chicken with just a cup of tomato juice will give you almost 12 times more phenylalanine than what is found in in a can of Diet Coke; 33 times more aspartic acid, and more than 4 times the amount of methanol.
The average banana contains 60 mg. of phenylalanine, 146 mg. of aspartic acid, and 21 mg. of methanol
So, according to your doctors, eating bananas or a small piece of grilled chicken with a glass of tomato juice will cause all kinds of damage to our well-being by bombarding our bodies with known carcinogens and neurotoxins. Who knew that these everyday foods were so damned dangerous?
Or, your doctors could just have no idea what they're talking about. I didn't go to med school. That's where the kids who didn't do well in biochem went. Next time you see your doctor ask him how phenylalanine, aspartic acid and methanol can cause cancer and be toxic to our nervous system when consumed as aspartame, but not when many times more of each component are eaten in bananas or chicken. I'd love to know his answer.
http://www.phmovement.org/en/node/157
http://www.safefood.org.nz/aspartaddict.html
http://rense.com/general70/excito.htm
http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/