Not Harmful: A 5-Minute Freewrite

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Joel has diabetes, so his doctor advised him to cut back on sweet foods and beverages, as well as fatty foods. However, being someone with a sweet tooth, not eating sweet is like a death sentence to him. Knowing this, his wife, Beverly, told him to try artificial sweeteners.

As such, on their next trip to their local supermarket, the couple tried searching for artificial sweeteners. To their surprise, though, they were greeted by a large selection of artificial sweeteners.

"Too many choices," Joel started. "What should we buy?"

Beverly thought for a minute or two before answering, "They should all be the same. How about choosing randomly?"

"I don't know," Joel contemplated. "I'm not sold on any of these unknown brands. Besides, are they even safe to consume?"

"They should not be harmful," Beverly said, "or they won't be sold in supermarkets."

After a bit more back-and-forth questions and answers, the couple finally settled on the most expensive brand. Their thinking was that since it's the most expensive, it should be the safest.

Once back home, Joel tried the product and added a spoonful of artificial sweetener to his coffee.

"It's sweet but tastes a little strange," Joel thought out loud.

"Does it taste good?" Beverly asked, curiosity apparent on his face.

"It's not bad, but it might take a while to get used to," Joel answered.

With curiosity getting the best of her, Beverly gave in and made a cup of coffee herself.

"I still prefer natural sugar," Beverly commented with a frown on her face. "Do you think the cheaper brands might have tasted better?"

"Don't know," Joel shrugged.

After a week, the couple went to the doctor again to check on Joel's blood sugar level.

"It's quite high," said the doctor after studying the result of the test.

"What? How?" Joel was questioned in surprise. "We've been cutting on sugar for weeks now."

"Tell me what you've been consuming for these past weeks," the doctor ordered.

Joel and Beverly started recounting the food and beverages they were consuming.

"No wonder. You probably thought that since you've replaced sugar with artificial sweetener, things would turn out okay, right?" The doctor questioned her after letting out a long sigh of exasperation.

"That's not how things work," the doctor continued. "Artificial sweeteners might actually be more dangerous than natural sweeteners." To make matters worse, your consumption of the product is too high. At this rate, your diabetes might get worse.

Before letting the couple go, the doctor went on a long tirade about what to do to lower Joel's blood sugar level.

"Sacrifices are needed for you to remain healthy," the doctor explained. "Don't use shortcuts."

Feeling ashamed, Joel promised to do better and make sacrifices so as not to cause harm to himself or anyone else.

The end