If you’ve ever tried to lose weight or cut calories, you’re probably familiar with alternative sweeteners.

Nonnutritive sweeteners (NNS), also known as artificial sweeteners, are natural or man-made (synthetic) compounds that usually taste sweeter than table sugar (sucrose). NNS became widely used as sugar substitutes starting in the early 1900s. They gained popularity because they make food and beverages taste as good as their sugary counterparts and, at most, only add a few calories.

As we age, there are many positives to look forward to – you’re more in tune with your emotions, your self-esteem grows, and you’ve gained wisdom through your life experiences. Although there are many benefits to aging, weight gain can be an issue for many women as they enter menopause.

Menopause is defined as the time when a woman hasn’t had a menstrual period for 12 months. After those 12 months, a woman is considered postmenopausal.

For many, developing a healthy lifestyle can be incredibly overwhelming due to the number of diets and fitness trends currently on the market. There are countless diets marketed as revolutionary systems for losing weight and improving overall health, but they are not always based on mechanisms that are proven to be safe and effective.

One trend that has gained recent attention for its ability to improve cardiac health and reduce obesity is intermittent fasting (IF).