Stevia sweetener just may be the cure if you’re nervous about the chemicals you ingest, particularly everyday sweeteners. My diet is built on the ingestion of major quantities of coffee and Diet Coke throughout the day. Both rely on aspartame/NutraSweet® or Splenda to make themselves appealing to me.
Occasionally, on nights when I have nothing else to worry about, the thought crosses my mind that I may be pickling my brain with powerful chemicals that wish me ill. We’ve all read the anecdotal evidence on aspartame.Â
But until recently, I didn’t think I had an option. There wasn’t going to be any switching to regular Coke, nor sudden reckless abandon with the sugar teaspoon. Imagine my surprise when I learned there is a natural food additive, available at health food stores in little green packets – that sweetens just as wonderfully as NutraSweet®, but is all natural! Â
Everybody, let’s welcome Stevia to the stage.
Facts:
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Stevia is 200 times sweeter than sugar.
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Stevia doesn’t prompt a glucose response in the body.
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Diabetics and others who can’t use sugar or saccharine or aspartame can use Stevia.
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Stevia has no fat and no calories.
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Stevia is made from an herb that grows in Paraguay and Brazil.
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Stevia hasn’t been approved by the FDA as a sweetener, but it’s cleared as a food supplement (granted – not as high a leap).
Real Life Experience:
I’ve used Stevia in coffee and cereal and sugar never even thought about being this sweet. It works great, plus psychologically I feel I’m making inroads in my chemical consumption. On the down side, my own admittedly anecdotal evidence includes the suspicion that somehow I had to pee more often. For those concerned about chemicals, Stevia is definitely worth checking out. It’s not synthetically created, though just because it’s all natural doesn’t mean it won’t do harm. Stevia is currently used industrially in Japan – and may eventually clear the FDA hurdle in the U.S. There’s also Stevia liquid which you use with an eye-dropper but I’m not as fond of it. There’s an organic, nutty taste that’s a bit too redolent of the organic exhaust coming off a Whole Foods store if you know what I mean.
