Wednesday, January 13, 2010






Stevia is an wonderful alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners. I started to research sugar substitutes in 2003 after my mother had been diagnosed with Diabetes. She loves to add heaping amounts of sugar to her tea and on her morning grapefruit and she couldn't any longer after her diagnosis. So, I happen chanced upon the herb Stevia.

Stevia is native to South America and has been used by the natives for more than a thousand years. Zero calories, zero on the Glycemic Index, medically proven to lower high blood pressure, and in it's natural state 10 - 30 times sweeter than sugar. You can also bake with Stevia.

Some people find the aftertaste of the leaves to be a little bitter; thankfully you can buy it processed similar to sugar. Processed, there is no aftertaste and it's 100 - 300 times sweeter than sugar.

You can make liquid "sugar" yourself by cooking this herb on your stove with equal parts water and whiskey; boiling off the alcohol and then letting the concoction sit overnight. In the morning drain the liquid and discard the remnants and you have a natural liquid sweetener. I suggest experimenting with a small amount first.

In my research there is past evidence that suggests Artificial Sweetener companies had bribed certain key FDA officials or offered them key positions within their companies in return for their cooperation in keeping Stevia off retail shelves. These officials no longer work for the FDA.

Today, Stevia has become widely available throughout the U.S. though in Canada it is only approved as a dietary supplement.

Global brands like Coca Cola, Pepsi, and Cargill all use Stevia in their products today. In Japan, Stevia has been approved for decades and 40% of their manufactured foods use this natural sweetener as a sugar substitute. I believe this is a testament to it's safeness. We know many medical studies are commissioned by corporate interests that would like nothing better than to see products like Stevia banned from our store shelves.

I have been using Stevia for about 5 years. When I was in retail I sold Stevia in the herb section of my store. The suprise on people's faces when they popped a sample into their mouth and tasted how sweet this herb can be in it's natural state. LOL!

Obesity has become the number one health problem in North America today. Stevia would help eliminate that problem. So give this wonderful herb a try and if you have friends and family on carbohydrate reduced diets or are diabetic... tell them about this wonderful herb. I am not being paid an endorsement for this editorial!

Please Note: I cannot stress enough the importance of doing your own diligence. I haven't gone into any technical data because that is not what my blog is about but the data is out there for those interested enough to "Google" it.

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