I'm sure you've heard me mention stevia in past entries. Now it's time to really talk about it.

Stevia (also known as SweetLeaf) is an extract from the stevia plant found in South and Central America. It's available in both liquid and powdered forms. The extract is about 300 times sweeter than sugar (although you cannot purchase the pure extract; it's usually combined with vegetable glyercine or inulin fiber).

What makes this sweetener so unique is that it has a 0 on the glycemic index, meaning it doesn't raise blood sugar levels the way that honey, molasses, brown sugar, cane sugar, fructose, or any other sweetener does. Many people opt for Agave nectar as a natural sweetener, but agave still raises blood sugar levels and has about 16 grams of sugar per tablespoon. Because stevia is just an extract and not a nectar or syrup, it has 0 grams of sugar but still tastes incredibly sweet. And, because it has no sugar, it also has no calories.

Stevia is perfect for diabetics, low-carbers, those with candidiasis, or anyone limiting their sugar intake (which should be everyone if you ask me!). It is available at most health food stores and more easily found as a liquid (near the supplements).

I almost always buy stevia in liquid form. It only takes about two drops to sweeten anything!

My Personal Most Popular Uses for Liquid Stevia:
I use a few drops to sweeten...
- kasha or oatmeal
- cold cereal
- hot tea
- water with lemon
- plain yogurt

Stevia is also available as a powder, which I use for cooking. I bake whole-wheat, almond meal, oatmeal cookies using stevia as a sweetener and they're delicious.

Get creative. You can sweeten anything with stevia, and it's much healthier to buy unsweetened versions of your favorite products and sweeten them yourself with stevia. Stevia cannot be found in most commercial products because the FDA hasn't approved its use yet (which is why it must be purchased as a supplement). There is great political debate on this topic. Many people feel that the FDA is strongly controlled by major food corporations that advocate the use of harmful sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose. The introduction of stevia to the main market would undoubtably cause a major conflict for the companies using other sweeteners because stevia has virtually no adverse health affects. Japan has been safely using stevia to sweeten their diet beverages for a number of years.

Stevia is 100% natural and in my opinion, the ideal sweetener. Try it for yourself and see!

Be sweet,
Emily