Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Stevia is sweet and good.

Over Christmas, my mom asked me if I wanted sweetener for my tea. I'm spoiled now, because I love the way stevia tastes, so I asked if she had any. She goes, "What's stevia?" Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni is an herb that's sweet like sugar, but it has no calories.

Imagine a sweetener that's actually good for you. I've been sweetening my coffee and tea with stevia for about six months. I bought some at a hippie grocery store, and I like it better than Splenda, Sweet & Low, or processed sugar. It is has no carbs, no calories, and no glycemic index, but it tastes naturally sweet.

Splenda is chlorinated sugar. Your body won't absorb it (much). Saccharine (Sweet & Low) and Aspartame (Equal) are not good for you, either. If you are diabetic, dieting, or just health conscious, you should try stevia, just to see if you like it better. I'm a fan.

3 comments:

  1. Ah, I'm gonna have to try that. I use Splenda a lot, so I'm interested in checking it out! Thanks for the info.

    ReplyDelete
  2. And you can bake with it.
    http://www.steviainfo.com/?page=cooking_tips

    ReplyDelete
  3. So I bought some of the Stevia and really like it. We have this awesome grocery store here called Sunflower, built by the founder of Wild Oats. It has the best stuff and is soooo cheap. They have the Stevia Plus, which is packed full of fiber. Good stuff! Thanks for recommending it! Next time you head out this way, I'll take you to Sunflower Farmers Market. :)

    ReplyDelete