Discover Benefits Of The Best Artificial Sweeteners

By Jan Robbins, Nutritional Coach

Discover Benefits Of The Best Artificial Sweeteners

With all the controversy about sugar, chemical additives, and artificial sweeteners like

NutraSweet, Sweet’N Low, and Splenda, to name a few, it makes one wonder what is safe to

use anymore. Just to let you know how very dangerous some of these artificial sweeteners are,

Dr. Joseph Mercola writes on his web site that, “Splenda is not the only artificial sweetener that

has been linked to leukemia. The longest-ever human aspartame study, spanning 22 years,

found a clear association between aspartame consumption and non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and

leukemia in men.”

If you think Aspartame is only in artificial sweeteners, think again. It is also listed, as well as

hidden under different names, in a lot of your condiments, powdered drinks, sugar-free

desserts, diet foods, gum, candy, and flavored yogurts. In my mind, these are not “foods” at all

and should not be put into your body.

A healthier alternative is to use natural sweeteners such as

maple syrup, local, raw honey, coconut sugars, agave, or

xylitol, etc. In this article I want to focus on the herb, Stevia,

(Stevia rebaudiana), which is a plant-based sweetener, calorie-

free, and a useful substitute to artificial and blatant sugars.

Stevia has been used for hundreds of years by the natives of

South America and is by far sweeter than sugar. It is known to

be loaded with antioxidants, is anti-bacterial, and has a low-

glycemic value which means it does not affect blood sugar

levels. According to the Web MD, “Stevia is used as a weight

loss aid; for treating diabetes, high blood pressure and

heartburn; for lowering uric acid levels; for preventing

pregnancy; and for increasing the strength of the muscle

contractions that pump blood from the heart.” If you want to stay away from unhealthy sugar

forms and transition to healthier ways to maintain your sweet tooth, then Stevia might be the

one for you.

The Different Forms of Stevia

Stevia comes in many different forms (unprocessed or processed). It can be raw, green and

unprocessed in a powder or in a simple form as cut or whole leaves. In the refined and

processed form, you will find it in a white powder, tablets, or in a liquid extract. I like to be as

natural as possible, so I use raw, green-unprocessed Stevia. Some people find that with raw

Stevia there can be an aftertaste associated with it; after all it is raw and not processed. Then

again, others just love the raw version and do not have that experience. Experiment

with different brands of raw Stevia to find your favorite. If you do not like the brand you chose,

give it to a friend or family member to try and then you try a different brand.

You may also consider growing your own Stevia plant and drying the leaves or making your

own tinctures from it. If you are not up for that, Stevia also comes in small packets of powder or

in liquid extracts which have the bitterness processed out of them. This makes it easier to use

and even though they are processed, they are much better than artificial sweeteners. Be advised

that some of these processed forms on your store shelves are under specialty names or blends

which have other additives like dextrose, natural flavors, or other hidden sugars added into

them. Read your labels!

Dosage and Reactions

With all forms of Stevia you will definitely have to experiment with the dosage as to the levels

of sweetness you desire. Start off with a small amount (even just a pinch or a few drops) in your

coffee, tea, or drink and go from there because it can get too sweet really quick. On the other

side of the coin, take care not to use too much Stevia because the bitterness factor can take over

and turn you off real quick.

You can use Stevia wherever you like to use sugar:

to sweeten your drinks, lemonades, certain baking

recipes, or in other dishes that call for sweetener.

Check the Stevia to sugar ratio tables for use in

recipes.

Here is a basic conversion chart from ehow:

A basic rule is as follows: 1 cup of sugar = 1 teaspoon

of Stevia.

BASIC CONVERSION CHART

Sugar Powdered Stevia Liquid Stevia

1 cup 1 teaspoon 1 teaspoon

1 tablespoon 1/4 teaspoon 6 - 9 drops

1 teaspoon 1/16 teaspoon 2- 4 drops

Things to consider

If you have allergies to ragweed and related plants, Stevia might not be the sweetener for you as

it may cause an allergic reaction. Always pay attention to the way you feel after eating and

after using supplements, or new food items; everyone reacts differently. Look for any

deviations, allergic reactions, tiredness, headaches, so you can connect the dots to what you

have just eaten.

Stevia leaf (Stevia rebaudiana)

All it takes is a little awareness to find out what works for you

and what does not work. Use common sense when using natural

sweeteners. You do not need to go overboard in the use of them

because just like everything else, when used in excess they can

cause problems. Also, I find it healthier to rotate natural

sweeteners to avoid allergies and reactions.

Ultimately, the choice is yours. There are a lot of sugars out there,

some natural and some unnatural. Instead of using artificial

sweeteners which are filled with poisons and chemicals, why not

try the Stevia herb (raw or liquid). It is sweeter than sugar, and the best thing about it is that it is

calorie-free, has antioxidant and antibacterial properties, and does not spike your blood sugar

to the sky! It is always good to try something new. For more information on eating well go to

healthy notions and nutritional coach.

Discover Benefits Of The Best Artificial Sweeteners

By Jan Robbins, Nutritional Coach