Stevia

Stevia is the latest (and greatest) in the line of sugar substitutes. It is an all natural herbal sweetener in the sunflower family. The leaves of the Stevia plant are naturally sweet, actually two times as sweet as sugar. Rebaudiana is the component extracted from the Stevia plant.

In December 2008, The Food and Drug Administration approved what natural food users have long been eating. Look for Stevia in powdered or liquid forms, with flavors such as French Vanilla and Chocolate Raspberry. Stevia works well for baking or to flavor plain yogurt, cereal, or drinks.

Why should you use Stevia instead of sugar or other alternatives? Stevia does not cause any changes to blood sugars, so it is safe for diabetics to use and keeps energy levels consistent, unlike sugar. It is also extremely helpful for anyone trying to control blood sugars and their weight, for it is calorie free. If Candida overgrowth is a problem, Stevia is a good option for you as well. Because Stevia is non-nutritive, yeast will not feed off of it. Stevia may actual improve teeth health by delaying plaque and bacterial growth. And unlike artificial sweeteners, it is natural! Aspartame and sucralose (Splenda) have been linked to weight gain, so Stevia is a better option.

On a side not, Coke plans to make a soft drink with the newly approved sweetener, calling it Sprite Green. Vitamin Water (yes, I am saying something almost good about this sweetened water) recently introduced Vitamin 10, made with erythritol, a sugar alcohol, and Stevia. Look for more products to come...

What Makes Milk Organic?

On my way to work this morning, I heard a very interesting story on National Public Radio. Standards for labeling milk organic could be changing to incorporate mandated grazing times for the cows. Some large scale organic farms host large numbers of cows in a small field, leaving very little room for grazing and grass feeding.

As of now, regulations for "USDA organic milk" include cows that are free of BGH (bovine growth hormone) and antibiotics, the cows feed is grown without pesticides and chemicals, and that the cows have "access to pasture." Specific pasture time may be required due to the growing desire to know what the term "organic" is describing and because of the disparity in the health content of the milk. Depending on the grazing facilities, cows eat different grasses, including clover, or a combination of a grass and corn-based diet. The milk from the clover fed cows was 60% higher in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 content differed per season as well because of the decreased amount of time cows grazed in the colder, winter months. Gillian Butler, an animal nutritionist with the Nafferton Ecological Farming Group at Newcastle University in Great Britain, published this research in the Journal of Food Science and Agriculture.

Keep your ears percked for more information on organic milk. In the meantime, notice that Whole Foods has the lowest prices around on organic dairy!