Stevia

How did we become so fat in the past 20 years? Its not that we eat more. We drink more. And what we drink is not good for us. Soft drinks now comprise more calories in our diets than the usual culprit foods like candy, doughnuts, and fried foods. So we've replace bad calories with even worse calories. In addition to a chronic obesity problem, this trend is the cause of many other so-called modern diseases.

Over the same period, companies like Pepsi and Coca-Cola have thrived. Warren Buffet must know a lot about American habits to have invested in Coke 20 years ago. Now Coke is doing the same thing to the rest of the world. And surprise, the rest of the world is also becoming fat.

Luckily, the fine people at Coke and Pepsi know that sick or dead customers are not good customers at all. So they (and other food companies) worked diligently over the past 20 years and came up with a nice portfolio of artificial sweeteners (Equal, Aspartame). These significantly reduced the caloric value of soft drinks.

The concern with these sweeteners is that like many man-made miracle solutions, they carry unknown risks. Much research has been done linking these artificial powders to cancer. While this research is by no means complete, many individuals are critical of big industry and seek more natural options.

Stevia is a natural sweetener used around the world for centuries. From Russia to Tibet and Chile, Stevia has a long track record as a sweetener with very little impact on our caloric intake. Stevia is also recommended as a natural sweetener for people with diabetes. Some research even finds Stevia can reduce the probability of getting Type II diabetes (see Stevia and Diabetes). Bottom line is that Stevia is a natural sweetener that can reduce our calory count significantly.

Unfortunately, the FDA initially decided that Stevia was bad for you. Why? Well, for one, it was hard to patent or trademark. God has the original recipe and unlike large corporations, he will share this great product for FREE. Not a cool word for Coke, Pepsi or Cadbury Schweppes (see The Stevia Conspiracy). As of a few weeks ago, after Coke and others have come up with new ways to trademark Stevia, the FDA (Surprise!), has changed its tune and now welcomes Stevia with open arms! (see FDA Lifts Ban)

Because of history, it is extremely complicated and ironically, expensive to produce good, naturally sweetened soft drinks or energy drinks. But they are worth trying out if you are looking for something healthier.Very few products are available in the US currently that use Stevia. I've found one soft drink and one energy drink.

Carbonated Drinks: Virgils: Not easy to find online. They have a few flavours (Cola, Root Beer). Good taste. Promising if they become more available. See review at Bevnet Review.

Another good product is Zevia: Sort of small-time, but sincere effort. Taste (or lack thereof) might be an issue for some consumers. Available in health food stores. Their Website is: http://www.zevia.com.

Energy Drinks: GURU Lite: This is the only all-natural energy drink I've found out there that is sweetened with Stevia. It contains Stevia, Luo Han Guo and cane juice and has only 10 natural calories. It tastes great and works even better. I bought it online at the company's website : www.guruenergy.com. They also produce other organic energy drinks.