Artificial sweeteners are developed in organic chemistry labs. Stevia grows wild in the rain forests.
Finally, a sweetener that I think has yet to show any real toxicity. It has been used for centuries by the Guarani Indians both as a sweetener and a medicinal. It does not have any calories, is suitable for diabetics and does not cause cavities. It is obtained from the leaves of the stevia shrub which grows wild in the Amambay Mountain region of Paraquay.
Introduced in Japan in 1970.
Stevia was first introduced to Japan in 1970 and by 1988 it represented 41% of the sweetener market in Japan. To date, there have been no ill effects or health related problems. It is also used in Japan, to sweeten other foods such as ice cream, bread, candy, pickles, seafood, vegetables and soft drinks. The safety of stevia is accepted in Japan. Besides being grown in Japan, it is now grown in China, Germany, Malaysia, Israel and South Korea.
1991 Stevia Banned by the FDA
Sometime in the late 1980's an anonymous interest filed a trade complaint against stevia when it began to show up in the US. One of the companies using stevia at that time was Celestial Seasonings Herbal Tea Company. The FDA ordered them to stop producing their teas, which they said were "adulterated." Another tea company, Traditional Medicinals, had their entire inventory of teas containing stevia confiscated by the FDA in an unexpected raid. The FDA even ordered a "book burning" in Texas, of stevia related books. Fortunately, the ACLU and the public heard of this and the FDA backed down.
1995 The FDA reverses its decision (halfway)
Stevia can now be sold as a nutritional supplement, but not as a food additive / sweetener. It is available in health food and vitamin stores usually in the vitamin department. It can also be bought online. So far there do not seem to be any real problems with stevia. There were some poorly conducted studies done with enormous quantities of stevia administered to some lab animals with resultant ?mutagens and problems with carbohydrate metabolism. Generally, studies that are done to find something wrong with a product, will either find something wrong by utilizing poorly designed experiments or invent some questionable findings. Besides, what study done in a laboratory is more significant than hundreds of years of use in South America and well over thirty years of use in Japan, with no known ill effects on human health.
Stevia is even known to have good medicinal properties.
In fact, stevia has been shown to have good medicinal properties in well designed studies, such as lowering blood pressure and improving glucose tolerance in diabetics.
Today's Health Tip
If you like to have added sweetness in your teas, coffee and other foods, definitely consider stevia. It appears to be a whole lot safer than any of the other sweeteners both sugar based and artificial, that we have recently reviewed.
Reference
Stryer Biochemistry Fourth Edition
The Practical Hippie http://www.practicalhippie.com/stevia.htm
The url above contains a lot of good information on stevia and has a lot of good links.
*******************
The MericleDiet
The MericleDiet makes it easy to go without any added sugars or sweeteners. To visit the MericleDiet follow the link below:
http://DrMericle.com
Thanks for your attention.
Copyright 2005 John Mericle M.D. All Rights Reserved
http://DrMericle.com is devoted to achieving optimal health and peak performance through diet and lifestyle change. Dr. Mericle brings together a unique blend of formal training in organic chemistry and biochemistry, medical education, 29 marathons, 3 Hawaii Ironman competitions and a lot of practical real life experience.
Contact Us Today For Ad Information... Ebooks, Scripts,
Websites, and more... As a co-active coach, one of the underlying principles that... Read More Can a meditation supply item help you go into a... Read More Scientific research has shown that the most beneficial meditation technique... Read More Are you still looking? For Love? Self-Worth? To know, truly... Read More We all get to a stage where we've just had... Read More Everyone's mind needs a little downtime. We all need time... Read More Meditation has been around for many thousands of years. It... Read More Artificial sweeteners are developed in organic chemistry labs. Stevia grows... Read More Chances are, if you are on a quest for self-improvement,... Read More Throughout history, meditation has been an integral part of many... Read More To put it simply, the act of meditation involves quieting... Read More Is reality a projection from within the mind, or is... Read More How To Defend YourselfDo you ever find yourself feeling overwhelmed?... Read More Some of the greatest benefits for me have been my... Read More If you want to get hold of a particular tea... Read More When we try to learn a new skill or try... Read More White noise is: A sound containing a blend of all... Read More Some find the term, "monkey mind", upsetting, derogatory, and insulting.... Read More I often meet people who say things like, "I've been... Read More If you're someone who loves to meditate (or wants to... Read More I'd like to share a little secret about relaxation techniques... Read More I remember when I started trying to meditate. I would... Read More Learning To Be In The MomentImagine thinking clearly, and feeling... Read More Instant Past Life Regression - No Trance RequiredI was in... Read More Before I started meditating several years ago with CDs using... Read More
Cheap Domain Names
Meditation: Time to Stop & Listen
Meditation Supply Items ? Can They Help Deepen Your Practice?
Scientific Research on Transcendental Meditation (TM)
Mastery Through Meditation
Relaxation Techniques to Revitalize Body and Mind
Why Should You Meditate?
Understanding Meditation
Stevia 100% Natural Herbal Sweetener
Holosync Meditation - Does It Really Work?
Meditation: A Path To Inner Peace
Quieting the Mind Opening the Heart
Objective Meditations: What is Reality?
Stress: Guilty As Charged
Meditation also Gave Me Something else
Herbal Teas
Muraqaba- The Sufi Meditation By Sufi-Master Khwaja Shamsuddin Azeemi
How to Use White Noise
Meditation and the Monkey Mind?
Lighthearted Meditation: Playing With Mindfulness
How to Record Meditation Scripts to Audio Equipment
Relax Into Health
How To Meditate Without Even Trying
Do You Want To Relax And Think Clearly?
Past Life Regression - Without Trance or Hypnosis!
Embrace Fear and Let Go
Contact Us Today For Ad Information... Transformational Counseling is about assisting others to transform their life.... Read More You can be the creator of your own manifest destiny.... Read More Some find the term, "monkey mind", upsetting, derogatory, and insulting.... Read More 1. Meditation:Meditation is a sacred practice. Shamans, gurus, priests, medicine... Read More When we try to learn a new skill or try... Read More You have the ability to create your own mind-set. Whether... Read More We are surrounded by negative forces like jealousy, hatred, fear,... Read More Meditation presents an interesting paradox. It requires humility and acceptance,... Read More Hypnosis, meditation and visualization are three similar processes for accessing... Read More How To Defend YourselfDo you ever find yourself feeling overwhelmed?... Read More (Authors Note: Before reading this you should see my other... Read More The purpose of this article is to provide information on... Read More There are many methods of meditation that can lead to... Read More These are two very powerful tools for self-improvement, but how... Read More Part OneChoose a nature scene. For instance scenery of mountain,... Read More Throughout history, meditation has been an integral part of many... Read More To put it simply, the act of meditation involves quieting... Read More If you want to get hold of a particular tea... Read More ZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzHow many times have you zoned out in front of... Read More The subconscious is a scarey thing to comtemplate for some... Read More Do you want to learn how to meditate? Have you... Read More Breathing in, I calm my body. Breathing out, I smile.... Read More Are you still looking? For Love? Self-Worth? To know, truly... Read More Meditation is often misunderstood by those who do not practice... Read More Learning To Be In The MomentImagine thinking clearly, and feeling... Read More
Affordable and Reliable Web
Hosting Starting
Practicing Staying Present to the Now
Meditate to Unlock Your Hidden Potential ? Part 2
Meditation and the Monkey Mind?
How You Can Unite Meditation, Divine Essence, And Personal Tenacity to Serve Your Highest Purpose
Muraqaba- The Sufi Meditation By Sufi-Master Khwaja Shamsuddin Azeemi
Cultivate a Positive Mind-Set Through Meditation
How To Meditate?
Meditation, Self-Acceptance & the Muse
Relaxation Magic - Hypnosis, Meditation, Visualization
Stress: Guilty As Charged
Basic Meditation Exercises
Yoga Meditation For Pain Relief
Meditation: How to Enter a Deep State of Relaxation
The Relationship Between Meditation and Self-Analysis
Active Meditation / Visualization
Meditation: A Path To Inner Peace
Quieting the Mind Opening the Heart
Herbal Teas
Body Talk
Subconscious
Meditation - Easy Tools for Success
Meditate with Mindful Breathing
Mastery Through Meditation
Meditate to Unlock Your Hidden Potential ? Part 1
Do You Want To Relax And Think Clearly?
Meditation |