Most people suffer with cravings for sweets.  Do you notice that when you have some sugar, you crave more?

Did you know that even tobacco leaves are soaked in sugar?  There you have a double addiction.  Also, what is in most alcoholic beverages?  Sugar!

I've known people who were able to give up alcohol, but became even more addicted to smoking, or coffee (with lots of sugar), or lots of sweets - donuts, candies, etc.

The problem with sugar is that too much sugar (or any simple carbohydrate), creates insulin rushes that overwork the insulin receptors in the body.  As time goes by the body cannot handle all the sugars (and even some grain carbohydrates).  The body begins to weaken.

White bread is a simple sugar.  White rice is a simple sugar.  White sugar is a simple sugar.  Soft drinks are simple sugars.  Even fruit juices are simple sugars.  Each of these spikes your blood sugar high, and then drops it down low.  This is very hard on the body, on the adrenal glands, and the pancreas.

Artificial sweeteners can have even more devastating effects than white sugar.

There is a solution, which in fact has been around for hundreds of years.  The wonderful solution is the herb Stevia Rebaudiana.

There are nearly 300 species of the Stevia family scattered all over the world.  Of these, only one…Stevia Rebaudiana…contains the secret of steviosides, which make it the sweetest herb in the world.

Stevia Rebaudiana is a small shrub native to China and to portions of Paraguay and Brazil.  It is now being cultivated in many countries.  The best grade Stevia is that from Paraguay. 

The Stevia herb in its natural form is approximately 20 to 30 times sweeter than common table sugar.  Extracts of Stevia in the form of Steviosides can range anywhere from 100 to 300 times sweeter than table sugar.  And best of all, Stevia gives you a feeling of even energy, rather than the ups and downs created with white sugar.

Stevia has historically been used as a safe sweetener, a medicine (as it has antibacterial agents), a cosmetic ingredient, and as a dentifrice (in toothpastes) as it inhibits the development of plaque and cavities.  In Brazil it is advertised as an anti-diabetic agent.

The Japanese tested stevia extract and found it without health risk.  They incorporate it in numerous food products, including candies, ice cream, pickles, and soft drinks.  In 1988, refined stevia extract was used in 41% of Japan’s multi-million-dollar market for high-intensity sweeteners.

The FDA in the United States has approved the usage of Stevia, not as a sweetener, but as a dietary supplement that helps balance blood sugar and blood pressure!  Dr. Tei Fu Chen, founder of Sunrider International, was instrumental in helping to legalize the usage of Stevia with the FDA.

There are virtually no calories in Stevia.  You can bake with Stevia since the extracts are heat stable. 

Here are just 2 of the benefits I have experienced with Stevia:

1.  Greatly reduced cravings for sugar

2.  Wonderful even energy all day long

There are many forms and extracts of Stevia.  One must be careful to buy the best quality to ensure it has enough active ingredients.

Avoid Stevia formulas that are made as follows:

1.  Liquid formulas with alcohol in them

2.  White powder (just looking at it, you know it has been processed, just like white sugar).

3.  Stevia formulas that are liquid but are just the white powder in liquid form

If you would like to know more about the Sunrider Stevia product I have used successfully for 9 years, please Contact me  or  Subscribe to Diana's Healthy Lifestyles here.