Because stevia is natural and derived from the leaf of a plant, it doesn’t contain any dangerous chemicals often found in artificial sweeteners. Stevia is safe for diabetics, has been shown to help stop tooth rot, and has also been counseled by the World Health Organization to be used as a treatment for hypertension. By replacing sugar with stevia, consumers could most likely decrease caloric intake, helping to reduce obesity and other associated health risks.

For more information about stevia visit our website.

The leaves of the plant have been used for generations as a sweetener, originally by the Guarani people and more lately thru South America and asia. A campaign of intimidation against stevia companies by the FDA has so far prevented the sweetener from being authorized to be used in foods in the U.

In addition to Japan, other states have approved stevia and stevioside, including those of Brazil, China and South Korea, amongst others. Sadly, the US was going to be a different story. Stevia has been safely used in this country for over ten years, but some years ago, the difficulty commenced.

apart from having no calories, stevia could also have some health benefits. Human studies have reported declines in blood sugar levels when stevia was taken in healthy volunteers, but there’s now a lack of conclusive evidence of effectiveness when employed in patients with diabetes. Further research is required in this area to approve these findings.

For more information about stevia visit our website.

Quanto maior o IMC, maiores são os riscos dos indivíduos desenvolverem doenças relacionadas à obesidade. Entretanto, mais importante do que a quantidade de gordura corporal, a maneira como esta gordura se distribui no corpo está diretamente relacionada com o risco das complicações.

Em relação à este último ponto, existem 2 tipos clássicos de obesidade.
Um é aquele no qual a gordura se localiza principalmente na região inferior do corpo, que compreende os quadris, as nádegas e as coxas. Este tipo de obesidade é mais comum nas mulheres e dá ao corpo o formato aproximado de uma pêra. Por isto é chamado de Obesidade Ginecóide (feminina) , Obesidade Periférica ou mesmo Obesidade em pêra.

O outro tipo clássico é aquele no qual a gordura se deposita predominantemente na região da cintura, a famosa barriga, que faz com que o corpo se assemelhe a uma maçã. Este tipo de obesidade é mais comum nos homens, e por isto é chamada de Obesidade Andróide (masculina), Obesidade Central e até mesmo Obesidade em maçã.
Algumas pessoas podem apresentar um tipo misto de obesidade, em que existe tanto um excesso de gordura na região periférica como central do corpo.

Como se avalia na prática estes diferentes tipos de obesidade e qual é o significado deles? É o que veremos a seguir.

A maneira mais fácil de determinarmos o tipo de obesidade é através da simples medida da cintura.

Para determinarmos a medida da cintura, passamos uma fita métrica em torno do abdômen, na altura da cicatriz umbilical. Nas pessoas nas quais a gordura é localizada um pouco mais abaixo devemos medir a cintura na região onde existe um acúmulo maior de tecido adiposo. De acordo com o tamanho da cintura do indivíduo sabemos qual é o grau de risco em que ele se encontra no sentido de desenvolver as doenças relacionadas a obesidade.

Uma outra maneira de avaliar a distribuição da gordura é através da Relação Cintura/Quadril (RCQ). Isto pode ser feito dividindo-se a medida da cintura pela medida do quadril. O quadril deve ser medido passando-se a fita métrica em torno dos glúteos, no seu maior diâmetro , utilizando-se como referencia a altura onde a cabeça do fêmur se encaixa no osso da bacia.

Uma RCQ acima de 0,9 para homens e acima de 0,8 para mulheres é indicativo de excesso de gordura abdominal.

Ao longo das duas últimas décadas, foi observado que aqueles que apresentam uma deposição de gordura na região central do corpo, tem um risco extremamente maior de desenvolverem as clássicas complicações da obesidade – hipertensão arterial, diabetes mellitus tipo 2, alterações do colesterol e triglicerideos, e doença vascular, cardíaca ou cerebral.

É importante ressaltar que, muitas vezes, pequenos aumentos de peso em que a gordura se localiza no abdômem, trazem maior risco do que um aumento de peso maior no qual a gordura se localiza nas regiões mais periféricas. Portanto, é mais importante muitas vezes a localização da gordura do que a quantidade dela existente no corpo.

Isto explica porque as doenças cardíacas e cerebrais como o infarto e os derrames são muito mais comuns nos homens, que tem predominantemente obesidade abdominal, do que nas mulheres, que geralmente são obesas periféricas.

Por: Dr. Perseu Seixas de Carvalho
Fonte: Escelsanet

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Descubra um mundo de Bem Estar.
Produtos naturais para sua saúde, beleza e qualidade de vida:
http://www.vivaplenamente.com

Stévia, mais doce e mais saudável

O uso de açúcar em excesso é um dos grandes causadores do aparecimento do diabetes, doença caracterizada pelo aumento da glicose no sangue e que ganhou contornos de epidemia mundial, atingindo milhões de pessoas em todos os países do mundo. Uma das principais causas está na alimentação industrializada, com doces, biscoitos, sorvetes, balas, chocolates e bebidas com grande quantidade de açúcar.

Stevia is an excellent, all-natural sugar substitute. Use Stevia to add sweetness and flavor to beverages like tea, coffee or carbonated water. If you’re a soda drinker, you might try ordering carbonated water and adding a packet of flavored stevia for similar taste. Stevia can also be used in desserts and other dishes. Be sure to use small amounts because Stevia is 300 times sweeter than table sugar. Grocery stores sell it in “health food” sections in the form of liquid, powder or packets. Look for 100% Natural Stevia.

About Stevia rebaudiana, Sweetleaf or Sugarleaf

• South American herb from Stevia rebaudiana plant
• Grows wild as a small shrub in parts of Paraguay and Brazil
• 100% all natural
• Zero carbs
• Zero glycemic index
• Zero calories
• Zero effect on blood glucose
• No aspartame
• Non-toxic

Avoid Sugar

Refined sugar is devoid of nutrients and has been shown to promote many diseases. Sugar has many addictive properties as well. In a PLoS ONE study, mice given the choice of unlimited access to cocaine or sugar, chose sugar over cocaine every time. Even the mice previously addicted to cocaine preferred sugar.

Stevia Flavors

Vanilla cream, valencia orange, peppermint, apricot nector, cinnamon, root beer, english toffee, grape, milk chocolate, lemon, raspberry, dark chocolate, raspberry chocolate

Extra

Articles on Stevia

Buying a Soda Machine

Sweet Leaf Brand

This Face!

Meet Samson

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know that my sweet Eli passed away back in October. I have missed him terribly!! I have been going to the pound over these last several weeks just waiting to see if the right dog would come along for me to rescue. I went last Saturday and they had gotten in SEVEN Cocker Spaniels! They think it was some back yard breeder who decided they didn’t want to fool with the dogs anymore. It is really sad! Anyway, I don’t even want to get into how cruel and pitiful it is to take dogs to the pound! As you can see, one captured my heart:)

Samson is around two years old and scared to death. The poor thing evidentally has not been given much attention. He needs LOTS of love and a feeling of security. Hopefully, I can give him that:) I just got him yesterday and he is already beginning to realize that he is not going to be hurt.

I encourage anyone looking for a new dog to check out their local shelter. Lots of lives could be saved and lots of love can be given to these dogs that are just left for dead!

Now, for some food drink! As I’ve been typing this, I’ve been enjoying a HEAB’S inspired pumpkin smoothie. It is so NOT raw, but oh so good!

My smoothie contained:

1 cup light soy milk

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup pumpkin

packet of stevia

1 scoop PlantFusion

cinnamon

nutmeg

This whole raw thing is hard! I do really well for about 3-4 days and then I just want to eat whatever and not worry about whether it’s raw or not. I guess that’s okay though. As long as I’m still getting a lot of raw, I think having a day every now and then that I have less raw should still give me the benefits of raw that my body needs. Okay, that was a confusing sentence! Anyway, trying not to stress on the days I want less raw:)

Hope you all have a fabulous Saturday! I have lots of house work/laundry to do and lots of loving on my new baby to do:) Any big plans for your Saturday?

]]> http://clubfritch.com/2009/11/20/personal-pumpkin-cheesecake/ Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:17:12 +0000 gilliebean http://clubfritch.com/2009/11/20/personal-pumpkin-cheesecake/

Here is my husband holding up last night’s dessert.

I’d made personal pumpkin cheesecakes using a variation of Wardeh’s recipe. I used stevia instead of the syrup and honey, and I used almond meal and water instead of the almonds. Also, instead of putting them in a graham cracker crust, I put them in muffin cups!

We whipped up some real whipping cream (it unfortunately wasn’t raw but it was still real organic cream) and put some of my homemade chocolate chips (I make mine with stevia and cocoa) on there. Mm-mm-good!!

It was a completely sugar-free dessert!

“The essence of intelligence is extracting meaning from everyday experience.” -Albert Einstein

This Thanksgiving, skip the high fructose corn syrup-laden canned cranberry sauce. Was my family the only one that still bought that? yuck.  Fresh cranberries have tons of health benefits and can be prepared easily and taste great when sweetened with stevia.  This recipe is very low calorie, has a salsa-ey texture, and a little kick (which I like…. you may need to sweeten till you get the desired sweetness… honey works great for this).

Makes 8+ servings.

Ingredients:

2 – 12 Oz bags of Fresh Cranberries

1 Cup Orange Juice

1 Cup Water (can sub for juice, I subbed 1/2 C Acai berry juice–really yummy).

Stevia and/or honey (to taste).  I used appx 2-3 tbsp Stevia.

1 Apple

1 Orange

Fresh Mint

1. Bring juice & H2O to a boil in medium saucepan.

2. Add Cranberries. Bring back to a boil, then simmer for appx. 10 minutes, or until most of the berries have popped.

3.  Sweeten to taste with Stevia and/or honey.

4. Cool.  Add diced orange & apple + chopped mint.

]]> http://nancyappletonbooks.wordpress.com/2009/11/17/stevia-having-our-cake-and-eating-it-too/ Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:28:42 +0000 jaklizard http://nancyappletonbooks.wordpress.com/2009/11/17/stevia-having-our-cake-and-eating-it-too/

© 2009 Nancy Appleton PhD and G.N. Jacobs

www.nancyappleton.com

We are always asked about sweeteners since we really don’t like sugar. Our answer is always we give limited support to Stevia and nothing else. We tell people who are healthy and still can walk away from the hot fudge sundae that Stevia is much better for you than sugar, fructose, high fructose corn syrup and the whole list of sugar alcohols and products of “Better Living Through Chemistry” that appear as multicolored packets on the restaurant table. We tell sick or addicted people to break the active phase of their sugar addiction and heal awhile before switching to Stevia.

Stevia, a plant-extract originally from Central and South America has been used as a sweetener for several centuries. It has been described alternately as either 30 or 300 times as sweet as sugar. Stevia has slowly gained popularity as an alternative to sugar, even though it wasn’t marketed, until recently, in the U.S. as a sweetener, but a dietary supplement. We can thank the FDA for this bit of Orwellian Newspeak. A food or drug is either safe or it is not.

As of September 2009, the Food and Drug Administration has given support to two Stevia products, Truvia and Purevia, for use as a sweetener in sodas and other drinks. Approval of Stevia as a food sweetener is still pending, but once the camel’s nose is in the tent things will happen automatically. What changed for a government organization that used a 1985 study that described Stevia as a mutagenic agent in the liver (possibly carcinogenic)?

Apparently, Coca-Cola and other large manufacturers of drinks and sodas have twisted some arms of the regulators, because as more people grasp Sugar Bad, Stevia Good Big Soda needs to give the people soda that appears healthy to keep up sales. Trust a corporation to turn something potentially helpful in moderation into something you still shouldn’t consume.

We will point to the “Hard Facts About Soft Drinks” chapter in our latest book, Suicide by Sugar to inform the reader that no soda is safe to drink. The primary culprit after sugar: phosphoric acid. Putting that much phosphorus into your body does as much damage to the Calcium-Phosphorus ratio as we have always said from the beginning of Dr. Appleton’s career. We also described phosphoric acid as an industrial solvent possibly able to clean toilets and kill insects.

Once the soda and juice manufacturers get their products into the marketplace, eventually Truvia will also be stuffed into the rainbow of packets on the table at our favorite eateries. Presently, that rainbow includes White (sugar or sucrose), Blue (aspartame), Pink (saccharin) and Yellow (sucralose). For purely, aesthetic reasons may we suggest Green for Truvia?

However, we will caution readers against these packs because we suspect that the Stevia in the Truvia packs will be mixed with dextrose or maltodextrin as the first ingredient (largest amount) in each pack as is the case with the other colors in the bin. These are sugar derivatives that will adulterate whatever is good and useful about Stevia. Mixing good things with bad things only ruins the food value of the beneficial as we have said many times explaining why many people are allergic to wheat due to a lifetime association with sugar.

So what is so good about Stevia that we actually are cautiously optimistic about the eventual release of small bags of pure Stevia powder in the supermarket for use in baking, coffee, grapefruit and lemonade? Well, despite the ignominious beginning to Stevia as a sweetener, a study that had been described as being “able to classify distilled water as a mutagen” enough people have used the product that there are health studies that show benefits for many diseases.

A study published in 2000 gave stevioside (Stevia’s active ingredient) to 60 hypertension patients with a placebo group of 49. Results described as significant for reducing blood pressure supplemented similar animal studies.[i]

Stevia’s reputed limited effect on blood glucose naturally led to diabetes studies. A Denmark study took blood glucose readings from 12 type-2 diabetes patients before eating Stevia or cornstarch with their meals and a couple hours later. The Stevia group showed blood glucose levels at least 18-percent less than the starch group, leading to the possibility that diabetes patients have finally found the sweetener that will allow them to have their sweet cake and eat it too.[ii]

But, after the FDA has spent many years trying to keep Stevia out of the U.S. marketplace, we should ask if there are any side effects. A study conducted by the Burdock Group generally supports the safety of Stevia, finding no adverse effects in rats at the massive doses such studies use to determine carcinogenic or mutagen properties of foods.[iii]

And so we give Stevia qualified support because while almost no information has surfaced to say that this sweetener hurts people, we realize that the weak link in any health plan is the patient him or herself. Many of us are unlikely to moderate our consumption of Stevia because so far we just have to have ice cream, chocolate cake or soda. Too much of a good thing isn’t good. But, on the range of things that are sweet but not named sugar, Stevia is a great start.

[ii] Gregersen S, et al. “Antihyperglycemic Effects of  Stevioside in Type-2 Diabetic Subjects.” Metabolism 2004 Jan;53(1):73-76

[iii] Williams LD, Burdock GA “Genotoxicity Studies on a High-Purity Rebauside A Preparation.” Food Chem Toxicol. 2009 Aug;47(8):1831-1836

No Things I Am Thankful For post today. I have a lot on my mind, which I’ll get to later.

But first things first. When I first came to Hawaii, I joined several Meetup groups. I joined a hiker and adventurer group, an All Things Oahu group, and a French group. As I spent most of my weekends in Kailua, I never did any of these group activities, even though I got emails almost every day with new activity updates. This week I decided to  pursue some of them. I wanted to go to a night snorkel on Saturday, but it was canceled due to hazardous weather conditions (curses!) It was probably for the better for me anyway–I went to bed at 9 pm which gave me over 7 hours of sleep for yesterday’s 18 miler.

This week I joined a new group for foodies. The first activity? A Sunday dinner featuring…pumpkin! Everyone brought a pumpkin dish to the dinner party and we discussed about future plans (ideas included movie+themed dinner, cookie swap, wine tastings, etc.) I love dinner parties. My mom loves to entertain, and I think there’s nothing better than good food, good conversation, and good company. The menu included cheese+dried/fresh fruits, pumpkin bisque, pumpkin dip+cookies+sliced apples, salad with roasted pumpkin, grilled chicken with pumpkin mole sauce, pumpkin oatmeal cookies, and pumpkin cheesecake.

I wore this dress, which I found at a thrift store for 4 dollars, to the party.

I made the pumpkin dip, a combination of these two recipes. I used less sugar and added fresh ginger.

I put it in a more attractive bowl when I got to the party, I promise.

I brought apples and Newman’s Own cinnamon graham Alphabet cookies as dippers. Loved the cookies! They were part of the sample box Newman’s Own Organics sent, and I was happy to share my Newman’s bounty.

I would have taken pictures at the party (after all, a group of foodies understand food photography) but the lighting was rather dim and…ok I’m just making excuses. Next time, I promise!

The highlight of the party for me was the salad with roasted pumpkin. The pumpkin was roasted for a long time and had a caramelized taste. It was mixed with coriander and other savory spices, which contrasted nicely with the sweetness. The pumpkin cheesecake was also a hit. It was ultra fluffy and the crust had pecans. I love talking about food with people who love food.

Pumpkin has made an appearance in my breakfasts as well:

I think I get negative points for cleaning up the bowl for photos. Apologies. Anyway, these are halfway oats. I cooked 1/2 cup of oats in a cup of water and refrigerated them for 15 minutes.  I then added plain yogurt, pumpkin, diced banana, cinnamon, and flax. Now, I usually don’t sweeten my oats. I add plenty of toppings, banana, and peanut butter which is normally perfectly sweet for me. However I received a sample of stevia from NuNaturals.

I got it a while ago, but I never needed to use it. But this bowl was lacking…something. It needed a sweet something something. I added just a smidge of stevia. It did wonders. I recently tried Stonyfield Pumpkin Pie yogurt and was a bit disappointed. This combo of plain yogurt, pumpkin, spices, and stevia tasted just like a better version of Stonyfield’s pumpkin yogurt. Stevia is also great because it dissolves so much better than regular or brown sugar, so if I occasionally want a slightly sweet tea, I’ll turn to stevia. I now see the stevia light. However, I’ll reserve it for the times that I feel I really need it (I don’t want to cultivate a dependent sweet tooth!)  Thanks NuNaturals!

It was like oatmeal pudding! I had another bowl this morning with the Newman’s Own cinnamon graham cookies sprinkled on top for a crust effect for my pumpkin pie filling.

Now for the heavier issues. As I have written before on the blog, my parents are getting divorced and I’ve had to deal with a lot of life changes in a short time span. As I may have briefly mentioned before, I have a complicated relationship with food, with both restriction and binging, and while I never had an eating disorder, I would definitely say that I experienced disordered eating. Thanks to the blog world, I have felt much more confident this past year, and my relationship with food definitely improved. But with these issues weighing on my mind, I’ve lost my footing a bit. It can be so frustrating that something so basic and necessary, like nourishment, can be so complicated. I recently learned about distinguishing between feeding the stomach and feeding the heart. It’s easy to feed ourselves with food when really, our heart needs to be nourished. It is hard to find emotional nourishment when my family is thousands of miles away. Now that I am so conscious of the difference between feeding heart and stomach, when I need it, I will be turning to other forms of comfort than food. As I learn more about this and make strides to feed my heart and stomach when necessary, I’ll post more about my reflections. Just now I finished dinner and feel more than satisfied. I still had the munchies, but I knew it was because this matter is weighing heavily on my mind right now, so I decided to blog instead.

What do you do when you feed your stomach when it’s really your heart that is hungry? How do you cope?

I know this is an issue that affects everyone, particularly women, at some point. I hope  my thoughts and postings on this subject will be helpful.

Also support these lovely ladies and their charities: Holly and Chocolate Covered Katie. Holly is asking for donations to build a well in Cambodia for Christmas, and Katie is donating the funds from each page view for her blog to her charity drive. She is also hosting a Chocolate Covered Giveaway!

With lots of love,

Maya

Sorry for the delay in updates.  I had my midterm a while back, took the GRE two weekends ago, and had been studying nonstop for the two weeks prior — I barely got online, let alone had time to post.  As for my midterm — well lets just say there was a curve.  and the GRE — I did really well, but as I am never satisfied with anything less than perfect (complete type A when it comes to myself) I might retake it in December. 

Immediately following this series of stressful events,  my two good friends from Minnesota came to visit me here in Chicago.  We had such a great time — we went to a Polish Club in western Chicagoland, saw “the bean,” went shopping (and spent too much) and had a girls night and fabulous brunch.  Then Sunday morning we headed up to the Argyle redline stop where we had brunch at Tweet on Sheridan.  I had the two eggwhites with wheat toast, hashbrowns and veggie sausage, a glass of orange juice and apple cranberry compote.  All of that for $12.50!  I only ate one piece of bread, about half the eggwhites and pretty much everything else.  But, as it covered both breakfast AND lunch, I figured I was allotted the calories!! 

Then yesterday, the girls left about noon and I started on my take home calc IV test.  I’m pretty sure I got as many points as is possible, but it still was not how I wanted to spend my day.  Then Ryan came over and we cooked dinner and watched Amelie — such a good movie!  For dinner we had pan fried pork chops with baked garlic olive oil french bread and steamed vegetables with Italian herbs.  For dessert we had my delicious dairy free sweet potato casserole (see below for recipe!) – to die for!  We normally serve it as a part of Thanksgiving dinner in my family, however I have deemed it a dessert, and decided there was too much sugar, so i substituted half the sugar in the casserole part of the recipe recipe for Stevia — and you can’t taste the difference!  It might even taste better.  I have also altered the original recipe to be completely dairy and give the option to make it gluten free, which I did for this recipe.

But it was definitely a successful weekend!  However, I haven’t been to the gym since Thursday, and with my “eating out” habits of the weekend, I feel like a cow.  Here’s to tomorrow morning when I can get back in to run again!

Here is the recipe for Sweet Potato Casserole with Stevia

Casserole:

3 C mashed sweet potatoes (2 large cans-drain syrup!) 
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 stick Earth Balance Vegan Sticks
1/2 C Diamond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
2 eggs
1/4 C sugar
6 packets of Stevia (or amnt equal to 1/4 C sugar)

Mix together and put in glass casserole pan; it does not do well in a deep dish, its best at about a 2 inch thickness

Topping:

1 C br sugar (unpacked) — can use less or substitute molasses
1C chopped pecans
1/2 c flour (I have also used gluten free flour, and it still works great!)
1/4 Tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 stick melted of Earth Balance Vegan Stick  (or a little more)
Blend together

Sprinkle topping ontop of casserole

Bake 30 min  at 350 or untill heated through and topping is golden (looks good)
You can make ahead and put in the refrig or freezer.  Then take out and let warm up or thaw before baking or bake longer if coming straight from the refrig.  You can easily make half again as much or double the recipe, but then put the mixture into a bigger pan.  You could also add mini marshmallows to the top if people are used to toasted marshmallows on their sweet potatoes, however I don’t like marshmallows on my mine, so I opt to keep them off!

I hope you enjoy — let me know what you think of this recipe or any other suggestions you have for me to try — or to try to make dairy free!

Un arrêté d’autorisation de mise sur le marché a été pris le 6 septembre en faveur de la stevia, appelée aussi chanvre d’eau, une plante d’Amérique du Sud, au pouvoir sucrant environ 300 fois supérieur à celui du sucre.

Cette plante pousse à l’état naturel au Paraguay, où les indiens Guarani connaissent depuis longtemps ses principales vertus. Cet édulcorant naturel intense ne véhicule aucune calorie et ne modifie pas le taux de glucose dans le sang. Ses effets sont apparemment positifs pour la lutte contre l’obésité et l’hyper- tension. Demain, les diabétiques pourront à nouveau déguster religieuses et saint-honoré…

Cela fait près de 40 ans que les japonais utilisent la stevia comme édulcorant naturel (l’aspartam est interdit au Japon) Parions que dans un avenir très proche, on trouvera cette plante dans la composition de boissons, de soupes et de pâtisseries ! Imaginons que Christophe Colomb ait répandu la stevia après ses voyages. Aurait-on exploité la canne à sucre et connu l’esclavage ?…

Yves P. (Le Journal des bonnes nouvelles. N° 29 – Octobre 2009)

Die Pflanze Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni (der italienische Wissenschaftler Bertoni hat sie Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts entdeckt) stammt aus dem Urwald Brasiliens und Paraguays und wird dort von den einheimischen Guarani-Indianern seit Jahrhunderten als Süßungsmittel und Heilpflanze verwendet.

Stevia ist ca. 15 mal süßer als unser üblicher ganz schön raffinierter Haushaltszucker. Sie enthält Mineralstoffgehalte an Eisen, Mangan, Cobalt und andere Spurenelemente. Stevia beeinflusst nicht den Blutzuckerspiegel, enthält keine Kalorien. Stevia verursacht keine Zahnkaries, sondern hemmt sogar die Entstehung von Zahnbelag (dies haben Untersuchungen der Dental Science Group an der Universität in Purdue ergeben).

Der Grund für ihre sagenhafte Süßkraft sind die Stevioside in den Blättern. Extrahiert man diese Stevioside aus den Blättern, erhält man ein weißes Pulver welches sogar 250 mal (!!!) süßer ist, als der künstlich raffinierte Zucker.

Die Blätter selbst kann man in ihrem Ursprungszustand voll verwerten. Man kann sie z.B. roh verzehren, sie können getrocknet und als Tee zubereitet oder auch gekocht werden.

In Amerika ist Stevia seit 1995 als Nahrungsergänzungsmittel frei zugelassen. In Südamerika, Japan, China und Taiwan wird sie schon sehr lange von Millionen Menschen verwendet. Die Japaner haben schon seit 1970 ausführliche wissenschaftliche Studien durchgeführt und sie als eine absolut gesunde Pflanze bestätigt, die keinerlei Nebenwirkungen auf unseren Körper hat. Auch bei uns gibt es schon etliche wissenschaftlicher Studien, die dies belegen. In China sind künstliche Süßungsmittel verboten, Stevia jedoch ist frei zugelassen.

Warum ist dann Stevia bei uns in der EU als Nahrungsmittel verboten???

Stevia darf weltweit, außer in der EU frei verkauft und konsumiert werden. Hier ist sie nur als Zierpflanze und als Dentalkosmetik, oder als Futterzusatz für Tiere, etc. zugelassen. Stattdessen werden uns das giftige Aspartam und der raffinierte Zucker angedreht, der keinerlei gesunde Eigenschaften besitzt und alles andere als einen positiven Einfluss auf unseren Körper ausübt.

Nun, wer ist hier wieder unser Übeltäter?
Würde Aspartam und der herkömmliche Haushaltszucker durch Stevia ersetzt werden, würde unsere Gesellschaft viel gesünder leben. Wir hätten Millionen weniger Krankheitsfälle, weniger Probleme mit Diabetes (oder gar keine?!?!), kein Karies, keine kaputten Zähne mehr, usw.

Doch dafür würde dann leider unsere Pharmaindustrie und die Zuckerindustrie viel weniger Geld verdienen… na so ein Mist aber auch, können wir das denn zulassen? Und deshalb finanziert die Pharma- u. Zuckerindustrie irgendwelche Gegenstudien die beweisen sollen, Stevia wäre schädlich und würde Hodenkrebs und anderes verursachen. Diese Studien sind jedoch alles andere als wissenschaftlich und einfach nur eine ganz große Lüge.
Einflussreiche Lobbyisten haben wir in unserer Politik, welche für die Zulassung von Stevia verantwortlich wäre, leider auch zu viele sitzen.

Zum vollständigen Artikel =>

Quelle: gesundheitlicheaufklaerung.de

Interessant dazu auch:

Das große Süßen

Eine Pflanze aus Paraguay könnte dem Zucker Konkurrenz machen: Stevia – süß und fast kalorienfrei, schadet Zähnen nicht und auch nicht der Figur. In Europa tobt der Kampf um ihre Zulassung

Bremen, im Schatten der Speicherhäuser an der Weser. Die Übergabe geschieht heimlich. Der Sternekoch Wolfgang Pade, ein drahtiger Mann mit geschorenem Schädel, übernimmt von einem ihm unbekannten Journalisten ein Glas mit weißem Pulver. Hastig steckt er es ein. »Ich werde den Stoff testen«, sagt er. Der Bote nickt und verschwindet in einer Seitenstraße.

Die Herren übertreiben maßlos, die Szene ist unangemessen dramatisiert. Schließlich raschelt in dem Glas kein Kokain, auch keine neue Designerdroge. Sondern der kristalline Extrakt einer unscheinbaren Pflanze aus Paraguay: Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, auch Süßkraut, Süßblatt oder Honigkraut genannt. Ihre Blüten sind klein und weiß, ihre Blätter haarig. Und verblüffend, ja unglaublich süß. Im Nachgeschmack lakritzartig, an Süßholz erinnernd.

Bloß: Stevia ist in Deutschland nicht zugelassen. Noch nicht.

Keine Droge also, aber ein Zauberkraut. Die süßen Inhaltsstoffe sind zuckerähnliche Stoffwechselprodukte der Pflanze mit außerordentlichen Eigenschaften: Sie sind bis zu 300-mal süßer als Fabrikzucker, enthalten aber im Gegensatz zu Rohr- oder Rübenzucker so gut wie keine Kalorien. Und als wären das nicht genug der Wunder: Das Süßkraut verursacht auch keine Karies. In höherer Dosierung soll es darüber hinaus bei Diabetikern den Blutzuckerspiegel senken und bei Hypertonikern den Bluthochdruck mildern.

Hier wäre er doch: der ideale »grüne Süßstoff«. Eine Offenbarung, sollte man meinen. Für Dicke und Diabetiker, für Ökos und um die Zahngesundheit ihrer Kinder besorgte Eltern – und für die Industrie. Sie testet schon. Steht also eine Nahrungsrevolution bevor? Nie mehr dick, nie mehr krank? Nie mehr süße Sünde? Wird das, was heute Zucker ist, bald Stevia sein? Ein Renner, ein Trendartikel, ach was: Kult!

Zum vollständigen Artikel=>

Quelle: zeit.de

I’m very important. I have many leather-bound books and my dorm smells of rich mahogany. Anchorman, anyone? I actually hate that movie but my 9th Grade Latin teacher was obsessed with it and Will Ferrell, so I have all the quotes down, and they pop into my head when relevant. Yesterday, I was kind of a big deal

Not in the morning, though; then, I just left my dorm with empty plates and bowls so I could get coffee before Greek. I knew it would be an unimportant class since our real teacher is away; instead we had a guest lecturer talk about basically everything I learned in Greek History class. Oh well, it was worth it just to hear our substitute pronounce war as “vowr-er” with his mid-European accent.  I swung by The Ratty on the way back to my dorm, but ended up not eating until around 12:50 because I had a lot to tidy up and Google read before lunch.

2 Eggs With Portobella Mushrooms And Red Peppers, Broccoli, Carrots, Jalapenos, Mustard, Ketchup

If Picasso made an omelet, I’d like to think it’d look like this. This won nothing in terms of presentation; I don’t think half of the egg was cooked because I ended up pouring a lot of liquid on the plate at the end, but it was still tasty. I get asked a lot what’s from the dinign hall and what’s mine; in this case, everything was dining hall except the 2 eggs, mustard, and ketchup. Speaking of ketchup, I used to despise it. What is most ketchup’s except processed tomato and sugar? I still feel that way on the whole, but I’ve found two that really got my attention: Trader Joe’s store brand and Napa Valley Red Bell Pepper. The former is really vinegary and not sweet, which goes great with eggs and veggie burgers. The latter is spicy and great for robust burgers. Clearly, I put way too much thought into my condiments

I ended up skipping out on the last 10 minutes of Days to get out early to Whole Foods; how has Sammy not learned a thing about her baby? I feel like this story’s gone on so long the kid should be in preschool. I took a brisk walk to University Plaza. It was double productive because every trip to this Whole Foods piles on 2.2 miles As usual, I spent way too long oogling at too many thing I ended up not getting. I went in with the notion that this would be a “big” shopping trip but they didn’t have quite everything I wanted. Unsweetened coconut was on sale, but they didn’t even carry the sweetened kind; and salmon was on the salad bar but it was mixed with spinach and I wasn’t convinced it’d taste any good. After getting out with most of my wallet I stopped at McDonalds.

Newman's Own Organic Coffee

Well what else do you think I’d go there for I love this Newman’s coffee, and that all their sizes are only $1 from now until who knows when! I’ve taken advantage of that many times. I also nibbled on this new product.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Clif Bar

This White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Clif Bar was one of the ones I was sent to review. I wanted to love it; if I could find a portable, healthy excuse for white chocolate, I’d be overjoyed. Unfortunately, this didn’t have me jumping up and down. It was OK, but not what I was hoping for. I only took about 5 bites and didn’t even finish it, which is rare for me with foods, because I knew I’d be back to my dorm soon enough where I had unpackaged food to eat. I put the rest back into the wrapper for when I need some energy for running in the morning.

Right before I got back to my dorm, the coolest thing happened to me, and I was kind of a big deal. There are only a few of us in the gym at 7am(shocker) and it’s usually the same crowd. 2 of the other people are these big middle-aged men. Well, I ran into one on the road outside my dorm. It turns out he’s the dean of residential life, and he told me that every time he sees me running strong on the treadmill in the morning I’m an inspiration to him to work out(I think he’s trying to lose weight). I really felt like I had a fan when he was telling me other people look like they’re going to keel over on the treadmill but I have a strong confident posture. He also said I have a good choice in cartoons, lol! That was a great experience, and after it I couldn’t wait to run into him more at the gym knowing who he is.

When I actually got into my dorm, I felt so overwhelmed. I just needed to take things one at a time. I turned on the TV and plugged in everything electronic that needed charging. Then I unpacked what I bought.

Groceries

See? It was all very sensible. Oikos and oats I burn through in this room. I also needed some stevia for my coffee and 365 brand looked decent for 7.99. I also bought 365 nutmeg, which was the cheapest they carried. One other thing might have worked its way into my bag.

Divine White Chocolate With Strawberries

I wanted to treat myself with something for doing so well and (hopefully) what’s more to come. I have trouble when it comes to buying groceries to treat myself, but I finally settled on this bar of white chocolate; I’ve been eyeing it for a while, and if anything says nutritionally devoid and decadent it’s white chocolate, speaking of which…

Banana Oats With Mighty Maple And White Chocolate Chips

The next thing to do was make a snack, since I ended up not eating most of the Clif bar. I thought the maple, vanilla, and banana might be too much for one dish but not at all! Everything worked well together. I had 2 possible plans for the afternoon/dinner but I took the lame responsible road and cancelled them so that I could purely work on my essay; I find projects like this so much easier to take on all at once than try to draw it out. I got a good deal(about 1/3) done before it was time for dinner, which I already decided to make for myself.

Dinner Ingredients

These are definitely two staples to have in any dorm room: healthy, delicious, and instant. I did something which I thought was a little genius and used the water from the tuna to cook the macaroni in for added flavor.

Tuna Mac And Cheese With Acorn Squash

Perfecto! I know the old generation Italians would find fault with fish + cheese but we’re not in Italy here The acorn squash from home was so nice, even though it might have needed another 2 minutes in the microwave. Other than that, the buttery flavor went well with cheese from the macaroni, and the whole thing was just a salt mess–my favorite kind!

Flash foward to 8: Does anybody else just feel motivated to move when they hear The Biggest Loser theme song? I do and I love it. I got into my PJ’s, took up my essay books, and got ready for some quality television. I celebrated with trans fat.

Yogurt With Strawberry Jam And White Chocolate With Strawberries

This was awesome. And, yes, there’s trans fat in the white chocolate bar, but it’s natural from butterfat and only .2 grams in the whole bar(which I had maybe an 1/8th of. I was actually surprised the label mentioned trans fat, since companies aren’t required to list it if it’s less than  .5 grams per serving. It’s definitely a curious thing to think how much trans fat is really in certain foods and how much it adds up to. Anyway, this was delicious and easily a new favorite chocolate bar. Sweetening it with jam makes the fruit feel fresher.

Silk Nog With Nutmeg

Newman's Own Organic Espresso Chip Cookies With Coffee

I’ve never been one for “milk and cookies”; this is about as close as I ever get. The nog on its own is a little thin and needs some extra sweetening, but you’d never guess that it wasn’t made with real milk let alone has no eggs in it. I don’t really get “espresso” out of these cookies but they do taste nice and chocolatey, and the espresso part is always a great excuse to make coffee(like I needed an excuse). I was really sad to see the entire Orange team go off The Biggest Loser. They had so much reason to be there, but they were on Jay Leno afterwards and it looks like they’re doing great.

Oatmeal With Semi-Sweet Bakign Chips And Smart Balance

I wanted to want anything else but this while watching Leno. Because, really, who wants to be washing oatmeal off a dish right before bed? instead of fighting the craving I went ahead and made the oats, knowing if you give your body what it really wants it’ll reward you.

That reward definitely came this morning. I woke up at 6:20 6:25 after snoozing a little bit. I felt the long-term energy from the oats still in effect, and head off for an undetermined long wrong. I took the rest of my white chocolate macadamia nut clif bar but ultimately decided that I didn’t want it this morning and didn’t want the burden of having something I felt like I “had to finish” and so tossed it at the gym. Anyway, back to the run, I ended up doing 12 miles and finishing in a quick 1:36:22! It felt good to pile on all those miles; if only my new gym friend had been there! When I got back I made a great breakfast, too.

Pumpkin Oats With Maple Almond Butter And Sliced Butter Toffee Almonds, Creamy Greek Yogurt With Blueberry And Raspberry Jam

I spent the entire time on the treadmill thinking “what else can I make myself besides oatmeal and yogurt to switch it up for breakfast”. But truly this is what I love to eat for breakfast, for flavor and satisfaction. For the yogurt, I mixed 4oz plain Oikos with 2oz full fat Voskos–oh my God was that good! It had just the right amount of cream to be not too heavy but something special. The best thing about creamy yogurt is it doesn’t need sugar or stevia because it’s a flavor all its own. I added some fruit jams and mixed them in and topped it with some more jam to get the pure flavor.

If you can’t tell, that yogurt got me way more excited than any normal person should be by yogurt. I’m sure I’ll be thinking about it all through Latin class now.

I know you’re a nut for nuts, so check out this giveaway!

My relationship with sugar is, well, contentious. I love consuming it in mass quantities in any form possible, but I hate how it has that annoying tendency to make my bottom half balloon out of proportion. Not to mention its uncanny ability to bring on diabetes. How DARE sugar mess with my health! Bastard.

So, when Trader Joe’s started carrying a little something called “stevia,” I gave it a go. It’s got the best of everything on paper–it’s naturally derived, like sugar, from the stevia plant, a member of the sunflower family. It’s supposed to have a slower onset of sweetness on the taste buds and that sweetness tends to linger longer than actual sugar. It also has the amazing ability to have 300 times the sweetness of sugar while being remarkably low-carb. Sounds too good to be true, right?

When I tried it the first time, I was sorely disappointed. To me, it tasted no different from other sugar alternatives such as Splenda and NutriSweet, and it made my morning coffee, well, less than satisfying. But since I had nearly 10 ounces of stuff just sitting around, I gave it another shot. And another. And another. Eventually, after about a week, I started really getting into it. Then I got to thinking, Is it just a coincidence that stevia looks a lot like cocaine or heroin? (Not that I would know, but hey, I’ve seen The Wire.)

Long story short, I think I’d much rather use stevia than any of the synthetic stuff, but in the end–diabetes be damned–sugar tastes the best.

The Stevia plant is 250 times more sweet than sugar, and has many benefits over the popular but unhealthy time-honored sweetener.

This great article from Mother Earth News will teach you the basics  about this unique plant, and how it is being increasingly used as a sugar alternative.

I highly recommend learning as much as you can about sugar alternatives!

I tried a new grain free concoction yesterday. I found this recipe on the SCD web-site and then changed a few things. I have never really thought to put apples and egg together before, but really liked it. You can find the original recipe here. Here is what I did though:)

–cooked 1 green apple cut into small pieces (cooked in a little coconut oil-I also added a little water to the pan to help soften up the apple)

–added cinnamon and 1/4 tsp stevia

–after apple cooked until soft, I added 2 eggs and scrambled it all together

–when done, place in bowl and top with a dollop of yogurt and pecans

Another favorite of mine lately is this:

I have been loving homemade coconut milk yogurt with frozen cherries and blueberries and then topped with pecan pieces. All I need to say about this is–YUM!

I did get to go skating last night. I still didn’t feel the best, so I would skate a little and rest a lot! Had a good time with my kids and hubby though.

Here are some pics of the fun!

Me with my oldest son

Me with my other young'uns

My hubby and me-again:)

Oh, this was pretty funny. When we paid to go in and I was letting the lady put the arm bracelet on me, she said “You’re going to be brave and try to skate?” Uh, hello–I may be 40, but I’m NOT dead yet!! I DO know how to skate. The most challenging part of the skating was having to go to the bathroom–with skates on:)! My mom’s friend said I must be having a really hard time turning 40 because I wanted to go skating! What is wrong with these people? Am I supposed to stop having fun just because I turned 40? Good grief!!

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend! Did you do anything fun? I’m learning that life goes by too fast to not enjoy it!

I LOVE roasted butternut squash fries. I could eat them every day, at every meal, for every day of my life and not ever get bored of them.

For the record, I got Nick Hooked on ‘em! So hooked he’ll endure the arduous task of hacking them into little pieces so they resemble fries. Thanks Nick!

So I KNEW I had to try THIS soup (I know, it’s been around for forever)!! For some reason, while I’ve seen it around the blogosphere, very few reviews have been posted on ‘em. So I figured…why not?

Yes, I realize that is a pumpkin and not squash, but I like my pictures festive! You’ll also see what I do to parts of that pumpkin in this post!

I wanted to review the soup pure and without add-ins. So here it was (see how creamy?) served with a Kathy’s Kracker (apple cinnamon).

Are you ready for this?

Tastiness: 5/10. I had such high hopes for this soup but fell from the clouds and flat on my face as soon as I had the first sip. Am I crazy or is there no butternut squash flavor in the soup. It’s edible at best.

The pros: slightly sweet and has a great creamy texture; The Cons: but I cannot get over the off-putting musty aftertaste and lack of BNS flavor. If I was blindfolded, I would have no idea what this soup was supposed to be.

Verdict: Yes it’s convenient and so easy to just heat up. It’s smooth, filling and not bad tasting, but I would personally advise NOT to get this (ever!)  if you are a diehard butternut squash fan.

Moving on…to recover from the BNS disasters, I knew that

PUMPKIN never disappoints!!!

Remember how I was warned not to buy pumpkin butter at Trader Joe’s by Ms. Bender herself that night we went to dinner?

Well, I was CRAVING me some pumpkin butter, so I decided to make my own!!!

Homemade Pumpkin Butter on Toast!

Michelle’s Microwave Pumpkin Butter

I ain’t buying a jar of Pumpkin butter if I can make it on my own in literally 5 minutes.

You’ll need:

• ½ cup pumpkin
• ½ cup apple sauce or apple juice (If you want your pumpkin butter a little chunky, apple sauce is good)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• A few drops liquid stevia to taste or 1/2 Tbs Pure White Stevia Extract

To do:

Mix everything together in a microwave safe dish.

Zap in microwave for 2 minutes/ Remove and stir.

Zap again for another 2 minutes.

Serve!

Obviously, this is pre-microwave. Just wanted to show you how everything looks before stirring. So simple there’s no excuse not to make it fresh at home!!

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If you have a fresh pumpkin, you gotta ROAST the SEEDS!

If you don’t, I will have to ask you to kindly mail them to me so I can make them for you. No kidding.

I wish they sold roasted pumpkin seeds on the streets…like Hong Kong street vendors and their roasted chestnuts or roasted purple yams. *nom*

Kickin’ Honey Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

You need 3 ingredients:

• Seasoning of some sort (I used Weber’s Grill Kickin’ chicken, which is SPICY!)
• Honey, just to evenly coat seeds
• Pumpkin Seeds, cleaned well and relatively dry

Simply toss the seeds with seasoning. Roast at 230 degrees in the oven for 1 hour. Remove from oven and drizzle honey over the top. Toss. Enjoy!

I heart pumpkin seeds.

Random fact: Did you know Asian people eat soy sauce roasted pumpkin seeds, but we always shell them and eat the flesh INSIDE?? I had NO idea you could eat the “shell” until I moved to America!!

So…

Moral of this post:

1. Packaged goods are not necessarily delicious to you just because it has great packaging and a natural, healthy ingredient list. Personal taste differs.

2. Therefore, it is much more cost effective and taste bud satisfying to make your own goodies at home. Using ingredients, spices, and herbs that YOU like!

3. You should visit Asia with me sometime so we can eat roasted chestnuts, yams, and pumpkin seeds.

Have you ever been disappointed by a sly, beautifully packaged product??

Hello all you lovely bloggers/readers! First of all, I am officially 40!! My B-day wasn’t exactly what I had planned because I woke up with a TERRIBLE bladder infection! Wow–talk about PAIN ALL day long! But, I was able to go to a really cool vegetarian restaurant for dinner. By the way, this post will be picture-less because my camera battery is DEAD and I didn’t realize it until it was too late to charge it:( Anyway, I was a little a lot concerned about my hubby going to this veggie place. He is all about the meat and tators! After looking the menu over, he decided to get grilled Salmon with asparagus and roasted sweet potatoes–there’s his tators. He ended up LOVING it!! He just went on and on about how yummy it was. Well, he didn’t exactly use the word ‘yummy’, but he raved about it none the less. I got a tofu and veggie dish that was to die for! The waitress made sure it was gluten free and I ordered it without the rice. It had this amazing sauce that had kind of a peanutty taste but was a little spicy too. All I can say is YUM! I thought I might try to recreate a dish similar to this at home. I’m pretty sure Heather has a sauce recipe that would be great–like tahini:)

Okay, on to the ‘I think I’ve got it’ part of my post. I have been taking a break from blogging a bit lately. Part of my reason was to have more time for other things, but I have also really been trying to figure out what works for my body. Sometimes, when reading a lot of other blogs, I can get a little sidetracked from what is best for ME. I tend to follow the crowd more times than not and it was getting me in trouble. So, after less blogging/reading, I think I have a semi-plan that will work for ME. Here are the basics:

1- I have finally accepted the fact that my body can NOT handle grains of any kind! I know grains are not bad themselves and carbs are not bad. But, MY body does NOT like them no matter how much I tried to make it conform to what I wanted! Therefore, I am now on a totally grain free diet. I could tell a difference in TWO days of cutting them out:)

2- I have also learned that I can not do sugar of any kind–no agave, honey, etc. I have only been using Stevia and am a-okay:) I can have really dark chocolate though!!:) YeeHaa!

3- Fruits: cherries, blueberries, strawberries–okay all berries, green apples(tart), and very small amounts of banana every few days.

4-Veggies: all veggies except potatoes, yams, and corn. Do NOT do well with starches! Veggie choices are endless and I LOVE trying new ones!! Still juicing some and making sure I eat some raw veggies every day.

5-Dairy: the jury is still out on dairy! I have started introducing homemade yogurt that is fermented 24 hours the SCD way. Once it ferments that long it is virtually lactose free. I do a little Parmesan and other than that, that’s about it for now. I have mostly been making homemade coconut milk yogurt, but hopefully can handle the organic cow milk some too.

6-Protein: I have decided that a vegetarian diet is what feels best to me. I will have eggs occasionally because I feel like my body needs them. I have been back and forth about the whole soy debate and have decided that a little soy once or twice a week should be fine. I also do really well with beans that have been soaked 24 hours and had the water changed several times during the soaking. Soaking breaks down a lot of the starches and they are a good source of protein.

7-Nuts and seeds: Nuts and seeds are also good sources of protein. I have found that I can do pecans and a smidgen of almond butter every now and then. I can make grain free bread from pecan flour that is really yummy! I also do well with sunflower and pumpkin seeds–and of course, LOVE sunbutter!

8-Fats: nuts/seeds, coconut milk, coconut oil, olive oil

9-Exercise: Can’t forget exercise! Yoga is what I LOVE best, but have found that I also like doing walking/running intervals. Nothing too long or strenuous, but enough to get my heart pumping. Usually, thirty minutes on the treadmill 3-4 days a week is what feels best to me. More than that really seems to bring me down physically.

I think that about covers it! I know this was really long, but it helps me to get it on ‘paper’. Hopefully, I will start posting some yummy grain free recipes soon:) Have a lovely weekend! I’m hoping I get to go skating tonight since I didn’t feel like it on my B-day.

P.S. Thank you SO much for your comments and support over the loss of my dog:) Still missing him like crazy!

Good evening! Hope you all had a terrific Tuesday.

I think we successfully got baby back on schedule from the time change. She woke up at 6:40 this morning. I can handle that! For breakfast, I made a delicious almond butter/raisin/banana wrap along with some scrambled egg/egg whites.

I spent the morning taking care of some moving-related tasks – making phone calls, etc. I feel like I just did this! This is our 4th move in 3 years. Wow.

I had a snack around 10 – Greek yogurt with stevia and cocoa powder. I’m back on a Greek yogurt kick… Does that make me insane? I keep eating it and expecting it not to bother my tummy. It hasn’t been too bad so far, though.

I put baby down for her mid-day nap shortly before noon and took advantage of the time to make myself some lunch – turkey on a whole wheat sandwich thin with a tiny bit of light mayo, lettuce, and pickles.

After baby woke up, we packed her up in the car and dropped her off at my dad’s house for a few hours so we could make the 1-hour trek to see my sister, brother-in-law, and my brand new nephew. I grabbed an apple and a few walnuts for the ride.

I won’t go into a lot of detail, but my nephew was born 5 weeks early and is in the neonatal ICU. Luckily, he is doing well, but he will be there for a few weeks. But let me tell you…he is a cutie!

By the time we got back to my dad’s to pick up baby, it was 4 o’clock. And when we finally got home, it was 4:30. I was starving, so I inhaled a warm whole wheat tortilla while I prepared dinner, which was roasted acorn squash and chicken with Montreal seasoning.

It was hubby’s night to put baby to bed, so I headed down to the basement around 6:15 for a Physique 57 workout. It always feels good to get my workout done before 7:30 so I can relax and unwind for a while before bed.

*******************************************************************

I’ve been thinking a lot about how going back to work full-time is going to affect my daily eats. Even before I lost my job, I was home all day. I worked from home from July 2008 to June 2009. I didn’t have to plan my lunch and pack it the night before. When I used to work in the office, though, I did pack my lunch every night before bed. I tend to get stuck in a rut when I pack my lunch though, packing the same things day in and day out.

What is your favorite portable lunch?

Av Lise

Skulle du ønske det fantes en type sukker som gir like søt og god smak som vanlig sukker, men som hverken inneholder kalorier, gir hull i tennene eller påvirker blodsukkeret? Svaret er nok ja for de fleste av oss, ernæringsfysiolog eller ei.

Og svaret kan kanskje være stevia – eller stevia rebaudiana som planten heter på latin. Stevia er en grønn plante som inneholder et søtt stoff kalt steviosid. Steviosid er 300 ganger søtere enn sukker. Det har vært brukt som søtningsmiddel av urbefolkningen i søramerika i over 1500 år. Japanerne har også brukt stevia som søtning i mange år, og tall fra 2008 viste at stevia har erstattet ca 50 prosent av japanernes sukkerforbruk og 50 prosent av alt som er tilsatt søtsmak i Japan er søtet med stevia. Du kan lese mer på stevia.no og i en artikkel i Mat & Helse.

Vi i TINE får stadig spørsmål fra forbrukere om hvorfor vi ikke erstatter sukker i produktene våre med stevia. Svaret er like enkelt som det kanskje er nedslående for de som spør; stevia er ikke tillatt å ha i matvarer her i Norge.

Jeg er i utgangspunktet skeptisk anlagt til mye av det helsekostbransjen driver med, da det er vanskelig å skille på det som er sant og det som er villedende markedsføring. Jeg har derfor stilt meg litt avventende til dette med stevia. Men når jeg ser at selv konservative ernæringsprofessorer som Kaare Norum og Christian Drevon står på barrikadene for å få stevia godkjent i Norge, ja da ble min nysjerrighet pirret. Se innslag på Schrødingers katt.

Mattilsynet tillater ikke salg av stevia i Norge. De begrunner det med at EUs vitenskapelige komité mistenker at stoffet kan innvirke negativt på mannlig forplantningsevne, og også gi uheldige nedbrytningsprodukter i kroppen.  ”Feil” hevder ernæringsprofesssor Kaare Norum. Han mener derimot at stevia er helt trygt å spise, og burde vært tillatt.

Ønsker du å grave deg litt dypere ned i materien kan du ta en titt på disse to review-artiklene om stevia (Geuns et al, 2003 og  Brusick et al, 2008). De gir en god oversikt over helsefordeler og risikoer. De konkludere forøvrig med at det er helt trygt å benytte stevia som  søtningsmiddel.

På Mattilsynet s nettsider kan vi lese videre at EUs vitenskapskomité for mattrygghet (EFSA) nå har mottatt ytterligere dokumentasjon om steviosid og dens egenskaper og dokumentasjonen er pr august 2009 under vurdering. Vurderingen skal etter planen være klar våren 2010. EFSA vil da konkludere med hvorvidt de kan anbefale godkjenning eller ikke. Ved en eventuell anbefaling vil man så begynne arbeidet med å bestemme i hvilke næringsmidler steviosid vil kunne brukes og i hvor store mengder.

Vi venter i spenning!

I’m so excited! I just became an auntie tonight! My older sister had a baby boy. What a year for me – first child and first nephew! Yay!

Ok, let me back up….

Breakfast was eaten pretty darn early today. Poor baby has no idea we changed the clocks back. Or maybe it’s poor mommy…?

oatmeal w/ banana, vanilla, cinnamon, raisins, and the last of the bag of walnuts

1/2 cup of egg whites + 1 whole egg

We spent much of the morning going through some boxes. Our new apartment is much smaller than where we lived in Colorado, so we’re going to have to leave a few things behind. Who needs 25 pint glasses anyway?!

Morning snack: plain Greek yogurt mixed with Stevia & cocoa powder, topped with a dollop of almond butter

Lunch: roast chicken with light mayo and lettuce on a La Tortilla Factory whole wheat tortilla

A high school friend of ours came over in the afternoon to see the baby. We all played with her and just talked and caught up for a couple hours.

Afternoon snack: Blueberry Z Bar

For some reason, I couldn’t think of anything that sounded good for dinner tonight. I was hungry early, thanks to the time change; so I just decided to make myself a protein shake for my dinner. It filled me up. but made me realize that I was severely lacking veggies today. Ooops.

almond milk, NutriBiotic rice protein powder, and frozen mango

I got a really good workout in tonight – 45 minutes on my Spinning bike. I was in the zone! I love that! I was absolutely dripping sweat when I was done.

After that, I took a quick shower and settled in for Heroes…with another whole wheat tortilla for a snack! My workout took a lot out of me. My body was craving carbs!

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I’m hoping to get over to the hospital tomorrow to see my sister and my brand new nephew! It’s already a busy week for me with the upcoming move and all, but I’m sure I can find time to go see the baby!