Soft drinks are the greatest source of calories for us fat americans. We get more of our daily calories from soft drinks than any other category of food. More than ice cream, more than fries, more than meat, more than bread. Think about it, all these calories, very little nutritional benefit.
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, these soft drink conglomerates have come up with a range of solutions. They understand that what happened to big tobacco could easily happen again in other industries. So they created neat substitutes to their traditional sweetener (high fructose corn syrup). These low calorie artificial sweeteners (Nutrasweet, Splenda) do indeed reduce the amount of calories contained in our 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.
So far, this sounds too good right? Unfortunately, The Food and Drug Administration is very concerned with this natural ingredient. They say Stevia could, under certain circumstances be bad for you. How come? In my opinion, the real reason Stevia is not allowed as a sweetener by the FDA is because it is virtually free to produce and cannot be trademarked. Something the big food and drink lobbies don't appreciate at all. (breaking news: FDA approved Stevia, but only if used by Coke or Pepsi in a patented formulation!)
As a result, there are few products made with Stevia. Natural low calory energy drinks or soft drinks are rare despite increasing demand from health-conscious consumers. Here are a few that I've tried.
Soft Drinks: Zevia: Sort of small-time, but sincere effort. Taste (or lack thereof) might be an issue for some consumers. Available in health food stores. http://www.zevia.com
Energy Drinks: GURU Lite: This is the only all-natural energy drink I've found out there. It is sweetened with Stevia and Luo Han Guo. It tastes great and works even better. I bought it online at the company's website : www.guruenergy.com. They also produce organic energy drinks.
Another product I like and occasionally buy is Zevia: Doing well at Whole Foods. Taste (or lack thereof) might be an issue for some consumers. http://www.zevia.com. Also available in other health food stores. - 20761
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, these soft drink conglomerates have come up with a range of solutions. They understand that what happened to big tobacco could easily happen again in other industries. So they created neat substitutes to their traditional sweetener (high fructose corn syrup). These low calorie artificial sweeteners (Nutrasweet, Splenda) do indeed reduce the amount of calories contained in our 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.
So far, this sounds too good right? Unfortunately, The Food and Drug Administration is very concerned with this natural ingredient. They say Stevia could, under certain circumstances be bad for you. How come? In my opinion, the real reason Stevia is not allowed as a sweetener by the FDA is because it is virtually free to produce and cannot be trademarked. Something the big food and drink lobbies don't appreciate at all. (breaking news: FDA approved Stevia, but only if used by Coke or Pepsi in a patented formulation!)
As a result, there are few products made with Stevia. Natural low calory energy drinks or soft drinks are rare despite increasing demand from health-conscious consumers. Here are a few that I've tried.
Soft Drinks: Zevia: Sort of small-time, but sincere effort. Taste (or lack thereof) might be an issue for some consumers. Available in health food stores. http://www.zevia.com
Energy Drinks: GURU Lite: This is the only all-natural energy drink I've found out there. It is sweetened with Stevia and Luo Han Guo. It tastes great and works even better. I bought it online at the company's website : www.guruenergy.com. They also produce organic energy drinks.
Another product I like and occasionally buy is Zevia: Doing well at Whole Foods. Taste (or lack thereof) might be an issue for some consumers. http://www.zevia.com. Also available in other health food stores. - 20761
About the Author:
About the Author: Dr. Jones is an expert in matters of financial matters and organic food issues. He is an authority in natural and organic food and drink topics. For more, read his blog at Natural Energy Drinks or on Squidoo at Organic Energy Drinks.
0 comments: