Stevia: The no-calorie sweetener

More and more people are developing a lower tolerance for sugar, and some are even losing their ability to healthily process it altogether. From headaches and upset stomachs to hypoglycemia and diabetes, sugar has the capability to throw our systems out of whack. Plus, it’s no secret that most children react poorly to too much sugar — it may even be one of the root causes of disorders like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). But it just isn’t in our animal nature to refuse sweetness. We love it, we crave it, and if we were bears on the verge of hibernation, those extra pounds we gain from sugar might actually be a good thing. The trouble is, we have too much refined sugar at our fingertips these days, and in the absence of steely willpower, many of us find it all but impossible to control our sweet-tooth urges. The result is that our bodies can’t properly process the overload. To make matters worse, there are a bunch of diet products on the market with shady artificial sweeteners that carry all sorts of health warnings, so it seems there’s no way to satisfy a sweet tooth safely. But wait — don’t throw your hands up in the air just yet. What would you say if I told you there IS a way to savor sweet flavors without sugar or chemical sweeteners? There really is — it’s called stevia. The plant species Stevia rebaudiana, also known as sweetleaf or sugarleaf, is native to South America and Central America, and has been used around the world for centuries as a natural sweetener. In fact, when artificial sweeteners were shown to have carcinogenic effects in the 1970s, Japan began producing stevia commercially for use in food and soft drinks, including Coca-Cola. Now, it’s finally gaining popularity here in the United States. Stevia is 30 times sweeter than sugar, but it has no calories and doesn’t affect blood-glucose levels. It has even been shown to enhance glucose tolerance and help regulate blood sugar, making it an excellent choice for diabetics. And would you believe that stevia suppresses tooth decay rather than worsening it the way sugar does? Amazing! You can buy stevia extract in powder or liquid form at health-food stores. A little goes a LONG way — you only need a tiny pinch to sweeten, say, a cup of coffee or lemonade. In fact, it will taste bitter if you use too much. For example, substitute one teaspoon of sugar with just two to three drops of liquid stevia, or one cup of sugar with one teaspoon of powdered stevia. Cooking with stevia can be tricky to try off-the-cuff because you have to balance out the missing bulk of sugar, but there’s a wealth of cookbooks and recipes cropping up on the Internet that will help get you started. Better Banana Bread Ingredients 2 very ripe bananas 3/4 teaspoon powdered stevia extract 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup sunflower oil 1 large egg 1/2 cup buttermilk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional) Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a medium-sized loaf pan. Mash the bananas with stevia and lemon juice. Set aside. Sift the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Beat the oil and egg together in another bowl until creamy. Beat in the buttermilk and the vanilla. Stir in the mashed bananas. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, add the nuts, and stir just until moist. Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Turn the loaf out to cool on a rack OR take a super-sharp bread knife, carefully cut warm slices, and smother them with a layer of peanut butter. Yum.