Interstitial cystitis feels like the beginnings of a bladder infection. You get the urgency to go.... almost all the time. Even after you've gone! I had it and didn't know why I was having it until I figured out it was related to yeast which came whenever I had too much sugar.
Even menopause issues can be increased with sugar! Heart palpatations, hypoglycemia, adrenal problems, insomnia, ... the list goes on. For me, slowly after age 40 I had every one of these issues, yet I also love sweets. Giving up sugar has been one of the things I needed to do to get back on my feet and functioning again but in doing so, I also discovered Stevia and now I can't imagine what I would do without it!
Stevia Rebaudiana is an herb so it contains no chemicals
It's been used safely as a sweetener in South America for hundreds of years
It tastes great. The liquid forms to me have a somewhat bitter after taste so I just use the powder.
It's EXTREMELY SWEET! In other words, you can use as much as you'd like but all you'll need is a tiny amount to be equal to what a teaspoon of sugar would taste like. A "pinch" can sweeten a cup of tea.
It's economical. Because it's so concentrated, a pound of stevia will last for months. And it's also economical because it will save you money on doctor bills. You will notice a big difference in how you feel by giving up sugar.
You can bake with it, but because so little will go such a long way it doesn't have the consistancy of sugar so you would not be able to make things like frosting or homemade ice cream. I have made carrot muffins, banana muffins, tapioca pudding, rice pudding, sweet potatoe pie, pumpkin pie, carob cookies.... etc. Basically just by replacing the sugar in the recipe with a little bit of stevia and cutting down on the milk (I use rice or soy milk) you can have a sugar free, dairy free (and even wheat free if you use brown rice or quinoa flour) dessert!
It has the medicinal quality of balancing blood sugar. Yes, it even helps balance blood sugar.
Great for weight watching because it has 0 calories
Stevia is a much better substitute than the chemical processed sweetners (asparatame and sucralose) on the market today. And the politics behind this sugar-substitute is very interesting. In the 1980’s numerous companies in the U.S were interested in using stevia in their products. In 1991, the FDA banned the importation of stevia for use in foods. This was at the request of NutraSweet (owned by Monsanto who brought us Agent Orange, PCBs, genetically engineered seeds, sacchrin, aspartame, nuclear weapons, and human growth hormones in dairy cows). The power of Monsanto kept stevia out of the country banning it for almost 20 years. By the way, the FDA ignored published studies on the dangers of aspartame prior to its approval by the agency.
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6 years ago, my sister was diagnosed with an unknown disease that was quickly taking her life. On my 16th birthday, my sister Natasha was sitting at the dinner table when she was struck with such a terrible headache she could barely keep her eyes open. We took her home thinking it was a migraine, my family could not have been more wrong. For the next 6 months, she would fight for her life. The doctors had prepared us for her death. She could not walk, talk, or eat. It was constant care but what is hard is waiting for the death of my best friend. She is the ying to my yang, and now she lay lifeless fighting in pain. She does not remember much but eventually she got better, we don’t know how other than prayer and faith. It wasn’t until a couple months later that we were able to look back and remember that she had been bit by a bug. She had been tested for every disease possible, but not foreign diseases. The Virginia Beach area had been hit by a hurricane that had brought some new mosquitoes to our area, she had probably caught Dengue Fever. She survived and although she has some repercussions, the hardest has been new food allergies, especially her allergy to artificial sweeteners. I did some research and came across Stevia an all-natural sugar with no calories, no carbohydrates, and no fat. It was a complete chance but I ordered some for her to try. It was a success! It was not until last year that it occurred to me to start producing it since I already had mixed the right blend. I began the process of starting my own company inspired by my sister. It is called Free and Sweet; the words lie across a daisy. The reason I bring all of this up is that Coca-Cola has synthesized Stevia for soft drinks. There is of course room in the market for more than one company. Stevia could change the way Americans eat. Now they have a healthy and safe alternative to artificial sweeteners. Free and Sweet is based on family and although we are the little guys we have big hearts.
so great to see this post. I adore Stevia and it really makes sense for me at this point in my life. thanks for the interesting read =)
Interestingly, I had begun the use of 1 packet of stevia in my tea (about 3 cups) just 3 weeks ago, and after about 1 week I began to have hot flashes. I had mild hot flashes for about a month, 2 years ago, but these flashes are very frequent and quite strong so began to wonder if it had anything to do with hot flashes...
Have just googled "stevia and hot flashes" and behold! others have had the same symptom. I will stop taking stevia for this reason...and for the fact that it is not well tested at this point.
Anonymous,
I would be really surprised if you're getting a reaction from Stevia. Stevia has been used for over 400 years without any ill effects. If you're using something other than 100% organic Stevia (like Truvia) you might have a case, though.
I gave up sugar for the most part and started drinking zero vitamin water and I began having hot flashes just like when I had sugar....so no more stevia for me..
thank's for to aad my picture!
you can grow Stevia rebaudiana at:
http://www.ethnoplants.com
Anonymous,
Zero Vitamin Water is sweetened partially with fructose. That means it is sweetened with sugar from fruit and while it seems like a safe source, I too would have hot flashes from anything sweetened with fructose.
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