RubyTues asked about Stevia. I recently read about using Stevia as a
natural sweetener on the "Ask Dr. Weil" page. The URL is:
http://cgi.pathfinder.com/@@9RnVRAYAO@ulesfl/drweil/.
To locate the article, select "Archive" under "Q &A," then scroll down to
May 22 to find the article. It links to several other information
sources. Here is an excerpt of the article - there is more information on
the page:
"Stevia comes from a shrub native to Paraguay, Stevia rebaudiana. It also
grows in Brazil and Argentina, and is now widely cultivated in China.
The leaves have been used for centuries by native peoples to make sweet
teas, or to sweeten other foods, with no evidence of adverse reactions.
In Japan, Brazil, and other countries, people use the extracted sweet
principle, called stevioside, as a table sweetener. It tastes faintly of
licorice and is many, many times sweeter than sucrose. Stevia has minimal
calories and is reputed to have beneficial effects on fat absorption and
blood pressure. "
I think Stevia sounds like something worth trying, and certainly a better
alternative to aspartamine or saccharine. I haven't tried it yet, but
plan to check it out.
Julie in San Jose
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