ComputerHunter.org

 

Stevia 100% Natural Herbal Sweetener


Artificial sweeteners are developed in organic chemistry labs. Stevia grows wild in the rain forests.

Finally, a sweetener that I think has yet to show any real toxicity. It has been used for centuries by the Guarani Indians both as a sweetener and a medicinal. It does not have any calories, is suitable for diabetics and does not cause cavities. It is obtained from the leaves of the stevia shrub which grows wild in the Amambay Mountain region of Paraquay.

Introduced in Japan in 1970.

Stevia was first introduced to Japan in 1970 and by 1988 it represented 41% of the sweetener market in Japan. To date, there have been no ill effects or health related problems. It is also used in Japan, to sweeten other foods such as ice cream, bread, candy, pickles, seafood, vegetables and soft drinks. The safety of stevia is accepted in Japan. Besides being grown in Japan, it is now grown in China, Germany, Malaysia, Israel and South Korea.

1991 Stevia Banned by the FDA

Sometime in the late 1980's an anonymous interest filed a trade complaint against stevia when it began to show up in the US. One of the companies using stevia at that time was Celestial Seasonings Herbal Tea Company. The FDA ordered them to stop producing their teas, which they said were "adulterated." Another tea company, Traditional Medicinals, had their entire inventory of teas containing stevia confiscated by the FDA in an unexpected raid. The FDA even ordered a "book burning" in Texas, of stevia related books. Fortunately, the ACLU and the public heard of this and the FDA backed down.

1995 The FDA reverses its decision (halfway)

Stevia can now be sold as a nutritional supplement, but not as a food additive / sweetener. It is available in health food and vitamin stores usually in the vitamin department. It can also be bought online. So far there do not seem to be any real problems with stevia. There were some poorly conducted studies done with enormous quantities of stevia administered to some lab animals with resultant ?mutagens and problems with carbohydrate metabolism. Generally, studies that are done to find something wrong with a product, will either find something wrong by utilizing poorly designed experiments or invent some questionable findings. Besides, what study done in a laboratory is more significant than hundreds of years of use in South America and well over thirty years of use in Japan, with no known ill effects on human health.

Stevia is even known to have good medicinal properties.

In fact, stevia has been shown to have good medicinal properties in well designed studies, such as lowering blood pressure and improving glucose tolerance in diabetics.

Today's Health Tip

If you like to have added sweetness in your teas, coffee and other foods, definitely consider stevia. It appears to be a whole lot safer than any of the other sweeteners both sugar based and artificial, that we have recently reviewed.

Reference

Stryer Biochemistry Fourth Edition

The Practical Hippie http://www.practicalhippie.com/stevia.htm

The url above contains a lot of good information on stevia and has a lot of good links.

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

The MericleDiet

The MericleDiet makes it easy to go without any added sugars or sweeteners. To visit the MericleDiet follow the link below:

http://DrMericle.com

Thanks for your attention.

Copyright 2005 John Mericle M.D. All Rights Reserved

http://DrMericle.com is devoted to achieving optimal health and peak performance through diet and lifestyle change. Dr. Mericle brings together a unique blend of formal training in organic chemistry and biochemistry, medical education, 29 marathons, 3 Hawaii Ironman competitions and a lot of practical real life experience.







Google News - Top Stories

BBC News

Clinton begins new chapter with State job
Reuters - 35 minutes ago
By Jeff Mason-Analysis CHICAGO (Reuters) - She may not have the title she sought, but Hillary Clinton still got what she wanted on Monday: the opportunity to "clean up" after President George W. Bush on the world stage.
Video: Obama names Clinton US secretary of state AlJazeeraEnglish
Obama's Dream Team Has Something To Prove CBS News
The Miami Herald - Newsweek - NECN - guardian.co.uk
all 3,757 news articles


Fresno Bee

Dow Plunges 680 Points as Recession Is Declared
New York Times - 1 hour ago
By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM The evidence of a recession has been widespread for months: slower production, stagnant wages and hundreds of thousands of lost jobs.
Down we go again: Fourth-worst drop ever for Dow Forbes
Dow drops nearly 680 on consumer spending worries guardian.co.uk
China Daily - International Herald Tribune - BusinessWeek - ABC News
all 840 news articles


SkySports

Burress Arraigned on Gun Charges
New York Times - 2 hours ago
By JULIET MACUR and COLIN MOYNIHAN Giants receiver Plaxico Burress was arraigned Monday in a Manhattan criminal court, charged with two separate counts of criminal possession of a handgun in the second degree after accidentally shooting himself in the ...
Burress surrenders to authorities Sports Network
Answering the key questions in the Plaxico Burress case SI.com
International Herald Tribune - CBS News - New York Daily News - MarketWatch
all 2,838 news articles


CTV.ca

Autopsy confirms Wal-Mart worker was 'trampled to death,' says ...
New York Daily News - 1 hour ago
BY OREN YANIV, NICOLE BODE AND DAVE GOLDINER A frenzied crowd of shoppers gathers moments before a Long Island Wal-Mart would open and a worker was trampled to death.
Autopsy Shows Wal-Mart Worker Trampled to Death FOXNews
Worker 'was trampled to death' Newsday
San Diego Union Tribune - Minnesota Independent - Washington Post - WCBS-TV New York
all 2,570 news articles


Seattle Post Intelligencer

Ex-husband named as suspect in South Seattle stabbing
Seattle Post Intelligencer - 45 minutes ago
By CASEY MCNERTHNEY Seattle police are asking for the public's help in finding the man wanted in the death of a South Seattle woman.
Man sought in slaying Sunday in Seattle Seattle Times
Murder Warrant Issued For Suspect In Seattle Slaying KIROtv.com
KOMO News - Northwest Cable News - MyNorthwest.com - Seattle Times
all 16 news articles

Google
 

Copyright © 2006 Computer Hunter - A Division of Arthur´s Job Base