Happy Hump Day!:)
We have officially made it to the last day of the Superfood Spotlight Series and I want to sincerely thank all of you who showed support and excitement over this two week series. If you didn't enjoy it, I'm so sorry, but I'll be back to the norm as of tomorrow:)
When I polled everyone and asked each of you what you'd like to see more of, I found that you wanted more product reviews, recipes, nutrition advice, nutrition news, and things I enjoy. So, I tried to wrap that up into one fun series with this Superfood Spotlight Series and add a bit of all of that in a fun way. So thanks for joining me and for participating!:)
So, let's move on today's superfood, which you're probably likely already using in your own routine.
*Stevia*
If you're not a fan of stevia, hopefully you'll at least hear me out as to why it means so much to me and why I deem it a personal superfood.
My Journey to Stevia, aka "My Sugar Addiction Recovery":
Rewind to 10 years ago this month when I was a true sugar addict. I'm not just talking a few cookies before bed or bowl of sugary cereal each morning. Let me just tell you- when I say addict- I mean I suffered seizures from such a constant high intake of sugar that always happened after I ate it. They regularly left me spacing out and having absence seizures (a type of epilepsy) for way too many years of my high school life. I suffered 5 years before making the connection and my neurologist (supposedly the best in the city-ha!) just put me on pills, pills, and more pills (and poked me to death once a month to draw my blood). No one ever told me I could simply go off sugar and be fine. Until one day, I did the homework myself out of desperation, and found out the real answer to the problem - SUGAR.
My seizures weren't the only problem though. My depression was rampant, mood swings were all over the place, and I don't ever think I'd ever been so self-conscious about my acne in my life.
I ate boxes of Smart Start cereal (which there's absolutely NOTHING smart about) for breakfast, or Cracklin' Oat Bran, which was my real cereal of choice. By the way, that stuff is a prime example of food label ridicule.
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Oat bran- healthy, right? WRONG. It has more sugar per serving than most candybars (and did you know it's even made with sweetened coconut?!) That cereal was like my crack and I'm not gonna lie- it was delicious, but I don't miss finishing off a box in one sitting, which I nearly did every single time.
I didn't stop there though. I ate huge chocolate chip cookies for lunch (not with lunch) - FOR lunch, milkshakes from McDonald's after school, and usually had some kind of ice cream at night. I honestly don't know how I wasn't more overweight than I was. In my worst days, I'd eat tubs of Cool Whip, quarts of ice cream, and jars of Jif Peanut Butter (filled with sugar) sandwiched in between Chocolate Chips a Hoy Cookies (only the chewy kind though!)
I not only ate my weight in sugar, but also gained 40 pounds during a year of depression living on sugar at age 19 (which isn't the fun way to gain weight, I assure you). If you think you've got a sweet tooth- you should have seen me back then. Whoo- it wasn't pretty!
Those days were some of the hardest days of my life and I thought I'd never get past my sugar addiction. I finally just got tired of being sick and tired and one day decided to kiss sugar goodbye. I also wanted to stop being on three different pills at age 19 and so I flushed them all down the toilet and went off sugar for good. I had to quit sugar cold turkey before I was able to finally let go of sugar and say hello to life again. And you know what? As hard as it was, I did. My one month "sugar sobriety" was even on Halloween, and I promise you if a girl who loved Reese's and Whoppers as much as I did can do it- anyone can!
As soon as I "quit sugar", my acne and seizures both went away, myweight leveled off to a normal level (before my anorexia began), and my depression DISAPPEARED that I'd struggled with for four years solid. I have also never been on medication for anything since, which is the thing I'm most proud of and grateful for. That experience lit a spark in me and is what ultimately led me to health and a passion for nutrition and helping others.
Sadly my sugar sobriety was just when the Splenda craze had hit the market in 2003, so you can guess what I turned to in order to replace my sweet tooth- oh yeh- good old Splenda. For 5 years straight. So healthy for me, right? WRONG. I actually tolerated it quite well (and didn't get toxic poisoning thankfully), but I always knew it wasn't good for me.
Luckily though, in 2008, I was able to let go of Splenda both, and say hello to stevia! I remember hearing about stevia and thinking it sounded odd. An herb that's sweet? "That's strange," I thought. In fact, the first time I tried it, I didn't even like it! Now I know I tried one of the worst kinds on the market though (the cheap kind at the store with fillers like cornstarch, dextrose, or inulin). Luckily, we've got better options today when it comes to stevia as you'll see below.
So as you can see, this tiny little flowering herb is the most powerful superfood in my life and personal hero to me when it comes to deserving superfoods to spotlight.
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Because let's be honest- my sugar addiction and sugar cravings may have suffered a quick death years ago- but my sweet tooth is still raging as ever! Now I can finally satisfy it without having a seizure, going into a food coma, binging, or eating the whole bag of Chips a Hoy Chocolate Chip Chewy cookies, bags of dried fruit, or entire box of granola bars to get my fix. Oh come on- you know you've been there (and no, I don't exaggerate when I say I used to eat THE WHOLE THING).
So me and stevia- we're pretty tight, in fact I'd likely have at it with FDA if they ever took it off the market (I kid, I kid- sort of:)
Where Does Stevia Come From?
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Stevia is an herb that looks much like the mint plant in appearance. It contains lovely white flowers that bloom, and the leaves are what is used to provide the stevia we buy in the stores today.
Stevia comes from Paraguay and was first discovered by the Guarani Indian group, who called the plant " kaa-he-he", which means "sweet herb". They used the herb to sweeten bitter drinks and medicinal treatments and in the 1800's, the herb had become widely used by a large part of South America, including Brazil and Argentina.
Stevia was later discovered by an Italian botanist who introduced the plant to America, but as you can imagine, it took over 100 years for it to become available in our supermarkets. Want to take a guess why? The FDA didn't like that it would compete with the sugar crop industry, seeing as how it was from a crop itself. Imagine that!
They weren't willing to allow a plant to be used to compete with sugar, but hey- bring on the chemical sweeteners instead, right? Geez!
Luckily, stevia finally found its way into our food supply system, and it's now grown in 10 different countries across the world, including the United States. You can now even head to your local home and gardening store and possibly find a stevia plant (or order one online).
What Does Stevia Taste Like?
Well as you know, stevia tastes sweet, with roughly 200-300 times the sweetness to that of sugar, which means you can use less and get the same effect.
I know many people don't enjoy the taste of stevia, and I didn't either at first. I had to experiment with different brands and varieties to finally find good options that worked well for me. Thankfully, I did and hopefully you have (or can) too!
Why Use Stevia?
Not only is stevia sugar-free and calorie-free, but it's also chemical-free (if you buy a quality brand), and it's actually helpful to your glycemic index, unlike artificial sweeteners that can make your sugar cravings worse.
Here are 10 Fast Health Facts About Stevia:
1. Has been linked to better digestion and can help decrease stomach pain, while increasing regularity.
2. Is rich in chlorophyll if you choose to buy the original green powdered stevia.
3. Has zero effect on your glycemic index.
4. Is 100% gluten and grain-free, unlike grain-based sweeteners such as barley malt.
5. Has been proven to regulate blood sugar and even decrease sugar cravings unlike artificial sweeteners or sugar.
6. 100% safe for diabetics.
7. Safe and actually helpful for someone who has a candida yeast overgrowth. Stevia does not feed yeast whatsoever.
8. Good source of fiber in whole leaf form.
9. Can help relieve nausea, gas, and bloating.
10. 100% natural and available in organic choices.
What Kind of Stevia is Best?
There are multitudes of different brands of stevia out there. Personally, I ONLY use four brands myself, and here's what you need to know about each one:
1. My Top Brand of Choice: NuNaturals
The first brand I have to give my dedication to is NuNaturals. I use their alcohol-free liquid stevia sweeteners or their Pure White Stevia Extract (which is pure stevia with nothing added) in almost everything I want to give a sweet flavor to (which is alot!) They also make a White Stevia Powder which contains stevia and maltodextrin from non-GMO corn which many people confuse with their Pure White Stevia Extract. And for a more potent option, they make a Reb99 stevia, which is the purest, most highly concentrated form of powdered pure stevia (with nothing added), that looks a bit like powdered sugar in appearance. You can find them all online here.
I truly do love NuNaturals and support this company 100%. I've been using their alcohol-free liquid stevia for three years now and can't even tell you how much more more I enjoy my foods with it. This stevia is a clean product and contains no MSG, yeast, soy, dairy, gluten, grains, sugar, chemicals, and is 100% vegan and non-GMO.
I also use the pure white stevia powder all the time in homemade teas, coffee, smoothies, baked goods, and in anything I want to add a bit of sweetness to.
NuNaturals has the utmost highest standards in terms of consumer affairs, a quality product, and unique innovative products that are 100% healthy and safe for everyone to use. Plus, despite their popularity, they're actually a very small company that uses no gimmicks or fancy advertising. They are good to their customers and go by word-of-mouth only in terms of advertising. In today's food industry- that MUST be appreciated. (This is not a sponsored post by NuNaturals or anyone else- just my own opinions!)
2. Second Brand of Choice: Trim Healthy Mama Pure Stevia (EXCELLENT!)
This brand of stevia is ALL new and is designed my two of my favorite ladies, Serene and Pearl, the authors of The Trim Healthy Mama book (that I reviewed here). Their stevia is 100% pure, organic, vegan, non-GMO, and it's absolutely incredible! It's definitely a new favorite of mine that's also friendly on your budget too.
It's the same texture and has the same appearance as NuNaturals Reb99 sweetener and it tastes so incredibly pure. I highly suggest checking out the Trim Healthy Mama book if you haven't yet too.
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Despite being a diet book, it actually helped me overcome so many misconceptions around food and introduced me to two fabulous women along the way. You can also learn more about their stevia here. It's divine! You can even subscribe to their personal online magazine (e-zine) here. They also carry non-GMO erythritol, but sugar alcohols aren't my tummy's best friend!
3. Third brand of choice: Wisdom Naturals.
Wisdom Naturals make a huge array of liquid stevia options, which come in delicious flavors that are excellent.
They also make powdered stevia options, but I don't enjoy their powder options very much since they're usually filled with fillers like inulin or dextrose.
4. Fourth brand of choice: Frontier Naturals (Green Stevia Herb)
Green leaf stevia is a bit harder to find than the options above, and it also tastes VERY different than all the options above. It truly does taste like a sweet "herb" and it has a more earthy taste than the other varieties of stevia on the market. I use it sometimes in my smoothies with green powders, or I may use it in a raw energy bite for a unique, sweet taste with a bit of earthy feel. It works well with green superfood powders or spirulina, wheatgrass, etc. It's also very cheap by the pound, and a little goes a long way. Plus, it's the least refined of all options out there and is even bright green in color (obviously a sign it's healthy for you, right?:) You can buy it here if you want to try it.
There are also many types of stevia on the market.
You can either buy it as:
white powders ( usually have fillers like maltodextrin, inulin, erithrytol, dextrose, etc.)
white extracts ( a more potent, pure option than powders)
liquid extracts ( a less-refined option than powders and usually only contain water and stevia that is made by steeping the leaves and using a water extraction process free of chemicals. Some also contain glycerin, a vegetable-based sweetener to round out the taste)
dried leaves (which is like the green leaf stevia I mentioned)
How to Make the Best Choice:
The best way to know if you're getting a good product is just to read the label (like with anything else you buy and eat). I don't use liquid stevias with alcohol in them, nor do I use baking extracts with it since it gives me both a headache and a stomachache, so be sure you're aware of what's IN your stevia before you use it and then have a negative reaction to it.
I used to use a powdered stevia made with maltodextrin and inulin and found it also gave me GI upset before I linked the connection. Read your labels and use only pure stevia for the best option possible.
How to Use Stevia:
The possibilities for using stevia are truly endless. I mean, how many of us really need a reminder to know how to use a sweetener? However, here's how I enjoy it best and hope you can too:)
oatmeal
coffee
tea
smoothies
almond milk lattes
hot cocoa
raw hot chocolate
raw energy bars/bites
cakes
muffins
pancakes
quickbreads
icing
healthy candy
healthy cookies
Greek yogurt
salad dressings
puddings
protein shakes
raw chocolate
healthy cupcakes
entrees (such as soups where you want a bit of sweetness or on roasted root veggies)
Must I go on?:)
My Favorite Recipes With Stevia:
Almost all my recipes on my blog use stevia. Not 100% all of them, but it's close! I truly do have a huge sweet tooth, but a very balanced palate overall. I don't crave sugar, and actually enjoy several savory eats throughout the day. Stevia helps regulate my sweet tooth and it doesn't leave me hankering over my family's sweet foods aching in misery from withdrawals. I get my sweet fix with absolutely no ill effects whatsoever.
Below are just a few of my favorite recipes this past year using stevia. They are all gluten, soy, and sugar-free. Most are vegan and grain-free as well.
Pretty in Pink Pitaya Superfood Smoothie (from yesterday's post!)
Maca Matcha Magic Green Smoothie- Version#2 (from Day 12 of the Superfood Spotlight Series this week)
Ceylon Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal With Almonds, Cardamom and Coconut Cream
Cinnamon Berries and Bliss Breakfast Cake
Lemon Coconut Chia Porridge
Raw Chocolate Coconut Crunch Cups
Raw Cookie Dough Bites
And hopefully that's enough to get ya started!:)
Be sure you check out all my recipes for even more stevia goodness too!:)Oh, and don't worry-there's definitely more to come:)
Where to Buy :
I buy all my stevia online since it's so much cheaper than buying in stores. I'll leave my discount links below in case you want to use them too:)
The Soulful Spoon Stevia Discount Links:
Buy through iHerb and save $5-$10 off your first order with code TEZ763 at checkout and get free shipping with this link.
Shop through Vitacost and get $10 off your first $30 order and get free 2 day shipping with this link.
More Stevia Resources:
Stevia.net (a wealth of information)
NuNaturals.com
Trim Healthy Mama Store (love these ladies!)
How to Grow Stevia At Home
Let me know your favorite way to use stevia and stay tuned because just as I promised at the end of this Superfood Spotlight Series I promised you a giveaway that's coming up FIRST THING TOMORROW so don't miss out!:)
Have a wonderful Wednesday!