Shopping Tip: Natural Sweeteners

When I went on my shopping tours with my nutrition experts, they both recommended three natural sweeteners.

1. Raw/Local/Organic Honey- Honey is good for your immune system, your digestive system, allergies, asthma, etc.

2. Pure Organic Maple Syrup- Maple Syrup contains manganese and zinc. It is good for your immune system, your heart, and the male reproductive system.

3. Stevia or Stevia Extract- "Stevia leaf is an all natural sweetener. It comes from a shrub which grows naturally in Brazil and Paraguay. While people in South America have been using it to sweeten their foods and beverages for hundreds of years, it has been used widely in other countries over the past few decades. In 2008, stevia sweetener became approved in the USA as a food additive and is rapidly growing in popularity due to its many benefits.

Stevia helps reduce food and other cravings

One of the main reasons stevia is so popular is that it can help people in losing weight. By sweetening foods and beverages with stevia, people who need to reduce calories in order to lose weight can do so safely without sacrificing the sweet foods they love. It can also benefit weight loss by working as an appetite suppressant. This works when a few drops of concentrated stevia leaf is swallowed about 20 minutes before eating. Since stevia sweetleaf is all natural and has no known side affects, it is certainly far safer than taking dangerous diet pills!

Not only does this amazing substance suppress food cravings, it has also been shown to reduce the desire for tobacco and alcohol."

Stevia also helps regulates blood sugar, prevents cavities and has health-promoting antioxidants.

All three can be used for cooking and/or baking. Try to substitute these items for artificial sweeteners and sugar.