As part of my low carb eating habits, I’ve had to find ways to reduce the amount of sugar I consume while still appeasing my “sweet tooth”. As you might imagine this hasn’t been easy. The fact is, like most people, I like a taste treat now and then in the form of something sweet.

I love ice cream, but realized a while back, that there really is no way that I can safely eat it without throwing my insulin levels all out of whack. So, it’s only on very rare and special occasions that I will allow myself a bowl of ice cream.

It truly is a shame the stuff is so bad for you, because it’s one of those foods that is just so darn good that it’s almost like a narcotic the way it makes you feel so good!

Then there are sugar-laden items like soda that I gave up consuming a long time ago.

The sugar concentration of non-diet soda borders on the obscene. I also don’t pop candies of any kind into my mouth or chew gum. I think these two food items are the first place to start when reducing the sugar in your diet.

So in order to satisfy my cravings for sweets, I will have some strawberries or a banana and maybe wash them down with a cup of coffee. Many times just a cup of coffee with some milk and a bit of artificial sweetener is all I need to satisfy my need for something sweet.

For many years I would dump a packet of Equal (Aspartame) into my coffee.

Yes, I have been aware for a while of the dangers of artificial sweeteners and in particular the side effects of Aspartame. Now to be honest, I never experienced any of the supposed mood altering affects of Aspartame though I do know it does make some people nervous and irritable. As for the other bad things attributed to Aspartame, well I figured that 3 packets a day plus one Diet Coke per day was OK.

Truth be told, I really didn’t want to know what I could potentially be doing to my body. I just figured that is was worth the risk in order to keep the fat off.

Then I heard about a natural sweetener that was 300x sweeter than sugar, but without the calories. I actually heard about this from the author of “The Truth About Six Pack Abs”, Mike Geary. I had purchased Mike’s eBook a while back and feel it’s one of the best sources of information on getting lean and building muscle that I’ve every read and I’ve purchased and read quite a few.

Mike blasted artificial sweeteners such as Aspartame and Splenda and said the solution was quite simple - just switch to a natural herb call “stevia”. So, recently, I picked up a small jar of stevia extract from a local organic food market and gave it a spin.

Actually, “stevia” is a genus of about 150 herbs in the sunflower family. “Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni” is the plant that is typically used to extract the powder used as a natural sweetener. The knock against stevia is it’s bitter aftertaste. Now, to be perfectly honest with you, yes, stevia does have a bitter taste - BUT, only if you use too much.

The key to using stevia effectively as a natural sweetener is to use as little as possible.

Only makes sense if stevia is 300x sweeter than sugar, right?

This took a bit of trial and error on my part, beginning with putting stevia in my coffee. The container has shaker holes and a flip up lid so you can measure it out into a spoon. There was also a teeny tiny plastic spoon inside the container that I only discovered after i had used about a quarter of it, but I prefer to tap a tiny amount out into a teaspoon.

I’d say the general rule of thumb is to measure out less than you think it will take to completely sweeten your beverage, whether it’s coffee, tea, or iced tea. You can always add a tiny bit more, but if you over do it, then you’re stuck either suffering through a bitter drink or poring it down the drain and starting over.

The good news is it only takes a few times to get a very accurate feel for how much stevia it takes and it really isn’t much at all.

I must point out that the US Government forbids stevia extract to be used as a food additive.

It can only be marketed as a food supplement.

Some initial studies conducted on stevia extract indicated that stevia could be carcinogenic, but other studies have refuted that. It is interesting to note the both Coca-Cola and Cargill are working on stevia extracts to be used as food additives very soon.

Another interesting point is that stevia has been used as a food additive in Japan for over 30 years without any reported health problems.

When it comes to your health you really need to do your homework and also check with your doctor before making any changes to your diet or other lifestyle changes. If you get the green light and you think stevia is something you’d like to give a try, then you can find it at an organic food market or it can also be purchased online:

Click Here For Stevia Extract