Soft drinks are the greatest source of calories for us fat americans. We get more of our daily calories from soft drinks than any other category of food. More than ice cream, more than fries, more than meat, more than bread. Think about it, all these calories, very little nutritional benefit.
Is it any surprise that Coke is one of the largest companies in the USA and we are the fattest country in the world? Is it any surprise that as Coke has started spreading its activities more agressively across the planet over the past 10 years, the rest of the world has become nicely plumper as well?
In order to curtail this problem, big pharma has come up with all kinds of prescription drugs to deal with the symptoms of obesity. The most readily available are the artificial sweeteners concocted by the likes of Monsanto and ADM. These artificial sweeteners (sucralose, sucrose). These significantly reduced the caloric value of soft drinks.
The only issue I have with these chemically derived products is that more and more studies seem to point to significant side effects over time. Many studies have found these products to be responsible for cancers of all sorts. I know that many of these studies might have questionable methodologies, but where there is smoke...As a result, many people are looking for natural alternatives.
One of these options is Stevia. This all-natural sweetener has been around for centuries in many parts of the world; from Morroco, to Japan, to Argentina. Stevia is also very popular as an alternative to sugar for diabetics. Recent research points to Stevia as a potentially very beneficial deterrent to Type II diabetes. Besides its medicinal properties, Stevia is a simply a good natural alternative to sugar to reduce our caloric intake.
Unfortunately, the FDA has decided that Stevia is bad for you. Why? Well, for one, its hard to patent or trademark. God has the original recipe and unlike large corporations, he will share this great product for FREE. Not a cool word for Coke, Pepsi or Cadbury Schweppes (see The Stevia Conspiracy.
Because of this, it is extremely complicated and ironically, expensive to produce good, naturally sweetened soft drinks or energy drinks. But they are worth trying out if you are looking for something healthier.Very few products are available in the US currently that use Stevia. I've found one soft drink and one energy drink.
Soft Drinks: Virgils: Hard to locate in stores. Good range of products (Cream Soda is my favorite). Tastes good and also uses other natural ingredients. Virgils Sodas. Also available in health food stores.
Energy Drinks: GURU Lite: This is the only all-natural energy drink I've found out there. It is sweetened with Stevia and Luo Han Guo. It tastes great and works even better. I bought it online at the company's website : www.guruenergy.com. They also produce organic energy drinks. - 16004
Is it any surprise that Coke is one of the largest companies in the USA and we are the fattest country in the world? Is it any surprise that as Coke has started spreading its activities more agressively across the planet over the past 10 years, the rest of the world has become nicely plumper as well?
In order to curtail this problem, big pharma has come up with all kinds of prescription drugs to deal with the symptoms of obesity. The most readily available are the artificial sweeteners concocted by the likes of Monsanto and ADM. These artificial sweeteners (sucralose, sucrose). These significantly reduced the caloric value of soft drinks.
The only issue I have with these chemically derived products is that more and more studies seem to point to significant side effects over time. Many studies have found these products to be responsible for cancers of all sorts. I know that many of these studies might have questionable methodologies, but where there is smoke...As a result, many people are looking for natural alternatives.
One of these options is Stevia. This all-natural sweetener has been around for centuries in many parts of the world; from Morroco, to Japan, to Argentina. Stevia is also very popular as an alternative to sugar for diabetics. Recent research points to Stevia as a potentially very beneficial deterrent to Type II diabetes. Besides its medicinal properties, Stevia is a simply a good natural alternative to sugar to reduce our caloric intake.
Unfortunately, the FDA has decided that Stevia is bad for you. Why? Well, for one, its hard to patent or trademark. God has the original recipe and unlike large corporations, he will share this great product for FREE. Not a cool word for Coke, Pepsi or Cadbury Schweppes (see The Stevia Conspiracy.
Because of this, it is extremely complicated and ironically, expensive to produce good, naturally sweetened soft drinks or energy drinks. But they are worth trying out if you are looking for something healthier.Very few products are available in the US currently that use Stevia. I've found one soft drink and one energy drink.
Soft Drinks: Virgils: Hard to locate in stores. Good range of products (Cream Soda is my favorite). Tastes good and also uses other natural ingredients. Virgils Sodas. Also available in health food stores.
Energy Drinks: GURU Lite: This is the only all-natural energy drink I've found out there. It is sweetened with Stevia and Luo Han Guo. It tastes great and works even better. I bought it online at the company's website : www.guruenergy.com. They also produce organic energy drinks. - 16004
About the Author:
About the Author: Dr. Jones is an expert in matters of emotional and physical well-being. He is an authority in natural and organic food and drink topics. For more, read his blog at Natural Energy Drinks or on Squidoo at Organic Energy Drinks.
