Stevia in the Raw

I'll admit it... I'm a pretty picky eater. It doesn't matter that I've had rattle snake, raw beef and pork, beef tongue and brain, and sea cucumber. There are still some everyday foods that I avoid. One of those things happens to be sugar substitutes. Diet sodas just aren't worth the difference in taste for me. Splenda, Equal, Sweet N' Low? Not my thing. I'd rather not have a drink that tastes like chemicals and has a weird aftertaste, thanks.

Photo of Sugar Packets: Rama

Now my point is not to get into the debate over high-fructose corn syrup (I'll leave that for another post). But being from the south, I do like my drinks sweet, y'all. I don't really see the point of unsweetened iced tea. As much of a skeptic as I am about no-calorie sweeteners, I can definitely say I was pleasantly surprised by Stevia in the Raw. After trying it on a whim one day when Michael decided to buy a package, I've actually gotten to the point that I put it in my hot tea at work on a daily basis. Although I wasn't really looking for something to help reduce my caloric intake, I guess it doesn't hurt either.

Some of the things I like about Stevia in the Raw:

• It is sweeter than sugar, so I can substitute my 2-3 packets of sugar for ~½ to ¾ of a packet of Stevia in the Raw.
• With a smaller amount needed, I don't have the issue with it not dissolving in cold drinks as much as with sugar.
• 100% natural product -- made from the extract of the Stevia plant.
• It's good for diabetics, kosher, and gluten free.

Let's not get carried away, though. It's not perfect:

• Although it's been available in Japan since the 1950s without any detected issues, there are still some potential risks, but most seem to be related to consuming way too much of it.
• It's not expensive, but not particularly cheap, either.
• Because it's 300-400x sweeter than sugar, a corn derivative (dextrose) is added to dilute the sweetness of the Stevia packet -- and I'm not exactly convinced that I need any more corn-based products in my diet.

There is currently a coupon on Stevia in the Raw's website for anyone interesting it trying it out!