Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Adventures with Tea & ZSweet®...

Alan & Marlys Arnold are tea connoisseurs who invite you to join their Tea Explorers Club & host Tea Tasting Adventures for your friends & family.  The Arnolds have crafted a variety of delicious flavors like: Crème de la Crème Brûlée, Vanilla Spice Chai, Chocolate Mint Bliss, Grandma's Pumpkin Pie & many, many more!

In addition to traditionally sipping tea, they encourage & educate you on using tea in cooking as well. They also recommend using all natural ZSweet® to sweeten your tea beverages & tea infused foods. Visit their site to shop & view recipes here.  

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Must See! Sugar: The Bitter Truth

This one and a half hour video is well worth your time. "Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, explores the damage caused by sugary foods. He argues that fructose (too much) and fiber (not enough) appear to be cornerstones of the obesity epidemic through their effects on insulin."

Lustig thoroughly illuminates the scientific reasons why all sugar & specifically fructose; which is the most insidious ingredient bombarding our diet & our bodies at every meal; are poisons & should be avoided at all costs to prevent obesity & disease.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Lip smacking treats for diabetics that ensure insulin spikes

I came across an article today by an author who says he is a dietician specializing in diabetic diets. But under natural sweeteners he recommends agave nectar, honey, barley malt syrup, maple syrup, & sugar cane juice right along side stevia. No, no, no, no, no.

Stevia, like ZSweet® (erythritol), is an all natural zero calorie, zero glycemic sweetener. Caloric sweeteners & sugar substitutes with a glycemic impact should not be grouped with Stevia or ZSweet® as if we're comparing apples to apples. It misleads the consumer into thinking they're all the same & can be consumed without monitoring calories or GI. Those other sweeteners may be all natural, but they are not the safest option for people with diabetes & responsible authors should publish nutrition values for their readers, especially diabetic readers, when making recommendations.

Agave Nectar - 60 calories / 15 glycemic index
Barley Malt Syrup - 60 calories / 42 glycemic index
Honey - 64 calories / 30 glycemic index
Maple Syrup - 52 calories / 54 glycemic index
Sugar Cane Juice - 25 calories / 43 glycemic index
Stevia - 0 calories / 0 glycemic index
ZSweet® (erythritol) - 0.2 calories / 0 glycemic index
(see links to for average serving sizes)