Thursday, August 30, 2007

SweetLeaf SteviaPlus - a source of sweetness and fiber

Last year, I went to Bonnaroo right here in middle Tennessee and in between shows I wanted to see, I visited some of the vendors over in Centeroo. One of my favorite products, SweetLeaf Stevia--an all-natural, calorie-free sweetener--had a booth set up. My friend (who actually recommended stevia to me when I was looking for a way to sufficiently and efficiently sweeten homemade popsicles) and I stopped by to see what they had to offer.

I told the folks working the booth about how the liquid is perfect for getting my popsicles super sweet without adding bulk or calories and how happy I was with their product. So they cheerfully handed me a free bottle and signed me up to receive some free goodies in the mail. What a nice bonus!

I was cleaning up my desk yesterday and stumbled upon the package they sent me (last October...yeah). Among the goodies in the package were packets of SteviaPlus. When I looked at SteviaPlus previously, I just assumed it was some crystallized version of the liquid (not unlike the Splenda I once bought for baking). But upon further investigation, I realized that the "plus" is the medium--inulin fiber. They use the stevia to sweeten this natural source of fiber to make it into a dry form. So if you use the SteviaPlus (in packets or a shaker), not only are you avoiding the nasty chemicals found in artificial sweeteners, you're getting a gram of fiber with each serving.

Given my diet, I actually get plenty of fiber, but those who don't eat rabbit food and whole grain bread on a daily basis should be happy to hear that you can supplement your fiber intake with your sweetener and without adding calories. To buy, check out their store locator (I've found it in the natural foods aisle at my local Kroger as well as Wild Oats) or buy online from Wisdom Natural Brands.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi! Just found your blog via Music City bloggers.

We make a lot of homemade popsicles in our house, and since my husband is diabetic, we've experimented with stevia quite a bit.

But I've yet to try it in popsicles. In our experience, you almost need some sugar for texture alone--otherwise, the popsicles freeze into ice blocks. One of the Paletas ladies suggested that I not try making them without sugar.

Any thoughts or advice about the use of stevia in popsicles would be appreciated!

Sweet Lucee said...

I don't know about popsicles But I know that using the Flavored Liquid Stevia you can drop it into ice cubes or crushed ice and achieve a wonderful treat! Try Root Beer, Vanilla Creme or Valencia Orange. There are about 10 flavors to choose from and I haven't met a flavor I didn't like. They are available through lots of sites, just make sure it's SweetLeaf Stevia flavors. Here are some sites to check:
www.buywisdom.com, www.puritianpride.com, www.vitacost.com, www.webvitamins.com, www.amazon.com