There are two more natural sweeteners that deserve your attention as well as an herb that can help reduce your cravings for sweets. The first is Rapadura. This is the commercial name for a whole organic sugar and is an unbleached and unrefined sweetener. It is native to South America, the Caribbean as well as India where it has been used this for thousands of years.
Rapadura is the only sugar in which the sugar stream is not separated from the molasses. This means that Rapadura retains most of its essential nutrients. It has a mild, caramel-like flavor making it a perfect sweetener for baking as well as for sweetening foods and drinks.
It’s laden with minerals – especially silica and iron. If you plan to replace unrefined white sugar with Rapadura you would use the same amount. One cup of Rapadura equals on cup of white sugar.
Another natural sweetener you might want to look for is stevia. This, too, comes from South America, where it has been used for more than 1,500 years. It’s difficult for us to imagine, but it contains no calories. On top of that it’s 300 times sweeter than sugar. With all of this, you might think that it’s as bad for your system as refined sugar, if not worse. But, research has shown that stevia can actually regulate your blood sugar. Across the continent of South America, this natural sweetener is sold to those individuals with diabetes and hypoglycemia to help normalize their conditions.
You can find it in liquid, tablet and even powered form. But, who won’t find it labeled as a sweetener. Instead, you’ll find it called a "dietary supplement" thanks to the maneuverings of the Food and Drug Administration. Many people use stevia as a coffee sweetener instead of table sugar.
You may also want to consider using the little known herb gymnema sylvestre. This herb’s active ingredient, legendary in India and parts of Asia as a natural treatment for diabetes, is culled from the leaves and the roots of the plant. It helps to balance blood sugar levels.
Scientifically speaking, the unique contour of the gymnemic acid molecules is similar to those of the glucose molecule. This allows it to fill cell receptors in the lining of the body’s intestines. And this prevents the uptake of sugar molecules.
Gymnema sylvestre is an extremely useful herb even if you don’t have diabetes, but you just want to stop those uncontrollable sugar cravings that come over you. Some experts say you should take this herb with a high-carbohydrate meal – or even a meal that contains plenty of sugar. In this way it can help the body by passing through the sugars. This makes the carbohydrates in your body burn more quickly. Otherwise they would be stored and would quickly turn to fat. The other advantage is that it helps your body build lean muscle mass.
[Source: www.wisegeek.com]
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