Fast Fact Friday #1 - Coconut Water

Happy Friday, All!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Well, I decided to do an additional post each Friday, called *Fast Fact Friday*! With this you can gain quick, healthy tips about foods, current news, etc. It's a fast way to get some facts and learn something new as we should each day. So, be on the look out each Friday for them. Ok. Enjoy and don't forget to share this post with others too. See the links directly below each post that allows you to share it on your social feeds, like Facebook, Google +, Twitter, and/or email. Take great care until next time! Chow! :-)

Let's Shake Up The Truth About *Salt*

Hey, guys!

This article on salt is written by the famous and credible Mayo Clinic staff, with some editing and highlights from me along the way and some notable mentions from C. Kresser. However, I feel it's an important subject matter that's detrimental to our health, and I want to share the truth about it all with you, so that you can be well informed about caring properly for yourselves and your loved ones. I will highlight some important facts that you'll want to keep close to mind. As important, please be sure to share this post with others too - thankh you!

Sodium: How to tame your salt habit 

Find out how much sodium you really need, what high-sodium foods to avoid, and ways to prepare and serve foods without adding sodium.
By Mayo Clinic staff

If you're like many people, you're getting far more sodium than is recommended, and that could lead to serious health problems.

You probably aren't even aware of just how much sodium is in your diet. Consider that a single teaspoon of table salt, which is a combination of sodium and chloride, has 2,325 milligrams (mg) of sodium. And it's not just table salt you have to worry about. Many processed and prepared foods contain sodium.

See how sodium sneaks into your diet and ways you can shake the habit.

Sodium: Essential in small amounts

Your body needs some sodium to function properly because it:

• Helps maintain the right balance of fluids in your body (therefore, adequate amounts of salt intake is necessary for the body's water supply. See my previous post on Water, "INFUSED WATER: Fruits, Veggies, Herbs, Essential Oils, ACV, and Lemon Juice"  - SW)
• Helps transmit nerve impulses
• Influences the contraction and relaxation of muscles

Your kidneys naturally balance the amount of sodium stored in your body for optimal health. When your body sodium is low, your kidneys essentially hold on to the sodium. When body sodium is high, your kidneys excrete the excess in urine.

My observation: this method of excretion also happens should you notice that you're sweating profusely with the slightest of activities. For instance, washing dishes, shopping, carrying grocery bags, or even while sleeping you may wake up in a pile of sweat. This is due to the body's attempt to excrete the excess amount of salt stored within your body, and the kidneys are working at an all time high to rid you of it, which can ultimately lead to kidney damage/failure if you don't remedy this problem fast.  This sort of excessive sweating is also a good sign that shows that you need to workout more often and/or drink more water to aid this process of excretion. Therefore, frequent urination is not necessarily bad, except that you're also losing calcium in the process and that must be replaced subsequently each day. However, eating potassium along with calcium rich foods is key to fighting kidney stones, keeping them from developing and be sure to increase our intake of water. Besides that negative factor, frequent urination simply means that the body is trying to rid itself of excess salt. Again, this is a good warning sign to do more to aid this process and ease the pressure on our system having to work overtime to make it happen, which can lead to damages that results in ailments and/or diseases of vital organs. You definitely don't want to wait until it's all gone bad. Our bodies have a way of sending us a signal if something is going or has gone wrong. So, please pay more attention to what your body is trying to tell you. It can save your life. - SW.

But if for some reason your kidneys can't eliminate enough sodium, the sodium starts to build up in your blood. Because sodium attracts and holds water, your blood volume increases, which makes your heart work harder and increases pressure in your arteries. Such diseases as congestive heart failure, cirrhosis and chronic kidney disease can make it hard for your kidneys to keep sodium levels balanced.Some people's bodies are more sensitive to the effects of sodium than are others. If you're sodium sensitive, you retain sodium more easily, leading to fluid retention and increased blood pressure. If this becomes chronic, it can lead to heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and congestive heart failure.

Sodium: How much do you need?

***V.I.P. INFORMATION**** : The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting sodium to *less than* 2,300 mg a day — or **1,500** mg (which amounts to 1 teaspoon per day - SW) if you're age 51 or older, or **if you are black**, or if you have high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease. 

Keep in mind that these are upper limits, and less is usually best, especially if you're sensitive to the effects of sodium. If you aren't sure how much sodium your diet should include, talk to your doctor or dietitian.

Sodium: What are the major dietary sources?

The average American gets about 3,400 mg of sodium a day — much more than recommended (a major health problem). Here are the main sources of sodium in a typical diet:

Processed and prepared foods. The vast majority of sodium in the typical American diet comes from foods that are processed and prepared. These foods are typically high in salt and additives that contain sodium. Processed foods include bread, prepared dinners like pasta, meat and egg dishes, pizza, cold cuts and bacon, cheese, soups, and fast foods.

Natural sources (from which salt is derived and taken into the body -  SW). Some foods naturally 

contain sodium. These include all vegetables (a better choice always - SW) and dairy products (not so much recommended, as it causes other issues within the body, like weakening your immune system, causes bloating and produces excess mucus -  SW), meat (too much is not good for you, especially if they're infused with hormones and other harmful chemicals/ingredients in raising them - SW), and shellfish (the ocean water is loaded with toxins and pollutants, dumped in by the corporate monsters out there, plus very high in bad cholesterol, esp. shrimp - SW). While they don't have an abundance of sodium, eating these foods does add to your overall body sodium content. For example, 1 cup (237 milliliters) of low-fat milk has about 100 mg of sodium.

I've attached hereto a rainbow of veggies/fruit chart to help you be/remain accountable for your daily fruits/veggies consumption. See it, download and print it here, Daily Rainbow of Veggies Chart.
In the kitchen and at the table. Many recipes call for salt, and many people also salt their food at the table. Condiments also may contain sodium. One tablespoon (15 milliliters) of soy sauce, for example, has about 1,000 mg of sodium.

Sodium: How to tame your salt habit

**Tips for cutting back on sodium**

Virtually all Americans can benefit from reducing the sodium in their diet. 

Here are more ways you can cut back on sodium:

• Eat more fresh foods. Most fresh fruits and vegetables are naturally low in sodium. Also, fresh meat is lower in sodium than are luncheon meat, bacon, hot dogs, sausage and ham. Buy fresh or frozen poultry or meat that hasn't been injected with a sodium-containing solution. Look on the label or ask your butcher.
• Opt for low-sodium products. If you do buy processed foods, choose those that are labeled "low sodium." Better yet, buy plain whole-grain rice and pasta instead of ones that have added seasonings.
• Remove salt from recipes whenever possible. You can leave out the salt in many recipes, including casseroles, soups, stews and other main dishes that you cook. Look for cookbooks that focus on lowering risks of high blood pressure and heart disease.
• Limit use of sodium-laden condiments. Soy sauce, salad dressings, sauces, dips, ketchup, mustard and relish all contain sodium.
• Use herbs, spices and other flavorings to season foods. Use fresh or dried herbs, spices, zest from citrus fruit, and fruit juices to jazz up your meals. Sea salt, however, isn't a good substitute. It has about the same amount of sodium as table salt.
• Use salt substitutes wisely. Some salt substitutes or light salts contain a mixture of table salt and other compounds. To achieve that familiar salty taste, you may use too much of the substitute — and get too much sodium. Also, many salt substitutes contain potassium chloride. Although potassium can lessen some of the problems from excess sodium, too much potassium can be harmful especially if you have kidney problems or if you're taking medications for congestive heart failure or high blood pressure that cause potassium retention.

Sodium: Be a savvy shopper

Taste alone may not tell you which foods are high in sodium. For example, you may not think a bagel tastes salty, but a typical 4-inch (10-centimeter) oat-bran bagel has about 600 mg of sodium, and even a slice of whole-wheat bread contains about 100 mg of sodium.

So how can you tell which foods are high in sodium? Read food labels. The Nutrition Facts label found on most packaged and processed foods lists the amount of sodium in each serving. It also lists whether the ingredients include salt or sodium-containing compounds, such as:

• Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
• Baking soda (also called sodium bicarbonate)
• Baking powder
• Disodium phosphate
• Sodium alginate
• Sodium citrate
• Sodium nitrite

Try to avoid products with more than 200 mg of sodium per serving. And be sure you know how many servings are in a package — that information is also on the Nutrition Facts label.

Sodium: More tips to cut back

**Pay attention especially here***: The supermarket is full of foods labeled "reduced sodium" or "light in sodium." But don't assume that means they're low in sodium. For example, a can of chicken noodle soup that claims to have 25 percent less sodium still has a whopping 524 mg in 1 cup. It's only lower in salt compared with regular chicken noodle soup that has more than 790 mg of sodium in a cup.

Here's a rundown on common sodium claims and what they really mean:
Sodium-free or salt-free. Each serving in this product contains less than 5 mg of sodium.

• Very low sodium. Each serving contains 35 mg of sodium or less.
• Low sodium. Each serving contains 140 mg of sodium or less.
• Reduced or less sodium. The product contains at least 25 percent less sodium than the regular version.
• Lite or light in sodium. The sodium content has been reduced by at least 50 percent from the regular version.
• Unsalted or no salt added. No salt is added during processing of a food that normally contains salt. 

However, some foods with these labels may still be high in sodium because some of the ingredients may be high in sodium.
Go low and take it slow

Your taste for salt is acquired, so you can learn to enjoy less. Decrease your use of salt gradually and your taste buds will adjust.

After a few weeks of cutting back on salt, you probably won't miss it, and some foods may even taste too salty. Start by using no more than 1/4 teaspoon of salt daily — at the table and in cooking. Then throw away the salt shaker. As you use less salt, your preference for it diminishes, allowing you to enjoy the taste of the food itself, with heart-healthy benefits. 

Types of salt that are not recommended

One sea salt that is not recommended for dietary consumption is Dead Sea salt, due to its high bromide content. (9) The Dead Sea has the highest bromide concentration of any large body of water in the world, and bromide toxicity can occur after consumption. Some argue that sea salt is no longer healthy due to the level of pollution in our oceans today, though evidence for this is scant. (10) If this is a concern, there are salts produced from ancient geological oceans, like Real Salt from Utah beds or Himalayan pink salt (picked up some of this baby the other day, but I only use a pinch - very potent stuff. Great for baths too! :-) - SW), which would not have the same level of pollution as salt from much of the world’s oceans. ~ C. Kresser

Regular table salt, conversely, is heavily processed, generally devoid of trace minerals, and commonly contains undesirable additives such as anti-caking agents like sodium silicoaluminate or sodium ferrocyanide. Therefore, generally avoiding table salt is a good idea, though care must be taken to ensure adequate iodine intake from other sources once iodized table salt has been removed from the diet. ~ C. Kresser

Additional truths about salt is that "people who are quite active or sweat a lot should consume salt on the higher end, and those who are less active may want to consume on the lower end. Natural sources of sodium include sea vegetables -  (Hence, I love eating dried seaweed - SW), fish, shellfish, and meat, plus certain plants such as beets, carrots, celery, spinach, and turnips." ~ C. Kresser . From all the information that I've taken in and due to much observation of self and others, I also believe that climate based upon which part of the world you live in and your eating habits of fresh foods vs. processed, plays a major role in the daily required salt intake. People who live in warmer climates and sweat often due to the heat from the sun, I would think would need to increase their salt intake through the foods they eat to 2 to 3 teaspoons per day or via fresh foods vs. those who live in colder regions of the world or have changing seasons and do little sweat producing activities or drink too little water, should limit or adjust their salt intake accordingly to less or more, depending on whether it's a warm or cold time of the year. A safe measure to follow is not to go below 1 teaspoon or above 3 teaspoons of salt on a daily basis - that's my tidbit. - SW.

Ok, folks, I hope you've been truly enlightened on this topic of salt. Be sure to put away the artificial methods and indulge more into getting in your balanced daily dosage of salt through fresh foods that you prepare: fruits/veggies as first choice. Additionally, watch closely the processed foods that you buy, as they are often times than not, loaded with sodium. So, the goal should be to cook more fresh foods than not. Drink plenty of water and exercise daily to ease the pressure of the body's defense mechanisms in attempts to balance out our system through excretion. Isn't it beautiful? That even though we may often fail to do what's right for our body, the body still goes to work in fighting for us, but it will lose that battle if we don't take heed to those subtle warnings/signs and do what's best for it. Alright, get to it already! Take great care of yourselves until next time. Chow! :-)

INFUSED WATER: Fruits, Veggies, Herbs, Essential Oils, ACV, and Lemon Juice

Hey Guys,

As you all should know by now, drinking sufficient amounts of water is important each day. However, to get to that required level of water consumption, we must indulge in drinking at least 64 Fl Oz each day, which amounts to eight 8oz glasses of water  or four 16oz bottles or just two 33.8 Fl Oz bottles of water as they come packaged today. Therefore, getting your water supply in each day can be as easy as snapping your fingers, but what's not so easy is the taste. Water is simply boring and tasteless to our taste buds, and as people who respond more favorably to great taste, we tend to more often than not, refuse or subconsciously neglectfully forget to drink it. Despite that fact, water consumption is important, right; we've established that already.  It's vital that we maintain our pH Level to at least 7.0 or higher and at the most 14.0. However, what supercharges this whole process and makes it much more enjoyable to the taste or at least, give it a tang or a buzz or some flavor, is by adding either ACV or lemon juice to it, fresh is always preferred of course, or you can simply add both the ACV and the lemon juice to your water. You'll be surprised of all the wonders it'll do for your body. I will mention the benefits of infusing your water later within this post. Though, with all the talk and rave going on about ACV and adding lemon to your water, this should come as no surprise to you, but I want to share with you the results that I've experienced from infusing my water with all sorts of goodness and reaping joyously from it all, along with some other pertinent information about water and our pH condition.

Alright, so let's talk about adding fruits, veggies, and herbs to your water, not only does it give your water a nice flavor, but it also leaves you feeling refreshed as it works its way throughout your body. You suddenly come alive, so to speak, and you'll begin to feel the water rush through your veins and imparting nothing but the good stuff that your body can utilize to arm itself against foreign invasion of germs, viruses, and bacterias, and to be clear, that is what eating and drinking is all about - eating to live, instead of living to eat. Anyhoo, here are some of the more popular concoctions for adding fruits, veggies, and herbs to your water :

• Lemon slices and rosemary or mint leaves
• Cucumber and lemon slices, w/mint leaves and rosemary stem
• A verry berry infused mix, w/slices of lemon and mint leaves
• Cucumber  and watermelon, lemon, and strawberries, w/mint leaves
• Lemon, lime, apple, and grapefruit slices, w/rosemary stem and basil leaves
• Lemon, orange, and lime slices, w/rosemary stem and basil leaves 
• Ginger, apple, pineapple, and lemon slices, w/mint or basil leaves

**You'll always want to add lemon, simply because lemon is a natural preservative, and therefore, it will keep your mix fresh for longer.** Additionally, if you prefer, you can simply mix just one, two, or three of those ingredients each time. You'll still reap some benefits from it all. As important, you want to be sure that the first thing that enters your mouth each morning is water with lemon juice. It really flushes your system and awaken the cells within your body - a great way to get things moving the right way each day. Water is also the last thing that you'll want to put into your body before going to sleep at night, as according to recent studies, drinking water just before going to bed can lower the chances of having a heart attack, the #1 cause of death, among cancer here in America.

Well, as you can see, the list goes on and on, but infusing your water is simply delightful and makes the idea of drinking water truly exciting, and definitely something you want to do more often than not. As for essentially infusing your water with oil extracts derived from plants of all sorts, there is a more potent effect, where results are experienced much faster. For instance, one of my absolute favorite essential oils to add to my water is "oil of oregano". Oil of oregano is no joke, and it's great for quite a number of things, like stimulating the functions of your immune system, good for pain, anit-viral, fungicide, flu, parasites, stimulant, tonic for the entire body system, aches and pains of the joints, antiseptic, expectorant, infections, lowers cholesterol levels in the blood, muscle relaxant, helps you accomplish household task, internal infections, scabies, head lice, viral and bacterial pneumonia, asthma, bronchitis, and viral diseases. A pretty powerful oil right! However, what I used it for was when my son started to breakout miserably with pimples and acne all over his face. I felt so bad, as he was feeling a bit annoyed and uncomfortable with the way his face was looking, so, by some sort of inclination, I figured that there must be some sort of infection going on within his body, and I was compelled to visit whole foods to buy a bottle of oregano essential oil. I came back, and as per the instructions on the bottle, I added about 30 to 40 drops of oregano oil to some purified water and gave it to my son to drink. After about three days of consuming the oil infused water, the acne/pimples breakout started to subdue. Within a weeks time of consuming it, his skin completely cleared up. I was so amazed at the results, that I started calling it, *Medicine Water* - astonishing! :-)

Anyhoo, as I mentioned before, here are the benefits of drinking infused water with either of the added natural/organic ingredients above:

Bowel regularity, cleans out the intestinal tracts, rids your body of mucus, aids in weight loss, clear up any skin blemishes and breakouts, like acne; aids digestion, keeps you hydrated which also helps to prevent a whole slew of ailments and diseases, improves and/or stimulates your immune system functions in fighting off bacteria, germs, and viruses; radiant skin, bright eyes, detoxifies and flushes your system, rid your body of heavy metals intake from the environment and technological radiation exposures, feeling light on your feet and more energetic too, lowers cholesterol and high blood pressure, to name a few. Simply put, drinking water is vital to your health, but when infused with herbs, essential oils, veggies, lemon juice, and acv, it's definitely an added bonus in the bodies defense system and encourages you to like water even more and to drink it each day. Infusing your water with all those goodies is also a great way to motivate your children to drink more of it. Just fill up a big water dispenser jug of it, stick it in the refrigerator or leave it out on the countertop and simply let them indulge in all its goodness and enjoy it. Here's a pic of what that looks like when it's done.

Last, here are some water facts that I'd like to share with you regarding maintaining a balanced PH alkaline system. One, "The human body is more than 60 percent water. Blood is 92 percent water, the brain and muscles are 75 percent water, and bones are about 22 percent water." Additionally, it is important to maintain an alkaline state or condition within our bodies. The truth is that we simply want to keep a balance. As with anything, there's a yin and a yang to all that exist in life, so with that, we want to be sure that we maintain a good balance between an acidic and a alkaline state within our body's stystem. If the pH deviates too far to the acidic state or too far to the alkaline side, cells become poisoned by their own toxic waste and subsequently die. "However, some other cells may adapt in that environment. In other words, instead of dying - as normal cells do in an acid environment - some cells survive by becoming abnormal cells. These abnormal cells are called malignant cells. Malignant cells do not correspond with brain function or with our own DNS memory code, and your body's pH level is a large indicator of your alkalinity". So, you want to be sure that you're hydrating your body with sufficient amounts of water each day in order to replace what you may lose throughout the course of a day. If your intake of water is below what it should be, the signs of your body going too far acidic will result in these symptoms: headaches; neck, joint, and muscle aches/pains, dry mouth, cracked and/or dry lips, stomach ache, chest pains, etc. With that, the acidic condition of the fluids within our cells and blood leaves our bodies more prone to catching common colds, etc., but first and foremost, the feeling of tiredness at onset. 

For further insight into this state of being, "Just as acid rain can destroy a forest and alkaline wastes can pollute a lake; an imbalanced pH corrodes all body tissue, slowly eating into the 60,000 miles of veins and arteries like corrosives eating into marble. If left unchecked, an imbalanced pH will interrupt all cellular activities and functions, from the beating of your heart to the neural firing of your brain. The body is largely made up of water, a medium that is biologically useful in allowing nutrients, oxygen and bio-chemicals to be transported from place to place. This water-based medium can have either acid or alkaline properties that are measured by a graduated scale called pH (for potential hydrogen), wherein 1.0 to 6.9 is considered acidic, 7.0 is neutral and 7.1 to 14.0 is alkaline."

"For example, the blood will maintain a slightly alkaline range of 7.35 to 7.45. Extended pH imbalances of any kind are not well tolerated by the body. The management of the pH factor is so important that the body's primary regulatory systems (especially breathing, circulation and eliminations) closely regulate acid-alkaline balance in every cell and system of the organism. Some researchers believe that high acidity can deplete bones because the body has to steal alkalizing minerals (especially calcium) from bones to keep the blood from dropping into the acid range."

Nonetheless, there are certain foods and/or drinks that may cause your system to go too far acidic or too far alkaline. Here are a few of them, with melons, like watermelon being of the highest state of alkaline level, among them, its pH alkaline state is 7.0. Here's that list. Let it serve as a guide for achieving a balanced acidic/alkaline state of being. 

A noteworthy mention is that "Acid/alkaline imbalance may be relevant to diseases such as osteoarthritis and osteoporosis. Moreover, alkalinity can be increased by consuming less meat and sweets and instead, more vegetables and fruits. Although eating fruit to increase alkalinity may seem to be a contradiction because some fruits (especially citrus) are acidic outside the body, digestion uses up their acidic components, leaving an alkaline residue (ash). Thus the net effect is alkaline-producing in the system." 

Of course and ultimately, an alkaline state of being or that of a neutral one where it's balanced is where your body's system should be. So, be sure to consume those foods that'll make it as such. Ok.Take great care of yourself until next time! Chow! :-)

Quick Facts: Agave Vs. Stevia

What's the difference you might say, between agave vs. stevia? It's huge. Here are the reasons why:

THE UGLY, SCARY TRUTH ABOUT AGAVE:

"Many people believe agave is a healthy sweetener because it is marketed as being “natural” and low-glycemic. In fact, agave is a highly processed sweetener. The chemical process for manufacturing agave nectar is nearly the same as the corn refiners used in making high-fructose corn syrup from corn starch (GMO related by the way - SW). Using the agave glucose and insulin found in the plant’s roots, manufacturers subject it to a chemical enzymatic (using genetically modified enzymes) process that converts it into nearly pure liquid fructose (70 percent, or in some cases 90%, or higher). Consuming high levels of fructose can contribute to weight gain and destruction of the collagen in the skin. We recommend that you eliminate all agave consumption immediately." - K. Snyder, certified nutritionist

"Most agave "nectar" or agave "syrup" is nothing more than a laboratory-generated super-condensed fructose syrup, devoid of virtually all nutrient value, and offering you metabolic misfortune in its place."

"Unfortunately, masterful marketing has resulted in the astronomical popularity of agave syrup among people who believe they are doing their health a favor by avoiding refined sugars like high fructose corn syrup, and dangerous artificial sweeteners."

"And if you're diabetic, you've been especially targeted and told this is simply the best thing for you since locally grown organic lettuce, that it's "diabetic friendly," has a "low glycemic index" and doesn't spike your blood sugar."

"While agave syrup does have a low-glycemic index, so does antifreeze -- that doesn't mean it's good for you."

"Most agave syrup has a higher fructose content than any commercial sweetener -- ranging from 55 to 97 percent, depending on the brand, which is FAR HIGHER than high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which averages 55 percent."

"This makes agave actually WORSE than HFCS" (high fructose corn syrup).

"It is important to understand that fructose does not increase insulin levels, which is not necessarily good as what it does do is radically increase insulin resistance, which is FAR more dangerous. You see, it's okay for your insulin levels to rise, that is normal. You just don't want these insulin levels to remain elevated, which is what insulin resistance causes."

"That is why fasting insulin is such a powerful test, as it is a very powerful reflection of your insulin resistance."

"In addition to insulin resistance, your risk of liver damage increases, along with triglycerides and a whole host of other health problems, as discussed in this CBC News video about the newly discovered dangers of high fructose corn syrup. The study discussed in this news report is about HFCS, however, it's well worth remembering that agave contains MORE fructose than HFCS, and in all likelihood, it's the FRUCTOSE that is causing these severe liver problems." 

"Though processing methods can differ among manufacturers, most commercially available agave is converted into fructose-rich syrup using genetically modified enzymes and a chemically intensive process involving caustic acids, clarifiers, and filtration chemicals[ii].Here is a partial list of the chemicals many producers use:

Activated charcoal

Cationic and ionic resins

Sulfuric and/or hydrofluoric acid

Dicalite

Clarimex

Inulin enzymes

Fructozyme

How natural does this sound?

The result is highly refined fructose syrup, along with some remaining insulin.

Most agave "nectar" is neither safe nor natural with laboratory-generated fructose levels of more than 80 percent!" - Dr. Mercola

STEVIA - A MORE SAFE AND HEALTHIER ALTERNATIVE:

"Used worldwide as an no-calorie herbal sweetener, Stevia is a South American herb that is 30 times sweeter than sugar. With hundreds of studies showing Stevia is a safe alternative, it’s the next big thing.

No wonder. It's all-natural, contains zero calories, and has a zero glycemic index. Finally, you can supplement your food and drinks without the chemicals of artificial sweeteners and calories of sugar!
And it is safe for diabetics and hypoglycemics. It has a refreshing taste to it and is far more healthy than agave and regular sugars on the market today".

Here's what you need to know about the various forms of stevia produced today:

"Sweetleaf Sweetener^TM has zero calories, carbs, zero glycemic index, zero chemicals. Available in convenient packets or powder form.

SteviaClear^TM liquid is great for sweetening beverages.

SteviaTabs^TM stevia extract tablets dissolve in hot or cold liquids.

Liquid Stevia Flavors - 12 great natural flavors to dress up your coffee,        tea, yoghurt, smoothies - even make your own soft drinks!"

Nonetheless, stevia is a far superior choice and that's much better for your health than agave if you feel the need to have sugar and/or sweeteners. However, another alternative worthy to mention here, is raw coconut nectar. It's highly nutritive and contains 17 amino acids, minerals, vitamin C, and B vitamins.  Additionally, as surprising as it may be, raw coconut nectar has a zero coconut taste even though it's derived from the coconut itself, and it works well as a sweetener for teas, juices, smoothies, and your baking needs. Raw coconut nectar is also a healthy great alternative in comparison to other unhealthy sweeteners, like agave and aspartame and splenda which is made up of aspartame. Raw coconut nectar is definitely something worth considering in addition of stevia.

So, be sure to make the switch today from agave to stevia. An educated and healthy consumer is better than an uneducated and detrimentally unhealthy one. Take back control of your health today. You'll be so glad that you did. Nonetheless, here's a brand that you can count on to deliver stevia to you the right way:

It's very comforting to know that the "SweetLeaf Stevia Sweetener from Wisdom Natural Brands is made from only high grade stevia leaves and cool, purified water from leaf to packet" and that the  brand does not carry any of the following: "no chemicals, no alcohols, no erythritol, no ethanol or methanol, no aspartame, no sucralose, no maltodextrin, no dextrose, no additives, period. Non-GMO, allergen free and gluten free". 

FACTS OF ORIGIN: "Stevia, the sweet secret known for years by the natives of South America and was eventually adopted by European colonists. Notably so, the stevia plant originally comes from the rain forests of Brazil and Paraguay where it is known as the “yerba dulce” or “sweet leaf.” It’s still available in those regions, and it’s also now grown in Japan, Korea, Thailand and China where it’s commonly used. Native Indians of the Guarani Tribe in Paraguay have used Stevia leaves as a sweetener since pre-Columbian times.  Today, the greatest use of stevia is in Japan. Stevia gets its flavor from various glycosides, particularly stevioside, which is 25 to 30 times sweeter than table sugar." 

                                                         Stevia vs. regular sugar comparison chart:

Sugar	SteviaPlus® Fiber Packets	SteviaPlus® Fiber Powder	SteviaClear® Liquid Stevia
1 tsp	1/2 packet	1/4 tsp	2 to 3 drops
2 Tsp	1 packet	1/2 tsp	4 to 6 drops
1 Tbsp	1-1/2 to 2 packets	3/4 tsp	6 to 9 drops
1 cup	18 to 24 packets	1-1/2 to 2 Tbsp	1 tsp
2 cups	36 to 48 packets	3 to 4 Tbsp	2 tsp
Sugar	Stevia Extract Powder	Stevia Concentrate Dark Liquid	Honeyleaf® Stevia Leaf Powder
1 tsp	N/A	4 to 6 drops	N/A
2 tsp	N/A	8 to 12 drops	N/A
1 Tbsp	N/A	1/8 tsp	1/4 tsp
1 cup	1/3 to 1/2 tsp	1 Tbsp	1-1/2 to 2 Tbsp
2 cups	2/3 to 1 tsp	2 Tbsp	3 to 4 Tbsp

Until next time, here's to being "Of The Green Life" - the utmost healthiest way of living!