Zen Living Episode “Sweet Alternatives” Nicole: I don’t know about you but I have a sweet tooth. Nirvana for me would be desserts 24/7 and I wouldn’t get fat. Or suffer any of the other consequences of eating too much refined white sugar. Yeah right, what if I told you there was a way we could satisfy our cravings and still avoid refined white sugar too? We will find some sweet alternatives on this episode of Zen living. I am here with juice maestro Keith Wahrer of the Daily Juice. What’s up Keith? Keith: What’s up? Nicole: Now we are here to talk about how to satisfy our sweet cravings. And still stay away from sugar. Keith: Yes. Nicole: Why is sugar so unhealthy for us? Keith: It has been linked to various things including obesity which is a major issue. As well as it causes problems like diabetes, which is a growing epidemic in this country. Nicole: Type 2 diabetes is trouble for a lot of people. They can’t even have sugar anymore. So what can we do to satisfy our cravings and avoid too much sugar so that we can maybe stay healthier longer? Keith: Well one of the things we can do is simply substitute sugar, in place use something more natural and something that would less affect our blood sugar levels. Nicole: So all the things we have in front of us are going to do just that? Keith: Yes. Nicole: But this looks to me just like plain old white sugar. What is this? Keith: Actually this is, it does look like white sugar and it is something called Xylitol. And it is a sugar alcohol. So it is a natural sweetener that doesn’t spike your blood sugar levels and it is very low in calories. Nicole: I am going to put a little bit in my hand here. That is pretty sweet. Yeah, it taste like candy. Keith: It does it has kind of got maybe a little bit milder sweet than sugar but it’s a very nice flavor. So that is a useful product. Another good option is dates. Or date sugar. These are some dates right here. You have probably seen dates before. Dates are great; you can put a date or two in a smoothie to sweeten it. Another great thing about dates is that they are very high in dietary fiber. So a lot of people get their fiber form eating an energy bar that might have dates in it. The next thing I would like to talk about is something s simple as fruit juice. It has lots of trace minerals and vitamins. This is apple juice; all of the smoothies that we make at my juice bar are sweetened with fruit juice. Another sweetener I would like to talk about is Stevia. Stevia is also very low calorie, safe for diabetics. Extremely low on the glycimic count. Nicole: So you said Stevia is an herb, do you have Stevia growing in your back yard or anywhere. Keith: Um, I do know people that grow Stevia yeah. Nicole: What is the difference between the Stevia we grow and the Stevia that is in this bottle? Keith: This has pure grain alcohol and vegetable glycerin. My number one all natural sweetener that I use the most is raw agave nectar. I use it in place of let’s say honey, or maple syrup. It has a flavor that is somewhere between honey and maple syrup. Nicole: I am going to take a big sip of this and hopefully I don’t… Keith: You might want to take a small sip. Nicole: Pass out form pleasure. Mmm, that does taste a little bit like honey but not so much. It is interesting. Keith: And agave nectar has a wonderful flavor, it is very mild it doesn’t overtake whatever it is you put it in. It blends really nicely with things. It is great in smoothies. It is great, you can make with agave nectar, substituting part liquid and part sugar. Nicole: Well thanks for showing us that we have so many choices. Keith: My pleasure. Nicole: We can’t deny our sweet craving. I know I can’t. And it is a relief to know that we don’t have to. I am Nicole Tomlinson and from all of us here at Zen living. Thank you so much for watching, and we will see you next time.