Recipe: Banana Bread

Photo: banana-bread.biz

 (Excerpted from Stevia: naturally sweet recipes for desserts, drinks and more!, Book Publishing Company )

1 loaf - 12 servings

2 very ripe, medium to large bananas

1/4 tsp powdered stevia extract

1/2 tsp stevia concentrate

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup oil

1 large egg

1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt or buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)Preheat the over to 350 degrees F. Oil a medium-sized loaf pan (7 1/2 "x 3 1/2 " x 2 1/2").
Mash the bananas in a small bowl. Mix the stevia extract, stevia concentrate, and lemon juice into the mashed bananas. Set aside.
Sift the flour, leavenings, and salt together in a bowl.
Beat the oil and egg together in a mixing bowl until creamy. Beat in the yogurt or buttermilk and the vanilla. Stir the mashed bananas into the liquid mixture.
Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stirring as little as possible. Mix in the walnuts just before the flour is completely blended.
Place into the loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour until a toothpick or fork stuck in the middle comes out clean. Turn out the loaf and cool on a rack.
Note: For maximum flavor, use very ripe bananas (brown spotted).

Enjoy your healthy banana bread!

How to Substitute Stevia for Sugar in Baking

• 

  Source: Picasa   Author: nntungsv

  Stevia has been said to have many health benefits, such as: weight control (it controls cravings), can be used during pregnancy, it is known to be beneficial to the pancreas, does not contribute to tooth decay, can reduce high blood pressure, assists digestion, and so on.

  Unlike most artificial sweeteners, Stevia does not break down and can withstand high temperatures while cooking and cold temperatures when frozen. It is also compatible with salt and organic acids and natural sweeteners such as barley malt, honey, fructose and sorbitol.
• Stevia can be used safely and effectively as a substitute for sugar in all recipes where sugar and low calorie sweeteners would be normally used.

How to grow stevia part 5: Growing Stevia Without Land

Picture: Backyardfarming.blogspot.com

Just because you live within the confines of an apartment or condominium doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the benefits of stevia farming. This versatile plant can be grown either in pots on your balcony or any sunny spot, or else in a hydroponic unit. Stevia plants also do quite well in “container gardens.” A 10″ to 12″ diameter container filled with a lightweight growing mix is an ideal size for each plant. 
A little mulch on the top will help retain the moisture in the shallow root zone. A properly fertilized hydroponic unit or container garden can provide you with as much stevia as an outdoor garden, if not more.


Story: Stevianet

How to grow stevia part 4: Gathering Autumn Stevia Leaves

picture: naturalherbalextracts.com

Harvesting should be done as late as possible, since cool autumn temperatures and shorter days tend to intensify the sweetness of the plants as they evolve into a reproductive state. While exposure to frost is still to be avoided, covering the plants during an early frost can give you the benefit of another few weeks’ growth and more sweetness.

When the time does come to harvest your stevia, the easiest technique is to cut the branches off with pruning shears before stripping the leaves. As an extra bonus, you might also want to clip off the very tips of the stems and add them to your harvest, as they are apt to contain as much stevioside as do the leaves.

How to grow stevia part 3: The Care and Feeding of Stevia

Picture: Madeinchina.com

Stevia plants do best in a rich, loamy soil — the same kind in which common garden-variety plants thrive. Since the feeder roots tend to be quite near the surface, it is a good idea to add compost for extra nutrients if the soil in your area is sandy.

Besides being sensitive to cold during their developmental stage, the roots can also be adversely affected by excessive levels of moisture. So take care not to overwater them and to make sure the soil in which they are planted drains easily and isn’t soggy or subject to flooding or puddling.

How to grow stevia part 2: How to Start Your Own Stevia Patch

Picture: stevia.net

It would be difficult, at best, to start a stevia patch from scratch — that is, by planting seeds. Even if you could get them to germinate, results might well prove disappointing, since stevioside levels can vary greatly in plants grown from seed.

The recommended method is rather to buy garden-ready ‘starter’ plants, which given stevia’s ‘growing’ popularity, may well be obtainable from a nursery or herbalist in your area — provided you’re willing to scout around a bit. If you’re not, or are unsuccessful in locating any, there are at least three growers of high-quality stevia who will ship you as many baby plants as you’d like.

How to grow stevia: part 1 Introduction

Picture: Henry Fools, iBankcoin

You need not be a South American planter to be a successful stevia grower. While the herb’s native locale may make it appear somewhat exotic, it has proved to be quite adaptable and capable of being cultivated in climate zones as diverse as Florida and southern Canada.

True, home-grown stevia may lack the potency of refined white stevia extract; whole stevioside content generally ranges from 81 to 91 percent, as compared to a leaf level of approximately 12 percent. But it can provide you with a quantity of freshly harvested stevia ‘tea leaves’ to augment your supply of commercial stevia sweeteners.

Stevia-Sweetened Diet Soft Drink Hits the Market: Zevia!

(This is an article from 2009. All named product are now (2012) on the market.)
A new company called Zevia has introduced a line of stevia-sweetened, zero-calorie carbonated soft drinks, the first such products to hit the U.S. market.

Zevia soda comes in four flavors: Cola, Orange, Root Beer and Twist (lemon-lime). It contains no calories, but everything else soda drinkers have come to expect, from carbonation to caffeine (the cola contains 45 milligrams, about as much as a Diet Coke).

Stevia and Diabetes

Too many diabetics!


Nearly 24 million Americans have diabetes, an increase of over 3 million in just two years. That translates to about 8% of the U.S. population that is affected mainly with Type 2 diabetes. Even more alarming, roughly 57 million people are pre-diabetic, a condition where blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not yet to be classified as diabetic.


Despite the daunting statistics, diabetes is preventable or can be delayed. The single greatest factor that can prevent the onset of diabetes is lifestyle modification. That means people who lose weight, exercise regularly, and maintain a proper diet can delay or even prevent the onset of diabetes.

Discover four fantastic benefits of stevia

During the holiday season, people are desperately searching for foods that will satisfy their sweet tooth without adding extra inches around their waistline. Stevia could very well be the answer not only for weight loss and maintenance, but also for many other health problems.

The natural sweetener, called stevia, is made from the leaves of the stevia plant. These little leaves are extremely sweet and contain no calories or sugar. Plus, stevia is a safer option to other artificial sweeteners. Webmd.com states, "Stevioside has been safely used in research in doses of up to 1500 mg per day for 2 years." Due to the fact that stevia can be up to 300 times sweeter than sugar, most people would not even be able to consume 1500 mg in a whole week.