Words of Wisdom

Oh Garfield. So wise. Sorry to bring on the cheese, but I really do think of toasters when I think of "morning people" and popping out of bed.

I read this on wikipedia today, and it does site the Encyclopedia Britannica as its source:

The ability of a person to wake up effectively in the morning may be influenced by a gene called "Period 3". This gene comes in two forms, a "short" and a "long" variant. It seems to affect the person's preference for mornings or evenings. People who carry the long variant were over-represented as morning people, while the ones carrying the short variant were evening preference people.

Day 5 Got up at 7:20...but I did have to work, and wanted to go to church beforehand, so there was some incentive. I felt okay most of the day, but pretty worn out by evening. Went to bed the earliest so far, must have been around 10:45.

Day 6 Got up at...9. But I didn't feel like this was a fail. I had the day off today, and a lot of studying to get done, and I could tell that if I actually got up at 7 I was going to be a zombie all day, and be frustrated that I got nothing done. So it was a semi-conscious choice. And I got a lot of studying done, once I finally made it out of the house. I'll have to update the bedtime on this tomorrow...not sure if i'll be as tired going to bed tonight, which is a big piece of the puzzle I'd say.

Days 3 and 4

Well, yesterday morn, Day 3, was the first day our heat was on when I woke up. Contrary to my original thought, this did not make it easier to get out of bed. I think I dozed between 7 and 7:45 when I finally got up. I may have actually felt a little less tired most of yesterday though. I don't remember wanting to curl up in a ball on the floor. :)
Going to bed last night was a complete fail. But in my defense, it was Friday night. Also, it should be made clear that alcohol isn't going to help with this experience, and I did have 2 drinks. So I went to bed at 1am.

This morning, also a fail. Snoozed and even reset the alarm. Managed to become upright at 10am. So if it takes 21 days to form a habit, does that mean tomorrow is day 1 again? Oy.

I will say this: I think another part of my reluctance to all of this is that I do think you should pay attention to what your body is telling you. And I've felt like mine was telling me to keep sleeping in the morning. But there's a difference between giving yourself what it needs(extra rest, some time to yourself, time for reflection), and imposing some discipline through routines. It can be hard to tell what's what. I have lived through a time in my life where I just pushed and pushed and never gave myself the time or the rest that I needed, and I'm protective of that now, because I don't want to get to that point again. But I think there's some room for balance. And I'm still calling tomorrow day 5.

a morning person

As wrong as it may seem to some, I just have always felt that there are "morning" people and "night" people, and since I was a little girl, still awake while Johnny Carson was on in the background, I have been entirely a "night" person. So when I had a visit with my naturopath earlier this week, and she told me I need to be going to bed earlier (between 9-11pm) and getting up earlier (at 7am), I felt confused, befuddled, perhaps a little disbelief. But how, I asked, will I be able to get out of bed, if I don't have somewhere to be? She seemed confused, "Can't you just be in your house?" she asked... "No, I mean physically, how will I be able to get out of bed, if I'm not expected anywhere?"... Just do it, you'll get used to it, she tells me. She wasn't that harsh, I could just tell, she must be a morning person. Also she has kids, and when you have kids, you kind of have to get up when they do...

Now I'm not saying I'm a lazy layabout. I don't sleep til all hours of the afternoon. But I do work different shifts on different days so I don't always have to be somewhere in the mornings, and I certainly have trouble being in bed before midnight. But I didn't think I was doing all that badly. So I decided to just listen to her. And see what happens. It takes twenty-one days to form a habit, so maybe it's about having the habit of early waking. Although I have to say the only time I've woken up naturally early in the morn is either when I'm having a lot of anxiety, or when I'm in pain. And don't get me wrong, I've had plenty of jobs that required an early waking time, but honestly that just made me feel like neither a morning or night person, a nothing person. Tired all the time.

So today is day two. And I have twelve minutes before I have to be in bed, asleep. I think today I felt even worse than yesterday. It's actually still kind of dark at 7am, and it's been so cold. Cold fall, turning in the winter might be the worse time to start such a regimen, but here I am. Granted some of this "feeling glued to the bed in the morning feeling" might be symptomatic of my larger health picture/problems, so maybe someday I will figure all of that out. Or maybe it will always be a struggle. I will say that I'm surprised I've been able to do it two days in a row. I haven't jumped out of bed, I have pressed the snooze, but I haven't fallen back to sleep either.

Day 1 (yesterday) I woke up at 7, physically got out of bed at about 7:30. Went for a walk to the mailbox, and felt ok for some of the day, but really wanted to go to bed at 7pm, sadly realizing that I had only been up for 12hours. Went to bed for real just a little after 11pm.

Day 2 (today) woke up at 7, stayed awake but did not actually rise out of bed until 7:45. Did my pilates for posture dvd and even managed to shower, though it was freezing out. And I suppose I'll be in bed a little after 11 again this eve. But I was really tired today, especially after lunch it just hits and I want to curl up in a little ball.

So yes, I want to hear your thoughts, morning person or night? Has it changed over the years? What are the contributing factors if it has changed. Do you feel changed for the better? More productive, more energy, etc??

I'm still skeptical about this sticking, but I figure I need to swallow my pride, because if I can't take my health care practitioner's advice, how can I expect anyone to take mine?

Tinctures.

I'll start by saying, I never quite saw the use for making my own tinctures, they are certainly easy to find in health food stores, and I probably would trust the consistency and potency of a store bought one, more than I'd trust my own...but all that aside, not only is it very easy to do, it is kind of satisfying to know that in a pinch, you would know how to use the plants around you to help heal yourself. With everything up in the air with the healthcare debates, and the idea always being thrown around to more strictly regulate vitamins and herbs and supplements in general, it's nice to know that you could provide for yourself and your family if things started getting crazy...and the things you were used to depending on, became scarce.

Certain plants lend themselves to just making simple infusions (think "tea": putting the fresh or dried plant in boiled water), or decoctions (boiling the plant in the water for varying amounts of time, depending on the plant)...but if it's a plant you can ingest, you may want to tincture it to have a highly concentrated and stable form of it on hand for when the fresh plant isn't readily available (think winter, or when you're traveling).

So basically, all you need are some sterilized jars, some 100 proof alcohol (which means it's a 50/50 mix of alcohol and water--keep that one out of reach otherwise, it could do some damage to 'ya), and the plant material you would like to tincture (it can be fresh or dried).

I used the leaves of some first year Mullein plants (helpful for respiratory ailments, among other things), and some Lemon Balm (calming for anxiety, depression, insomnia), to make two separate tinctures.

I collected the plants, using only healthy looking plant parts, (in this case the leaves of the plants), cleaned them, finely chopped them, put them in the previously sterilized jar, and added twice the amount of alcohol, as plant solids. Then, I have been shaking them twice a day, while leaving them in the sunlight (a windowsill) and will continue to do so, for two weeks. Some say they will be more potent if you start them on the new moon (which I did) and end them on the full moon (which I plan to). It's also not a bad idea to think about the ways they can help heal as you shake them...I know, it sounds wacky, but it can't hurt. At the end of the two weeks, I will strain them through some clean muslin, and transfer them to dark bottles, filling them as full as possible to avoid oxygen breaking them down, and store them in a cool dark place.

Plants!

I took an herbology course at the end of June, and at the time, I was a little disappointed with it. Now, a few months later, I have to admit that it really helped stir my interest in medicinal plants that we just know as "weeds" that grow all around us. I've been pretty lucky this summer to have gone on some plant walks both guided and with friends, and feel like I'm finally starting to recognize many of the little things growing all around me.

The first self-guided walk, that a friend and I went on, reminded me of walking through a large museum, or trying to get through all the galleries in Chelsea. You really had to choose what to look at, because there was so much. You could either stop and look and try to identify each plant you saw, or you could take stock, and keep moving and until something catches your eye. We were armed with plant identification books, and it helped that my friend had been through that patch of woods many times, and had seen many of the plants earlier stages (like flowering) which really help with identification.

Jewelweed was the first plant that I feel like I really made friends with. It was nice that it was such an exact match with all of our guidebooks as well. Much like when you learn a new word, you start to hear it everywhere you go, once we saw and identified the Jewelweed, we couldn't stop seeing it at every turn. It is definitely an invasive species, and you can see why once it gets to its seedpod stage, they literally POP! and spray the seeds all over the ground.

Its use is mainly for skin irritations, and the leaves and stems are especially helpful for the poison ivy rash. You can just mash them up and put them directly on the skin. They start to become a bit mucilaginous when you break and squish them, making it easier to apply to your skin. I also took some home and heated the chopped leaves and stems in oil (on a very low heat), for several hours, then strained out the solids to make a topical Jewelweed solution to have on hand.

The other photo is of Virginia Creeper, which was the first one I identified all by myself! Fun stuff. I started some herbal tinctures on Friday, so I'll post those photos soon!

Healthcare

The more I hear people speaking of the current healthcare debate, the more I think that asking whether or not a universal healthcare bill is a good idea is fundamentally the wrong question. There is nothing in any of these bills that will overhaul the way people are treated medically, that will stop medical establishments from drugging people to death, that will encourage personal responsibility for our own health, that will cover less invasive, traditional medicines and alternative modalities. I’m not saying that we don’t need hospitals or doctors, but I am saying that we need to change the pill popping mentality, and doctor as ultimate health authority before anything else can really change in a positive way.

If more people have access to the same not-so-great healthcare, or possibly worse watered down healthcare, then, in the long run, more people might end up sicker than before, but with less debt. And is that the goal, just to bring costs down? What about quality, truly integrated, consumer focused healthcare? Shouldn't that be the goal? It just seems like right now everything being discussed is dollars and cents.

And if we are worried at all about the kind of legislation that could come through that takes away certain rights, or mandates this or that(which we probably should be), one thing we can always do is arm ourselves with knowledge, and learn how to use the natural remedies that exist in our backyards.

I took a semi-disappointing herbology workshop a few weeks ago, but one thing that I got out of it, was that herbs that heal really are all around us. They are inexpensive, can be self-sufficient, and they work. If you learn how to prepare and use them properly, you are already ahead of the game, no matter what happens. And that goes back to the personal responsibility argument…this is not a question of placing blame on a person who develops an illness, it is a question of informing yourself and making your healthcare decisions based on a well rounded perspective of the situation, instead of accepting the standard protocol for each disease as counseled to you by a single human person, trained in one philosophy of medicine.

My main concern is that it’s not just the system that is such a mess, but that the quality and choice of services is so limited that making it cheaper will only compound the problem and further distract everyone from the very real issue of people getting sicker and sicker both because of the choices they make on their own, and with the help of their healthcare providers offering one sided solutions to multi-faceted problems.

Yikes, sorry for being so ranty.

Reiki

Okay, I should preface this with the fact that I've been researching Reiki a bit. I've been considering getting trained in it because it is such a non-invasive way to help someone feel more centered, less stressed, more calm. And if you believe all the things that are said about it, it has the power to yield dramatic results: detoxing, healing, better sleep, etc...

No matter how you describe it, it's hard for it not to sound really New Agey. It is basically laying on of hands in specific positions and sequence, to open up a flow of energy, or rather to connect you with the universal energy. The only way I am reconciling that right now, is that I believe in God who would be the source of all energy in and around us, and I believe in the power of human touch, and if nothing else, it is a soothing, relaxing restful period where two people are connected with something larger, through platonic touch. Mostly through clothing and even a blanket except for the the head. There was a woman nearby offering free mini-treatments, so I went to check it out. Of course I was the only one that showed up, which is what I was afraid of before I went. I had decided in advance to really trust my gut, if I was feeling like it was too wierd or uncomfortable, I was just going to leave. Despite the somewhat strange stories she ended up telling me, I never felt uncomfortable, or manipulated, she never tried to sell me anything, and I actually really enjoyed the treatment. Here is what I wrote after I got back that night. (I tried to be as detailed as possible because I knew I would forget things later, so this does get a little long...)

When I got there, we chatted a bit about how she got into healing…she told me some stories about taking people on a trip to Tibet. How three times on the trip she was made aware the someone might die, and stopped her meditating to go work them through to save them. How three of them moved a truck with their minds that was stuck in the sand. You know, things I wouldn’t have told me if I knew how skeptical I was.

She said she been doing this for 22, or 24 years, she wasn’t good with numbers. I think I mentioned how when I first heard about Reiki I thought it was too ‘out there”. She seemed surprised, given that I was studying natural healing. I said I’ve come around to different energy modalities, but I do tend to want to be able to explain things scientifically, or at least show that something can be replicated even though clinical trials don't always lend themselves to proving certain modalities.

She gave me copies of a couple of articles about studies that had been done, and asked if I knew that many hospitals are including Reiki in their treatments now. I said I did notice that at least one hospital in our area offers it at their cancer center. She said she’s trained nurses, and doctors, over 50 nuns(but then, she’s not so good with numbers), and a priest…Not in a defensive way, just eager to share how widespread it has become.

Before we started she did some balance checking on me. She stayed seated across the room from me, and first had me hold out a piece of my hair above my head. Then she had me hold my hand (I chose to use the right hand) above my head with the palm facing down. Then hold my hand above my head with the palm facing up. Then she had me touch just below my collarbone on the left side with the same hand, and then just below the collarbone on the right. Then she had me put my thumb inside my fist and do the two collarbone placements again.

From this she said that I was dehydrated (the hair), that I had two or later she said three brain areas out of balance and my polarities were reversed. When I asked her whether she was seeing that or feeling it, she replied that she was dousing. To reorganize all of that, she had me cross my left ankle over my right, then cross my right hand over my left and clasp my hands and bring them up around to my heart. Then she had me breath in while putting my tongue behind my top teeth, and breathe out with my tongue touching my bottom teeth. We did that for about a minute, and then she retested (oh and she gave me some water) and I seemed more in balance. I did feel a little calmer, but the power of suggestion is strong…

She asked me if I had any physical or emotional issues she should know about before we started. I told her that I didn’t get as much physical exercise since I moved, and I think that has affected my body. And that emotionally the transition has been pretty hard. Living with the parents again etc…

For the Reiki, she had a massage table set up with a pillow and a sheet on it. I took my shoes and glasses off. I lay on my back and she put a pillow under my knees and a light blanket up over my shoulders. She told me she would touch my sternum at one point if it was okay, but she wouldn’t touch any sexual organs. She asked if any smells bothered me, and I told her usually just chemical ones. She asked me if I grew up with, or had any religious or spiritual belief, and I told her I was Catholic. She said that was wonderful and mentioned the nuns again. She asked me if I believed in Angels then, and I said that I suppose I do. She used two aromatherapy oils, I can’t remember the name of the first one, but the second one was frankincense. She also mentioned that they use it in church sometimes. Now I’m wondering if she was trying to connect to me on that level.

She started on my head, as she did the top, and side I started to feel a little achiness where I usually have it in my neck on the left side. It was almost as if the other parts of my head and neck felt good and warm and soothed, so it made that part stand out. I only mentioned it to her afterwards, but she said if I had told her she would have stayed longer on the back part.

I half opened my eyes when she was doing part of my face/throat area. One of her hands was hovering above my body and was drawing something away from my throat in the air. Every once in awhile she would breathe in and out loudly, almost as if she was expelling something out for me. I just focused on breathing.

When I had first come into the office, my hands and feet were both cold. As she went on, maybe after she worked near my heart, I realized my hands were warm. There were some hand placements she did on my stomach, and then my knees, and she ran her hands down from my knees to my feet, but the warmth never reached there.

She had me lay on my front towards the end because she was feeling like she needed to work the adrenals.

I definitely felt warmth from her hands, but sometimes she moved them and I almost wondered if she was trying to simulate the pulsating that people sometimes say they feel. On the other hand, I at times it felt like I could feel my heartbeat in the part of my body where her hands were, or maybe it was her heartbeat? Maybe that is what is meant by pulsating.

Oh there was a point when she was working on my head that I felt some tension or something welling up. Not to the point where I thought I might cry, but the point a couple of steps before that.

When she finished she went out to wash her hands, then came back and I sat up a bit, and she asked me to tell her what I felt, and then she told me her observations. I told her the thing about my head and neck, and the warming of my hands, but not quite my feet.

She said she felt like I was receiving solid energy very well. Actually I think the first thing she said was that my eyes looked brighter (or clearer?). She said she should have had me look in the mirror before we started. Even though I felt very relaxed during the treatment, once I flipped over to my front and she worked on my adrenals I felt very alert, much more so than when I got there, so I could imagine my eyes looking different. She also asked if I had ever had any energy treatments before. I said no. When she said the thing about the solid energy, I asked if that’s why she asked if I had received treatments before, like is there a foundation that has to be laid in order to receive it well? But she said no, that you take as much as you need, and that it stays with you, so that each time you go to a better place or level or something…you don’t start from scratch.

She said she felt something blocked in my throat, and I think she said she wasn't able to remove it just then. I asked if it was related to the cold I had last week, because I still have some congestion, but she said no, that it was emotional, and it had been there a long time. That’s when I remembered about the tension welling up in my throat like I might cry.

Then she said she felt my liver flushing, and to make sure I drank some water, and didn’t do anything to overly tax the liver in the next 24 hours. She didn’t think there would be any major detox issue, but just to be aware of it. And then she said she had been told to work on the adrenals (this may have been the point where she mentioned angels again, in such a way that I got the point that it was angels guiding her…like when she said she was "told" to work on a certain place) but when she when she went to the adrenals they weren’t as bad as she thought.

So I asked about her classes, and got on her mailing list, and thanked her and went on my way. I felt pretty good after, but I did start crying a little when I first got into the car. And then a bit more and harder, but not for very long on the drive home. I had the urge to be outside and breathe, and the moon was almost full and pretty amazing looking, so I stopped for a minute before I got to my house. But the moon was covered by clouds at that point. Still it felt good to just breathe the fresh air. And stop thinking for a moment and just be.

My feet are still cold, but I think I feel kind of good. No proof, but I think I would do it again. And I’m still thinking about taking the classes…

What is a whole grain?

I thought it might be helpful to discuss the basics of whole grains. I think that phrase “whole grains” is thrown around a lot. We know they are “good” for us, but could we identify a whole grain, and what it’s made up of if we had to? How about why they are better than other types of grains? I’m not sure I could have answered specifically until recently.

A grain is actually a seed made up of three parts: the germ, the endosperm and the bran. A grain is considered whole if it still has all three of these parts intact.

The germ, is what will make the seed grow, if given the chance. Normally, we don’t think of our grains this way; but if they are whole, intact, and fresh enough, we can actually sprout them or plant them. The reason why you can soak grains overnight and unlock enzymes and phytic acid is because there is an active part (the germ) that lies dormant in a grain until it is given a warm, moist environment. The germ is the part that gives rise to the first tiny leaves and rootlets. It contains vitamins, oils and proteins. It is an especially important source of vitamin E.

The endosperm or starchy bulk of the grain is what nourishes the seedling during its early growth before its leaves have begun photosynthesis. It is made up of starch granules packed into tiny compartments, the walls of which are mostly protein. The parts that are left after a grain has been refined will generally come from this part of the seed.

The bran is the tough outer covering that protects the grain. It is composed of several layers and contains minerals, fiber, significant amounts of protein and also small amounts of certain vitamins. (It is usually a good source of b-vitamins) *


When you start to think about grains like this, it seems strange that we would eat them, without growing them and unlocking all the potential they carry for making more nutrients, vitamins and enzymes…but that of course gets into a lot of history of civilization etc. that far surpasses my knowledge on this topic. But it does start to make sense that some people only use sprouted grains. Ezekiel bread, for instance, is made from sprouted grains. Sprouted grains are easier to digest and contain more nutrients and enzymes than regular old dormant grains.


Why did grains like wheat start being refined?

1. It made them more palatable to people. Less things to chew, more “pure” taste, lighter colored, spongier bread.
2. Refined flour for instance is probably easier to digest, because it has less fiber and no phytic acid left.
3. It prolongs the shelf life. No vitamins or oils left, almost nothing left in it at all that could go bad!

I’m sure there were other reasons, but it would seem that those are the main ones. The biggest reason is probably the third one. Imagine all the things that you could do, all the products you could market, all the people you could feed if you had this food that didn’t go bad! And yet, the very reason it couldn’t go rancid is what makes it such an empty, non-nourishing food. The oils, the nutrients, they’re all gone! When it was discovered that perhaps people were starting to get sick because of missing vitamins in the flour, what was the solution? Enrich it!

So, start with a whole food, take everything out of it that might be nourishing and healthful,(and yes, perishable) then isolate a few of the nutrients we know for sure that we need, and throw those back in. Hmm, sounds like shoddy workmanship to me. We STILL don’t know all the nutrients, phyto-nutrients and other possible components that most whole foods contain. The more we study food, the more we find out that many whole foods in their natural state contain the perfect complement of nutrients, fats, carbohydrates and protein, but we have become so used to the taste and texture of stripped down, sugar-filled, refined foods, that we don’t want the whole stuff anymore.

Where does that leave us? We have become a nation that has access to plentiful amounts of food, but we’re starving. Our bodies are crying out for the nutrients that should have been there but aren’t. And each of these nutrients has specific jobs that they perform in our bodies. When we start consistently lacking many of them a whole host of problems become apparent. (I'm not going to speculate diseases, but this would be the part where I start listing them:)) As Ballentine puts it, each time we eat a food that has been stripped of one of its natural elements, we incur a nutrient debt. Our bodies digest the good parts that are left in the food, but are waiting for the nutrients that should have been there. And so, since we are still hungry, we eat more food that lacks all the components that our bodies need, and incur even more nutrient debt and so the cycle continues.

Even if we can’t cut out all the refined sugar or flour in our lives right away, what about adding one good thing? One whole, unprocessed food this very week. Maybe something we’ve never tried before. Maybe something we used to like, but haven’t had in years. Maybe something we used to hate, but need to try again.

Kale, beets, arugala, artichokes, avocadoes, quinoa, sprouted bread?

*(A lot of this information is from the excellent Diet & Nutrition, by Rudolph Ballentine)

Phytic Acid!

That exclamation mark is to encourage the fascination that I have with this new found problem/solution.

I recently learned that many grains have naturally occurring enzyme inhibitors, which make them much harder to digest, which means you don't get the nutrients from them that you thought you were getting.

In addition to that, Phytic acid, or Phytate, is also a naturally occurring substance in grains, seeds, nuts and legumes. It binds to minerals and then carries them out of your body through your bowels (yum!). This could mean that you are absorbing very little of the nutrient content of those nutrient packed whole foods!

Fortunately, simply soaking the grains in water overnight dissolves the enzyme inhibitor, and putting a small amount (approx 2 Tbl. per dry cup ) of whey, kefir, or yogurt (or in a pinch, lemon juice) breaks down the phytic acid.

Phytase (the "ase" ending indicates an enzyme ) is the enzyme that breaks down phytic acid, so that you can actually absorb more of those minerals, (iron, calcium, magnesium etc.) from your grains and legumes. From what I understand, the water combined with the acid (whey, kefir, yogurt) is what helps the phytase do its job. I'm not sure why this wouldn't occur in your stomach, perhaps it does, but to a much lesser degree. Apparently (see Amanda Rose and her research below) tests have shown the lack of absorption of these important minerals.

And the worst part is (after I had just discovered how amazing steel cut oats were as opposed to instant) oatmeal retains its phytic acid even after you go through this extra step! I got a lot of great information from Amanda Rose, and she recommends mixing some freshly ground wheat berries into the oatmeal before you start soaking, because wheat has high amounts of phytase to break down the phytic acid. You can enroll in a free email "course" (from Amanda Rose) about phytic acid HERE! It's been interesting, she sends an email everyday (I'm on day 16, not sure how long it goes) with just a few points on a topic related to phytic acid and health or cooking. I've started a Word document to combine them all, because I don't do well with daily emails :)

One easy way to get whey is to strain some plain (organic!) yogurt through cheesecloth or muslin. Then you can use the strained yogurt to make a dip! We like to put garlic and basil in it 'round here.

Practical details: Leave the grains and water on the counter, or even in a warm place overnight covered with a plate, or clear plastic wrap, as the warmth seems to be essential to this process.
With the grains you don't have to throw out the water afterwards, as the phytic acid has been broken down so will not bind anymore. One exception might be quinoa, as you do need to rinse it to get rid of that natural bitter flavor...we rinsed ours before we soaked and after. It's not clear to me whether or not minerals are lost if you do end up throwing out the water. A bonus to this extra step is that cooking times will be MUCH shorter.

Most of the info I've just given applies to grains(which I eat the most, so I was most interested in), but could be a bit different for seeds, nuts and legumes. In addition to Amanda Rose, the Nourishing Traditions cookbook, by Sally Fallon talks about why and how we should soak these things as does one of the the blogs I have listed to the right The Nourishing Gourmet. It's a wonderful blog with lots of great cooking ideas, and she bases a lot of her cooking philosophy on Nourishing Traditions.

The Stevia Question

Stevia is a plant-derived sweetener that you're going to be hearing a lot about in the coming months. It is made from the leaf of the plant and can be 400 times as sweet as sugar, but without the blood sugar variations that most sweeteners inflict on us. In fact, it has been shown to improve blood sugar responses. The FDA just approved an extract (from what I understand, the sweet part) of the stevia plant called Rebaudioside-A for use in food products.

As most things, the sweetener's proponents and detractors have a lot to say. And I'll admit, I'm confused. When I was first introduced to the sweetener several years ago, I heard all the positives. When I read about the FDA approval yesterday I got more and more confused. Stevia's history with the FDA is apparently long and storied. In 1991 in the midst of some controversy, it was banned as a food product in the US, even though normal procedure is to consider foods safe until they have been proven otherwise. It was still allowed to be sold, but as a supplement (which is even more confusing because in the US the DHEA regulates vitamins and supplements as foods!). The thought was, in 1991, that the FDA was feeling pressure from the soda corporations that were entrenched with nutra-sweet/aspartame and other artificial sweeteners and so put the kibosh on approving it as a food additive.

All that aside, when I first read the news yesterday, I thought I was reading a criticism of the latest approval because it is only an approval of an extract of the plant, and therefore might be missing some of the better properties that a "whole food" could provide. But no, I guess that's just (part of) my bone to pick with this whole thing.

If any of you have tried stevia in the past, you may have noticed a slightly bitter aftertaste. Another troubling nugget that I learned while researching all of this is that many companies that now sell it claim to make it from a plant that basically has less of what makes it bitter. Combine that information with the fact that the Stevia plant doesn't produce many seeds, and is therefore easier to clone than breed (apologies if I'm using the wrong lingo here), and you've got plenty of reason to believe that the Stevia you buy is probably from a Genetically Modified Organism(GMO).

Another concern is all the processing that happens to get that sweet part out of the plant, as well as why Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Co are so interested in this...

I'm curious to see what happens next, and if maybe there's a piece to this puzzle that I'm missing. At the end of the day, it's always better to eat the whole food instead of some isolated element(that seems to be highly processed to boot). And it's good to know where it came from and what happened to the seed/plant before that. Nature! What a novel idea.

Some of the literature I've read now makes it unclear whether or not the FDA really gave the go ahead, or if they are just about to...

FYI: Trademarked stevia sweetners are Truvia™ (Coca Cola and Cargill) and PureVia™ (Whole Earth Sweetener Company LLC and PepsiCo).