Vegetable Glycerine

Vegetable glycerine is extracted from fats or oils. The use of pressure, heat, and water results in the absorption of glycerol fats in the water through the process of hydrolysis. The result is a clear, colorless, odorless liquid which is sweet in nature. Glycerine is soluble in both water and alcohol, so it is often used in cosmetics.

The reason it is the best choice for stevia is that glycerine helps in the solvency of plant extracts. The sweet flavor also helps to quiet the slightly bitter taste of stevia. The best part is that it keeps alcohol out of the extract which is better for us as humans to consume. So if you use the liquid stevia, look to see what it has been extracted in.

Inulin

Yesterday I mentioned stevia plus which is stevia and inulin fiber. Inulin fiber is composed of several simple sugars linked together. These are naturally occurring polysaccharides produced from many plants. Inulin fiber is classified as a fructans fiber.

Inulin fiber has many beneficial properties from a health standpoint. First, inulin does not cause increases in insulin production or in blood sugar. Therefore it is something that diabetics can use. Some of the other benefits are that it increases magnesium and calcium absorption in the body. Inulin also promotes the growth of normal intestinal bacteria.

One word of caution, inulin fiber can cause gas if taken in large amounts, so go easy with it.

Stevia Clarification

One my readers sent a response regarding stevia. I want to make sure that I was clear about stevia. You should read the label as always. You want to get pure stevia, not the blended stevia. Blended stevia's are stevia that is mixed or blended with sugar alcohols (erythritol). I am not a fan of this type of stevia.

There are basically 4 forms of stevia. First is the dried ground leaf form. This is a green powder. The second form is the dried whole leaf. Third is the liguid form of stevia. Be sure you read the labels on the liquid forms of stevia. Choose one that is in a vegetable glycerine solution. This is not the sugar alcohol (erythritol). The fourth form is stevia plus which is a powder form. In this form the stevia is combined with inulin, a carbohydrate.

I'll talk more tomorrow about inulin.

Natural Sweeteners

One of the best natural sweeteners that has been around for literally centuries is stevia. Many of you may be familiar with stevia. The USA took a long time before they would allow stevia to be sold here. The FDA has approved stevia (not that I necessarily agree that if the FDA has approved anything it is good for you). But what will happen now is that we are likely to begin seeing foods made with stevia.

My recommendation regarding stevia is to be sure you get pure stevia. There are products out there like Truvia and PureVia which actually not only have stevia in them, but the manufacturers mix the stevia with erythritol. See yesterday's post regarding erythritol. I do not recommend the blended stevia products.

There are some other natural sweeteners out there and those include raw honey, organic maple syrup, and sorghum syrup. Unlike stevia, these three natural sweeteners have about the same number of calories as refined sugar. But they are far better for your body then refined sugar.