Please note this product is no longer available. I have since found an alternative which is even better and it is called Sweetia, click here to head over to the Sweetia UK website. I will be doing an updated blog post soon. 10/06/2018
Hi all
Happy New Year to you all!
How many New Years resolutions do you have? Is one of them to get fit and healthy, kick the chocolate or fizzy drinks? These types of resolutions seem to be the most popular ones with my friends and family, which is why I am bringing you this sweet tooth post.
So, I am sure I am not the only one who is trying to get fit and healthy, but having a serious sweet tooth has been destroying my chances of succeeding.
I am currently on a fairly strict diet. That doesn’t mean that I’m under eating or not eating carbs etc, I’m trying to ensure that I eat the right about of calories and the correct ratio of protein, carbohydrates and fats every day, which has been calculated out for me by my gym instructor using figures obtained from a Bodi Trax scan which gives weight, fat%, muscle % and BMR (rascal metabolic rate). The reason for this strict diet came about when I noticed that even though I was working out, my body was not changing shape, I wasn’t burning much fat and I wasn’t gaining much strength. I will be doing another blog post soon all about my Bodi Trax scans, achievements and how I changed my eating habits and monitor my diet.
One thing I have been really struggling with on this healthy eating journey is carbohydrates of which are sugars. I don’t seem to the only one, seems like most people I talk to struggle with carbs…we just love them so much regardless of what form they come in!
I crave sweet treats almost everyday, especially after my evening meal. Also, if I drank tea whether it be black or green, I would have 2-3 heaped teaspoons of sugar. I knew I needed to make a change so the first change I made was about a year ago when I started to substitute cane sugar with honey, as it’s a healthier option. Thing was honey still used up my calories and I wanted to use those calories to eat more food. HAHA, I know I’m a fatty right. So, to save some of the calories I would occasionally skip the honey in my porridge or avoid having tea so I could have extra calories for later on in the day. The honey I used to use had approximately 60 calories in a tablespoon and I felt honey did nothing in terms of filling me up and only added a bit of flavour and instead I could have something substantial, like a small banana or apple.
I started researching sweeteners. My mom occasionally uses sweetener pills such as Sweetex, so I decided to give them a go and i wish I hadn’t…they were disgusting and so bitter. I then moved onto a natural sweetener called Truvia, which is readily available from most supermarkets. This product is great as it is calorie free and reasonably priced. I’ve used it in porridge, baking and hot drinks and doesn’t taste as bad as sweetener pills but for me Truvia still had a strange taste and I had to add quite a lot for it to even slightly resemble the sweetness of cane sugar or honey. Truvia also isn’t 100% Stevia but was Stevia based and contained Erythritol and natural flavours. Erythritol is a sugar alcohol used in Truvia Calorie-Free Sweetener to provide bulk. Bulking agents are additives that increase the bulk of, contribute to the texture, and provide no calories to a food or a beverage.
I continued researching and after a lot of reading I realised that I was on the right track but needed to find pure Stevia, which is derived from a plant found in Brazil. The way purity of Stevia is measured is by the % Rebaudioside A in a product. The higher the percentage the purer it is. I then finally found a couple of UK suppliers of Stevia. I ordered some samples and gave them a go and I have found my saviour. It is the 100% pure Stevia extract, white crystals from Uru Shop. The bags of Stevia come in two sizes, 100g for £9.99 or 200g for £17.50. The % Rebaudioside A of this product is 98.24% and is said to be one of the highest on the market. It may seem very expensive but seriously I only need to use the tip of the teaspoon to get the sweetness I would with 2-3 spoons of cane sugar. The sweetness ratio is 1:30 which means 100g of Stevia is equivalent to 3kg of sugar. I know its insane. The Stevia looks like fine crystals and dissolve in hot drinks very quickly. I have used it in porridge, hot drinks, baking and unlike Truvia and other sweeteners it does not change the taste of the food or drink and does not have that bitterness. The options are endless and you no longer have to worry about the calories and the guilt as it is virtually calorie free. This means for 5-6 days of the week I can use Stevia and if I go and have a naughty treat I won’t even feel bad. I have even stopped buying fruit yoghurt now and make my own as many of them contain a high amount of sugar. It’s so simple, I take some Total 0% Fat Greek Yoghurt, add my chopped fruit, sprinkle of Stevia and give it a good mix and I’m good to go.
Click HERE to visit the Uru shop and check out their Stevia products.
Hope this information is of some help. Good luck for 2016 x
Please note this product is no longer available. I have since found an alternative which is even better and it is called Sweetia, click here to head over to their website to find out more or purchase.
