You will rarely see me promote a product from this site, but this one is so promising that I really want to make it available to you and also give a personal recommendation. People all over the world are safely and legally using the leaves of the stevia plant to sweeten foods and beverages. Stevia, and the extract Stevioside are available in the United States, but because of the inherent competition with companies producing artificial sweeteners such as NutraSweet (aspartame), the Food & Drug Administration has limited it's advertisement and sale to that of a "supplement" only. Nevertheless, stevia is an excellent sweetener, dramatically sweeter than table sugar, and can be used anywhere sugar would be used--coffee, tea, lemonade, juice, baked goods, and all other foods. Perhaps the most appealing features are that stevia has no fat and, unlike sugar and other sweeteners, no calories. An incredible bonus is that there is no effect whatsoever on blood sugar levels.

Some reports claim that stevia can have an unpleasant aftertaste. I recommend great-tasting JAJA Stevioside, which has no aftertaste when used as directed. Currently I use it to sweeten my espresso and hot cereals, but I intend to experiment with it much, much more.

***SUGGESTED COOKBOOKS***

Baking with Stevia: Recipes for the Sweet Leaf (spiral-bound)--Depuydt
Synopsis: A wonderful collection of low-sugar, whole food dessert recipes using an extract of the herb, Stevia rebaudiana as the primary sweetener. Stevia is the safe, natural, super sweet herb from South America. An excellent recipe book for anyone wishing to reduce their consumption of sugars. If you are concerned about too much sugar in your diet and are reluctant to use artificial sweeteners, try these delicious recipes.

Baking with Stevia II: More Recipes for the Sweet Leaf (spiral-bound)--Depuydt
Synopsis: Sixty tested recipes using the naturally sweet herb, Stevia rebaudiana. Contains recipes using the whole, dried herb; herbal concentrate; and herbal extracts. The book contains a full range of dessert and beverage recipes including, muffins, cakes, cookies, bars, puddings, pies, gelatin desserts, toppings, sauces, frozen desserts, and more. Also a list of stevia products, their descriptions and uses, a glossary, baking tips section, directions for making a stevia extract, food substitutions chart, and a resources section.

Sugar-Free Cooking with Stevia: The Naturally Sweet & Calorie-Free Herb (paperback)--Kirkland
Synopsis: Safe and easy to use, you can start cooking with stevia today. Over 200 mouth-watering recipes all with reduced calories! With an easy-to-use conversion chart, you can substitute stevia for sugar or artificial sweeteners in your own recipes. Enjoy beverages, appetizers, main courses, desserts, even candy - all without sugar. Learn how to make sugar-free treats for people with diabetes, hypoglycemia, candidiasis or those that suffer from sugar or artificial sweetener allergies!

Stevia: Natures Sweetener (paperback)--Elkins

The Stevia Cookbook: Cooking With Nature's Calorie-Free Sweetener (paperback)--Gates, Sahelian
Customer Comment (rating=****): Just the first part of this book is worth the purchase price. It's time consumers begin demanding stevia on tabletops in restaurants. The first part of this book is a convincing argument for the use of stevia over aspartame, saccharin, and reducing the amount of sugar in the diet. The authors also give great tips on how to make your own concentrated liquid from the leaves or the powdered versions of stevia. I hope all persons who are interested in their own and their family and friends' health will read and use the information in this book.

Stevia Robandiana: Natures Sweet Secret (paperback)--Richard

Stevia Sweet Recipes: Sugar Free - Naturally! (spiral-bound)--Goettemoeller
Customer Comment (rating=*****): Loved it!!! So far I have only tried one recipe...the apple pie. Everyone loved it. I really like this book because it is completely healthy. Not just sugarless. It also calls for whole food products, not refined. They try and stay away from dairy as much as possible. They give you options just in case you might not like a certain something. Intelligently written.