If you haven’t tried stevia yet, what are you waiting for? Stevia is an all-natural sugar substitute that has been around for centuries. It has no calories, no carbs and no harmful side effects. And if you choose the right brand, such as SweetLeaf, it is GMO free, and 100% organic! It’s the sweetener of choice if you’re watching your health and your waistline.

Current research is pointing to the negative health effects of consuming too much sugar. Sugar contributes not only to diabetes and obesity, but it is now linked to a whole host of inflammatory conditions — like heart disease, and can even aggravate conditions like Lupus and Rheumatoid  Arthritis.

So okay, we, as a country need to cut back on the sugar. But what do you do if you like your coffee light and sweet? Or even if you want an occasional sweet treat?

Stevia could be the answer for you. I know it was for me.

Stevia is great in hot or cold beverages, on cereal or fruit. and you can even use it for baking. A little bit goes a long way, so you don’t even need much to get wonderful sweetness without sugar.

Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) is extracted from the leaves of the Stevia plant and is 200–300 times sweeter than sugar, but does not effect blood glucose levels and is considered safe for diabetics. The plant is a native of Paraguay and Brazil, where it is used as a traditional medicinal herb for obesity and blood sugar disorders. But stevia is easily cultivated and grows well in many areas of the world.

In America, the great no-cal sweetener debate has centered around saccharin and aspartame, and more recently Sucralose (Splenda). All these sugar substitutes have one thing in common, they are made up of chemicals, or chemically processed to produce a sweet taste were stevia is all-natural.

Especially when it comes to Sucralose (Splenda), which has been touted as an all-natural and safe alternative to sugar, but is in fact not all it claims to be.

Sucralose may start out in something like a natural state — it is essentially derived from sucrose (a form of sugar) or raffinose (which is derived from beans and onions). But it is then chemically altered using trityl chloride, acetic anhydride, and thionyl chloride, all of which have been linked to cancer, allergies and health problems.

In Japan, stevia has been the sugar-free sweetener of choice — over saccharin, aspartame, Sucralose and even xylitol  —  in soft drinks and foods since 1977. And it has been enjoyed by millions of people worldwide with no reports of toxic effects in adults or children.

Studies have also uncovered additional health benefits of stevia, over and above its sweet flavor. Stevia has been shown to actually decrease blood sugar levels and improve insulin resistance in type 2 diabetics.

Stevia is available at most grocery stores and online as whole leaf (green), a liquid extract (brown), and a powder (white). The powder is also sold in convenient little packets that make it very purse-friendly.

But be sure to read the packaging on the brand you choose. In addition to making sure the brand you choose is organic and GMO-free, watch out for any additives that are unnecessary and unwanted.

Some stevia that is being sold as 100% stevia is actually a mix of sugar or Sucralose and stevia.  Mixing stevia with sugar or Sucralose might indeed lower your sugar intake, but it might also negate any health benefits you’re looking for.

I have this mantra when it comes to food – “Fresh is best.” But apparently not when it comes to carrots. Who would have guessed?

Cooking carrots in fat or oils, or pureeing or juicing them increases the availability of carotenoids by 600%. Fats also help the absorption of carotenoids into the blood by 1000 % because carotenoids are fat soluble, making the availability of vitamin A optimal, as well as all the antioxidant benefits.

This is worth noting since carotenoids, a group of A vitamins that includes beta-carotene, lycopene and lutein, are your first best line of defense against free-radical damage, helping you stay young longer, and feel better.

According to the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes “Dietary carotenoids are thought to provide health benefits in decreasing the risk of disease, particularly certain cancers and eye disease.”

So – If you are looking for a healthy way to heat things up in the kitchen this Valentines Day, look no further.

One of my favorite, “Spring Forward” recipes is also one that I “fall back” on all year for three reasons. Its simple, tastes great, and I nearly always have the ingredients on hand.

If you have never made carrot soup, give this one a try. You can spice it up with cinnamon and ginger, onions and garlic, or even cheese, (but I love it just plain.)

This recipe is especially easy for kids to enjoy because it has a sweet, not complex taste and creamy texture.

Ingredients:

• Carrots
• Wild Oats Chicken Broth
• ¼ cup Organic Butter (You can substitute three to four tblspns Wild Oats Organic Olive or Cocoanut Oil if you prefer, but I like butter.)
• Three tablespoons flour
• 1 cup whole organic milk
• Salt and Pepper

Preparation:

• Clean and chop 4 cups of carrots into 1” pieces into medium saucepan
• Cover with two cups of Chicken Broth
• Boil until carrots are very tender
• Pour hot carrots and broth into blender
• Add butter and blend
• Combine Flour and cold milk
• Add to blender ingredients
• Blend until creamy
• Season to taste with salt and pepper, ginger and cinnamon or whatever you like.
• Garnish with a sprig of parsley or Cilantro.

 Further Reading

Role of carotenoids in human health

10 benefits of carrots

What are the health benefits of carrots?

When I first saw this article about WiFi dangers, I must admit I thought it was just another one of those “everything is bad for us” warnings.

Of course I read it on a laptop, with a WiFi router to my left, a tablet to my right and a cell phone within arm’s reach.

And as anyone over a certain age will admit, we’ve become so completely “connected” over recent years that we’re not quite sure exactly how, or when, it all happened.

But could all that connectivity be affecting us, and our kids, in ways never imagined when we unplugged from the wall and started being so amazingly, efficiently portable in the way we work and play?

Time to plug in?

It’s all about radio frequency radiation (RFR) exposure. And the first article I read, “Parents: Should you nix the WiFi?” from Fearless Parent, discussed all the ways we’re being “radiated,” ranging from microwaves to cordless phones, baby monitors to cell phones, as well as…WiFi routers and devices.

And that’s what really caught my eye.

Because I can certainly put that cell phone on speaker function, toss the cordless phone, and I don’t even own a microwave. But WiFi! How could I possibly do anything online without it?

And what about that iPad, huh? It can’t even plug in if it begged me to.

In fact, the author of that article, Louise Kuo Habakus, feels so strongly about the dangers of WiFi that she penned a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook.

She told him that Apple should be devoting itself to producing “safer” devices, adding warning labels to its products, displaying the SAR (specific absorption rate) for its devices and offering adapters that would allow its products to be used while plugged in…AKA, not just on WiFi.

She also talked about the “thousands of peer-reviewed scientific studies” showing the link between the kind of radiation these devices (not just Apple ones) and routers emit and “serious health problems” including cancer, immune dysfunction, DNA damage and numerous cognitive disorders.

Even scarier, a just-published analysis of the research already out there says that children absorb a greater amount of this radiation than adults do, current exposure limits are “inadequate” and need revision, and that it’s extremely important that pregnant women avoid exposure.

Children, and especially the unborn, the authors said, are much more vulnerable as their bodies are smaller, skulls thinner and brain tissue more “absorbent.”

In an editorial about that study in a tech journal, author Mark Gibbs says, “Will we look back (sadly) in fifty or a hundred years and marvel at how Wi-Fi and cellphones were responsible for the biggest health crisis in human history?”

So if you’re now among the worried, or even the “getting concerned” crowd, here are some things you can do to reduce WiFi RFR exposure.

• Turn off the WiFi and plug that computer or laptop back in the wall for Internet.
• As for iPads, Kindles and other WiFi-only devices, aside from learning how to hack one to be wired, it appears that the best answer is to limit usage, particularly for kids.
• At the very least, turn off your WiFi router at night, especially if it’s in your bedroom.
• And anyone (especially a pregnant woman) who uses these wireless devises should do so on a table, not by plopping them on their stomach.

In fact, it seems reasonable that any woman who’s expecting stop using laptops while on wireless, and iPads and e-readers entirely until after the baby is born.

For everyone else, perhaps the question is: how much do we want to risk being “cooked” for the sake of convenience?

If you’re looking for an elegant Valentine’s Day dessert that says, “I love you so much!” look no further, I have just the thing — Make Almond Poached Pears With Coconut Whip And Amaretti Crumble. It’s an intoxicating mixture of almond liqueur and pear, topped off with real coconut whipped cream and a dusting of crumbled Italian almond cookies. Just boozy enough to have a kick, but light enough to leave room for other desserts, if you know what I mean. Wink, wink.

Happy Valentine’s Day — and your welcome!

Almond Poached Pears With Coconut Whip and Amaretti Crumble

1 cup plus 4 tablespoons DiSaranno Amaretto, or other almond liqueur

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 lemon slice

4 small pears (Pears should be slightly underripe. I used Anjou pears, but use whatever pear you like)

1 teaspoon pure almond extract, divided

2 teaspoon vanilla extract, divided

1/2 teaspoon coconut extract

1 cup organic heavy cream, very cold

1/2 cup Wild Oats Marketplace Organic Unsweetened Flake Coconut**

6 Italian Amaretti cookies, such as Lazzaroni Amaretti Biscuits, crumbled

Peel pears, leaving the pears whole and the stems intact, set aside. In a large, deep skillet or salute pan, combine sugar and water and bring to a boil, stirring until all sugar is dissolved. Add 1 cup of DiSaranno and lemon slice to sugar syrup mixture. Lower heat and add pears. Simmer, covered for 15-20 minutes or until pears are fork tender, turning pears occasionally. Remove pears with a slotted spoon and set aside. Return amaretto/sugar syrup mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook until mixture is reduced by about half. Turn off heat, stir in 1/2 teaspoon almond extract and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Return pears to mixture, turning to coat completely. Cover pan and set aside.

In a chilled mixing bowl, add cold heavy cream, remaining almond and vanilla extracts and coconut extract. Whip cream mixture on high speed of an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in flaked coconut.

To serve: Spoon a tablespoon or so of the sauce onto a serving plate. Place 1 pear on top of sauce and drizzle 1 tablespoon of the remaining DiSaranno over the pear, if desired. Add a generous dollop of the whipped cream and sprinkle with some of the crumbled cookies. Enjoy!

**If you really want to take this wonderful dessert up a notch, toast the coconut in a 375 degree oven for 5 minutes and allow to cool before adding to the whipped cream.

Valentine’s Day isn’t just a time for flowers and chocolate, it’s also a great excuse to show off your cooking skills and whip up a romantic dinner. And Wild Oats has so many delicious, wholesome ingredients; you can make any number of meals for the perfect date night in.

At Wild Oats we think you can’t go wrong with a classic Italian dinner. With our organic pastas, sauces, breads and olive oil, you can make an impressive meal in no time for your sweetheart.

What’s your favorite romantic meal to make? Share with us on Facebook or Twitter for a chance to win Wild Oats prize pack.

If you’re playing along on Facebook, simply comment in our Mission Monday post before 11:59 p.m. ET tonight to be entered to win!

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Good luck! Full Sweepstakes rules and details can be found here http://bit.ly/1DoNN9U.