Stevia For The (low sugar) Raw Food Kitchen

If you've tried stevia in the past and didn't care for it, you may change your tune when you try Omica Organics Liquid Stevia. It's bitter free and unreconstituted. That means, like other liquid stevias that are first extracted from the stevia plant, processed into a powder and then formulated into liquid, this one is extracted using a proprietary TruExtract process that comes straight from the plant to bring you a fresher, truer flavor. For those who are new to stevia, this is a zero calorie sweetener that won't raise your blood sugar or contribute to tooth decay and is completely safe unlike aspartame, sucralose and saccharin. It's 15 times sweeter than sugar so a little goes a long way.

This is the purest and best tasting stevia I've ever tried and the only one I use and recommend.

• No artificial colors, flavors or preservatives
• Zero calorie, zero carbohydrates, zero glycemic index
• Certified organic, non-GMO, gluten-free, kosher, vegan, non-irradiated
• Only certified organic glycerin and certified organic alcohol are used to help preserve and extend shelf life.
• Omica Organic's propietary stevia is cultivated from an extensive network of family-owned stevia farms. Self-sustaining farming methods help preserve the naturally-beneficial phytochemicals of the stevia leaf. The leaves are picked by hand at the peak time of the growing season and then dried naturally with sunlight and fresh air.
   **600 servings in every 2 oz bottle**

 I find it works best in creamy and liquid recipes like:
-Smoothies
-Chia Pudding
-Tea
-Ice Cream
-Ice Pops
-Yogurt
-Homemade Chocolate
-Plain Soda Water

If I want to use stevia in a raw dessert, I often will use it with another sweetener like xylitol, palm sugar, coconut nectar, honey, maple syrup, or agave. There's a synergy to blending sweeteners together so it doesn't become overpowered by the stevia. I write many of my recipes this way and use stevia regularly in my book Raw & Simple.

If I'm working out of a recipe book and it calls for 1/2 cup of maple syrup, honey, coconut nectar, or agave. I can cut down the glycemic load by substituting about a fourth of the recipe with stevia. It does depend on the recipe, though. If a certain amount of liquid is needed for a recipe to work, I have to base my substitution on whether this will affect the texture and outcome of the recipe. Oftentimes, switching out 1-2 tablespoons won't make a difference (but enough of a difference for someone who is following a low glycemic diet).

For substituting sugar in recipes the conversion is roughly:
1 teaspoon sugar = 2-4 drops stevia
1 tablespoons sugar = 6-9 drops
1 cup sugar = 1 teaspoon

Natural sweeteners that all equal 1 cup sugar*
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup honey
1 1/4 cup agave
6-7 dates
2/3 cup palm sugar
Coconut Nectar

*Conversion info from My Real Food Life

I'll let you figure out the math, but rule of thumb is go slow. Start with 1-2 drops of stevia at a time when adding it to your recipes and gradually build up.

I have 3 tasty flavors in the shop that you can mix and match in your recipes. I especially love to mix the vanilla with the butterscotch when I'm making chocolate desserts. You'll also find one bottle will last you several weeks so it's a great value. Stock up here before they're gone!

My New Project

For the past several months I've been working quietly on a new website. I wanted to combine my love of nutrition, food, and healthy living in a way that was less niche than just all things raw. I'm more than just a raw food lover. I love all healthful cuisine and I want to discuss topics other than food. I want to share products I love, talk about cool companies and personalities that have inspired me, share travel tips, stories, recipes, fun videos, as well as health tips. Not everything on this website is raw, nor vegan, but everything is unique and special and every product we promote is a product my husband and I use and love.

The name City & Sea Trading came to me while walking around Yosemite two winters ago. The idea was brewing, but since I was starting to write my new book, I wanted to wait until I had more time. I had been receiving emails daily asking where to purchase products from Going Raw as well as asking for recommendations for different health products. Because of my readers, I launched this mindfully curated shop of health and home products and apparel. I don't want to try to be a raw food superstore. That already exists. My aim is to only share products that are:
1. lovingly made
2. of the highest quality
3. life enhancing

My new blog is called City & Sea Living and will be co-written with my husband, Matt. I'm so excited to have his input, especially from a guy's perspective. He is high raw, but eats a little different than me, has his own set of recipes, lifestyle tips, etc. He's also multi-talented. He works as a freelance photographer, filmmaker, and music producer/engineer/mixer, and graphic designer. When I moved to LA 18 years ago to attend film school, we dreamed of writing and making movies together. Back then, video cameras were poor quality and film was expensive. We shot a short film during our European honeymoon on 16mm and never got it developed because we just couldn't afford it. It's still sitting in the back of our fridge among kombucha SCOBYs and jars of cultured vegetables. I kid you not. Today, we have great video gear and more time to have fun together so we decided that every product on our website will have its own commercial. Here's our first two.

I'll still be posting raw related things here, but check out the new website and have a look around. If you would like to see a particular product on the store, let me know. Subscribe to the newsletter and get updates on new products, videos and recipes as well. Thank you all for being faithful readers and supporters. You are my inspiration!