Q: I was reading an article on your Web site about the Hain Group and its use of Stevia. In your response, you sounded skeptical about Stevia. I thought Stevia was OK to use in the Zone. Can you clarify? I use a small amount (just a pinch) in my decaf coffee in the morning.
A: Stevia is a non-approved food additive; therefore, you can’t add it to a food and still call it food. In small amounts, Stevia is fine to add to foods, but as with all artificial sweeteners, it fools the sweet receptors in the tongue to signal the release of insulin from the panaceas in anticipation of real carbohydrates coming into the bloodstream. When they don’t, the excess insulin drives down blood sugar so that you are likely to over-consume more calories at your next meal.