Trials and Tribulations

Stevia is an all natural sweetener, harvested from a plant native to sub tropical and tropical Central and South America called Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, also known as sweetleaf or sugarleaf. The sweet part of the stevia herb is extracted and converted into an intensely sweet powder. This sweet powder is then blended with other all-natural ingredients to create the healthy sweetener. More about Stevia here.

During a cleansing diet last year, I was introduced to Stevia as an alternative to sugar. During the last months, traveling for an extended period of time on a limited budget meant that I ate whatever was put on the table (usually very tasty but not necessarily healthy) or what I could afford. Now as I start to settle back into a healthier Danish lifestyle, I decided to return to some of the dietary habits that I had grown accustomed to in Canada. Hence began my search for Stevia....

While browsing through a health food store in my neighbourhood, I asked specifically for " an all natural sugar alternative called Stevia". This was what was presented to me. As the bold letters on the label clearly read "Sød Stevia", meaning Sweet Stevia, there was no need for me to investigate further. I was happy to have found the product with minimal effort.

At home, I opened the container to discover a green powdery mixture. In Canada, it was white. But no matter. Food regulations in the Europe are stricter that those in North America and this was probably the natural form of the plant. I put a small amount into my coffee. Strangely enough, the result was not as I expected. My coffee had developed an odd flavour and was not sweet. I added a little more but the only change that occurred was to the colour of the liquid which started to have a greenish tone.

The next morning, I was proud to show off my Stevia discovery to my roomate. Having not heard of this sugar alternative, he began to read and kindly translate the remainder of the Danish words on the label (but not before breaking out in peals of laughter and followed by sarcasm):

"For cosmetic needs for dogs and cat food"

Use: 1/2 tsp. sweet stevia in 1/4 to 1/2 cup of junket or yogurt. Can be used for 10-15 minutes as a pleasant nutritious 100% natural facial mask. An even better effect achieved by first to open the pores of the skin with steam or hot-wash cloth.

Does anyone need to enhance their cat or dog's coat? Send me your address and I will mail this product to you!

I thought that coming home 2 weeks ago with cottage cheese instead of yogurt was funny. This is a much more amusing story and one that really describes some of the challenges of living in a foreign country, including some of the basics of life that we all take for granted.