4 January 2013 - Diet coke and a pizza please?

I had a particularly entertaining conversation with a customer at work last night. "Diet coke and vodka" she shouted as an order across the bar so I could hear her over top of the thumping base lines. "Diet coke and vodka" I echoed back to confirm and set to work. A dark frown spread across her face "No. No. No." she slurred "I said DIET. Coke." and she looked at me pointedly. I gave a thumbs up and a smile to assure her again that I had understood the request. Not to worry. No extra sugar for you tonight darling. Your diet plan is safe with me. ;)

Has diet coke's advertising campaigns really been that successful over the years that we have convinced ourselves that in just choosing 'diet' over regular we are going to reap some sort of significant health benefits, or lose weight?! The chemicals in the stuff are actually really bad for you!

To see a real difference in your health you need to commit to more than this. There needs to be some lifestyle changes. Changes that might see you staying sober for the night out dancing with your friends, or choosing to stay in instead so you can get up early for a walk at sunrise. It's not going to happen just through ordering DIET coke at the pub while getting sloshed and then likely heading over Macca's for a 3am attack of the drunken munchies (I wonder if they order a diet coke with that meal too?)

It all seems a bit silly but this type of thinking happens everyday. I'm sure you've seen the people in line at the fast food joints that order a supersized combo of the triple meat patty burger with the diet coke (to convince themselves they're watching their weight?!). I'm reminded of a joke my Dad used to make about using Mum's cholesterol lowering spread on a hot chip butty to make it into a healthy snack choice. (Nice try Dad!).

With all that being said it did get me thinking about positive switches we can make when it come to food and product choices and I'd like to leave you with some information about one of my favourite food substitutions that can actually make a difference in your diet and to your health - just don't consume it with a side of gummy bears and lard!

Stevia. This is the best substitute for sugar that I know of. It's natural (extracted from the Stevia plant, of the same name), 300 times sweeter than sugar (so we can use less of it!), and all with none of the calories. So why are we not using Stevia more?

In America in 1991 the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) actually labelled Stevia as an 'unsafe food additive' after an 'anonymous industry complaint'. They likely made such a ruling under duress from companies that profit from the use of and addiction to sugar that is so prevalent in today's society. However, two 2010 review studies found no health concerns with Stevia or it's sweetening extracts. In addition, a 2009 review study found that it's effects are actually very positive for our health. To read more about this ridiculous American food industries conspiracy click here.

We're lucky that in Australia and New Zealand you can find Stevia in many forms next to the sugar's in your supermarket isle. I like to keep sachets in my handbag for sweetening coffee's and some powder in the pantry to use in baking recipes that call for sugar as an ingredient. The picture above is of the brand that I use (available at every supermarket I've visited locally).

Most recently Pepsi have actually started a new line called "Pepsi Next" which substitutes 30% of it's sugar content with extracts from the Stevia leaf to make it healthier (they wouldn't want to go the whole hog and make it 100% now would they?!). Hopefully this small step forward means we won't be far off from hearing the drunken girl behind the bar ordering a "Stevia coke and vodka please?"

Hey, progress is progress right?