These are three NOW products I use practically everyday. They are must haves in my cupboard, so much so that I keep them both at my house and my office.
STEVIA
When you accept that Splenda, Sweet n' Low and Equal are bad for you and you are searching for a natural no calorie sweetener look for stevia. I will not lie, it has taken me about five years of sporadically using stevia to finally fully integrate it into my life as a replacement for sugar and artificial sweeteners. In my opinion the Now french vanilla stevia is by far the best tasting one out there. It's definitely not the same as those others sweeteners. It's an acquired taste and has more fiber therefore it doesn't dissolve easily in cold beverages as well as it does in hot ones. When I want to sweeten a cold drink I usually dissolve one or two packets into a tiny bit of warm water first to make a simple syrup and then add it to my drink. It's made from the leaves of herbs and shrubs in the sunflower family. Stevia is a good option for those with diabetes, hypo/hyperglycemia or those who wish to maintain their blood glucose levels since it's a zero glycemic index.
I do not recommend trying to use stevia as a replacement for sugar in recipes. That's what the Fruit Sweet from Wax Orchard is for.
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COCOA POWDER
Everyone, myself included, is loving the fact that dark chocolate is now considered to be good for you. The reason is because of the polyphenols in the cocoa bean which are considered to be antioxidant. Antioxidants are important because they basically block and deactivate free radicals floating around inside our bodies. From what I understand free radicals come to exist in two ways, naturally created by the immune system to help neutralize bacteria and viruses and the second because of environmental factors such as smoking, pollution, pesticides etc... A free radical is a an unstable molecule in the cells. Too many unstable molecules are dangerous and are linked to the growth of cancers. Additionally antioxidants are said to help reduce signs of aging.
Here is a list of foods that are rated to be the richest in Antioxidants. To this list I add spinach, pomegranate, goji berries, green tea, white tea, dark chocolate and concord grape juice and I am sure many other foods. Eat a variety of these foods daily and you are already on way to taming those free radicals.
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For the purist, this one's sugar free and dairy free
Simply Hot Cocoa
1 cup soy milk
1 packet french vanilla stevia
3-4 teaspoons of cocoa powder
WHEY PROTEIN
I originally bought this unflavored whey protein because I wanted to add protein to my baking.
But who doesn’t love a protein shake? Especially one that is low in calories, fat, carbohydrates and sugar. This particular whey protein is great for two reasons… the price is good for the quantity and because it’s unflavored so you can use it in many different ways; pancakes, muffins, cookies, etc...
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I start every shake with one scoop of protein powder and one packet of french vanilla stevia, then add whatever else you want and blend.
My answer to a milkshake
Mocha Chocolata Ya Ya
1 scoop whey protein isolate
1 packet french vanilla stevia
1/2 tsp instant coffee crystals
1/2 tsp cocoa powder
1 tbs malted milk powder
1/2 frozen banana
1 cup skim milk
add ice and blend
Calories 266
Fat 1
Cholesterol 5
Sodium 126
Carbohydrate 32
Sugar 23
Fiber 2
Protein 34
W.W. Points 5
The Daily Plate
I am no nutritionist but I consider this next one to be good post work out shake. Coconut water is similar to Gatorade. It replenishes electrolytes, re-hydrating the body of fluids lost while sweating. The banana is good source of potassium and sugar which helps to restore glycogen levels and recover muscles. Whey protein is the fastest digesting protein so it assimilates more quickly than eating a solid form of protein such as chicken or fish.
Monkey Money
1 scoop whey protein isolate
1 packet french vanilla stevia
1 Vita Coco water
1/2 frozen banana
3 tbs unsweetened reduced fat coconut
2 tbs PB2
add ice and blend
Calories 322
Fat 8
Cholesterol 0
Sodium 129
Carbohydrate 36
Sugar 24
Fiber 3
Protein 31
W.W. Points 7
The Daily Plate
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