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Why It's Good:
You love your coffee or tea sweetened, but find yourself battling between saving calories by using artificial sweeteners—or saving chemicals by using real sugar. These alternative zero-calorie sweeteners are your solution. None of these products will raise your glycemic index, so no sugar rushes and crashes either! Plus, you can cook with them. And next time you have friends over for coffee or tea, why not give them a fresh choice?
Why It's Green:
ZSweet has no chemicals in it and Wholesome Organic Zero is, well, organic. Certified by the USDA, its only ingredient is organic erythritol, which is a naturally occurring sugar in fruits and fermented food.
Where To Get It:
All of the sweeteners mentioned are available at Whole Foods Markets and other natural food grocers. ZSweet, $9.99 per 100 packets, can also be purchased here. You can order Organic Zero (prices vary according to retailer) by calling 1-800-680-1896, and buy Liquid Stevia, $59.99 for 6 bottles, online by clicking here.
Guilt-Free, Good-for-you Sweeteners
I like 'em sweet—hot liquids, that is. Every morning on my way to class, this Sprig intern carries a reusable mug to the library cafá and fills 'er up with smokin' java. While everyone else is shoving their way to the fixings counter, I've been standing off to the side and calmly whipping out my Liquid Stevia. (For those of you who don't know about it, Stevia is a super sweet, zero-calorie South American herb.) But because of the dropper it comes out of, my morning ritual gets me suspicious glances. No longer: Two new healthy packet sweeteners have just come on the scene. I decided to see how they stacked up against my beloved Stevia. I found I needed to use more Wholesome Organic Zero to get to the level of sweetness that I like, but if you don't have such a sweet tooth, then one should do the trick. And a packet of ZSweet is about as sweet as a packet of sugar. I still love my Liquid Stevia best (after all, it comes in English Toffee flavor, my favorite), but now I know I have choices, if not for myself, then for my health-conscious friends, who don't like the idea of taking in sugar calories several times or more over the course of a day, but don't feel great about putting artificial sweeteners—that have been found to cause cancer in rats!—in their hot beverages. Either way, I say: Don't be embarrassed about bringing your own sweeteners, liquid or otherwise. All the smart kids are doing it.—Alexandra Stein
