A Raw Deal...Not the Real Deal

It's imperative to read food labels in their entirety, despite what the front-facing label shows on the grocery shelf. I was deceived, thinking I had the real thing, just because I took for granted what the front label read on the product. I detected the discrepancy, just by paying close attention to my body.

I've attempted, actually, multiple times, to kick the sugar cravings.

I researched and tried different spices and added natural fruits to various foods to which, I would normally add sugar.

Years ago, my doctor suggested that I try Stevia. I tried it multiple times. But, each time I'd drop every packet and granule into the trash.

Once I committed to living a healthier lifestyle, I revisited the idea of adding Stevia to my meal plan.

I shopped grocery aisles, took my time, read labels only on Stevia products. I didn't want to stray and look at other sweeteners, because I would have been tempted to bring home cane sugar, especially with artificial sweeteners being totally out-of-the-question.

Finally, I located "Stevia in the Raw." The only words that caught my eye were "plant-based," "zero calories," and "From the leaves of the stevia plant," of which the packaging boasted.

When I further inspected the ingredients, they included dextrose and stevia leaf extract. Well, in my mind, I'm thinking this is the "real deal."

After several months, five months to be exact, I had Stevia in the Raw in my pantry, of which I only added to my tea, every once-in-a-while. And, when I did use it, I only used half of a packet. But, still, over time, those granules would begin to add up.

Most recently, I thought I had reached a milestone by kicking the sugar habit. But, after my lab results came back, I began to wonder about what was going on with my body and my weight?

Not only were my labs off-kilter, my weight was fluctuating between three and five pounds consistently---I wasn't gaining, but I wasn't losing at the rate I had been exercising and according to the scrutiny I had paid to what was going into my mouth.

As I began to reassess my consumption, I cut back on eggs. No ice cream, and only drinking 1% milk, among many other adjustments.

I had been drinking green and black tea with freshly-squeezed lemon juice, and again, a bit of Stevia, every now-and-then. I really tried to avoid added sugars---they can be sneaky.

But, I read my lab report from the doctor, which stated that I had been consuming fatty foods, that really stunned me! To my knowledge, I wasn't eating anything fattening.

Well, when I did the rundown and got the lowdown on dextrose (the ingredient in the Stevia brand I had purchased), I discovered that it is the same as sucrose. It's SUGAR!

I should have done my research on dextrose months ago!

But, when I discovered it, I immediately went to my pantry. I took the Stevia off the shelf. I then dropped it into the trash, actually, this morning!

I've heard it time-and-time again, "read food labels."

Going forward, not only will I read the labels, but I will do more of an in-depth investigation before I purchase anything that is suspect.

In this case, just because I didn't do due diligence, I got a raw deal---not the real deal.