Did you gain a little weight this year or over the summer? Maybe the holidays will add a few pounds to your waistline? There is nothing to worry about in this regard. It’s completely natural to gain weight every once in a while. However, if this impedes you from your daily life, then we might have a problem.
Once you’re already considered overweight or dangerously close to being obese, it might be time to consider weight management. What is weight management, you ask? Here are the basics, along with how you can use a regular sweetener to help achieve your goals.
What is Weight Management?
Weight management is acquiring healthy lifestyle habits to manage a healthy weight. It’s a great way for people to lose and even gain weight without any detrimental effects. This is a rather useful strategy to keep up with your longterm health.
This tailor-made plan can be achieved with the help of several medical professionals like your primary care doctor. Other people who can help on your health journey include a dietician, nutritionist, and trainer. The weight management techniques these individuals typically recommend are:
- Making realistic goals for yourself
- Getting more physical activity
- Consuming a balanced diet
- Minimising stress levels
- Watching your weight
Why Do We Need Proper Weight Management?
Proper weight management will help you prevent weight-related health risks and illnesses. These conditions can occur or worsen when you’re overweight or obese. Examples of these diseases are as follows:
- Asthma
- Arthritis
- Diabetes
- Fatty Liver Disease
- Fertility Issues
- Gallbladder Disease
- Gout
- Heart Disease
- High Blood Pressure/Hypertension
- Kidney Disease
- Mental Illness/es
- Metabolic Syndrome
- Pancreas Disease
- Pregnancy Problems
- Sexual Dysfunction
- Sleep Apnea
- Some Cancers
- Stroke
Apart from protecting yourself from potential chronic illnesses, managing your weight can give you other long-term health benefits. You can feel a bit more at ease with the following advantages of proper weight management:
- Sound sleep
- Easier mobility
- Elevated energy levels
- Clearer skin
- Enhanced overall mood
- Better sense of taste
- Improved cognition
- Boosted self-esteem
- Higher sex drive
Common Causes of Poor Weight Management
Along your health journey, you might find some hiccups. You might not see the results you want from the get-go since these lifestyle changes take some time. Below is a list of the common causes of poor weight management that you might be doing right now:
- You might be eating too much or too often
- You might not be eating enough whole foods and protein
- You might be eating too many overly-processed foods and carbohydrates
- You might not be exercising enough or often
- You might be consuming too much alcohol
- You might not be drinking enough water
If you’re struggling with managing your weight, it might not be your doing. Some people have different genetic makeups. Others are experiencing stress or some other underlying health issue. Most of the time, it could be something sneaky like those added sugars to your food and drinks. That’s where stevia comes in handy.
What Is Stevia?
Stevia comes in many names like stevia (leaf) extract, steviol, glycosides, rebiana, Reb A, rebaudioside A, and rebaudioside D. This substance is extracted from the Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni) plant, a herbal shrub from South America.
It grew in popularity during the early 1970s. Since then, people have used this sweetener to replace regular sugar. It’s because stevia is essentially a non-nutritive sweetener. Meaning, this sugar substitute has no calories or carbohydrates.
Why Should You Use Stevia Instead of Sugar?
For people who want to manage their weight, stevia is a good addition to your diet. Replacing sugar and other high-calorie sweeteners with a substitute like stevia cuts down your daily caloric intake without you noticing. It’s even sweeter than sugar so you might use less.
Studies have shown that stevia does help with weight management. This sweetener lowers your blood glucose and total cholesterol levels. Moreover, it shows significant results when you couple it with moderate physical activity and a balanced diet. Including stevia in your diet can reduce your BMI, waist circumference, and weight just after ninety (90) days.
How to Use Stevia?
Stevia can be used in a myriad of applications as a sugar substitute. From cooking to buying, here are the top ways you can use stevia to help manage your weight:
Drinking With Stevia
If you’re partial to tea or need your caffeine fix, use stevia for your morning boosts. It’s also great in juices and fruit waters.
Stevia is sweeter than sugar and other sweeteners. Generally, use a fourth (¼) teaspoon of powdered stevia instead of a teaspoon of sugar. Use two to three (2-3) drops If you have liquid stevia. Adjust to your taste because it still might be too sweet for you.
Cooking With Stevia
Proper weight management entails fewer trips to fast food places. It’s time to let your cooking skills shine with the help of stevia. When your dish needs extra sweetness, you can use stevia instead of regular sugar. You can also do the same in baking.
Use a little bit of stevia at a time in marinades and rubs. Sometimes, you need a cup of sugar for a baking recipe. Two (2) tablespoons of powdered stevia or one (1) teaspoon of liquid stevia is equivalent to that.
Buying With Stevia
Grocery shopping for whole foods is easy enough. There’s no added sugar in them. The products you need to focus on are prepackaged and readymade foods like canned fruits and dairy products. Diet sodas can have stevia too.
Always read the ingredients list to see what type of sweeteners they use. Check the labels for the words Stevia rebaudiana or stevia extract. These are the products you should get for you.
