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Stevia Gets FDA Approval as Natural Sweetener | Diet and Health News

December 18, 2008 on 2:01 pm | By Matt | In Diet and Health News | 1 Comment

FDA gives Stevia green-light as natural food and tabletop sweetener; Coke and Pepsi will be the first to introduce Stevia-sweetened soft drinks

Stevia-fans in the U.S. can finally rejoice: Last night, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) officially approved the use of stevia as a food-grade sweetener - paving the way for everything from stevia-sweetened soft drinks to stevia-based tabletop sweeteners.

Until now, stevia was not approved as a food sweetener in the U.S. — forcing stevia manufacturers to market and sell the natural sweetener derived from the leaves of the rebaudioside Aplant as a supplement, rather than a sweetener. However, last night’s announcement by the FDA now gives food manufacturers the “all clear” to start using stevia as a zero-calorie, natural sweetener.

Pepsi and Coke Ready to Introduce Stevia Sweeteners

Both Coca Cola and Pespi already have stevia-sweetened products waiting in wings, and yesterday’s announcement means consumers who are looking for alternatives to artificially-sweetened zero-calorie soft drinks and beverages will have a number of alternatives come the first of the year. PepsiCo will market their stevia sweetener under the brand PureVia and Coke’s rival stevia-sweetener is called Truevia.

If you’re a cola fan, you may still have to wait a few months for Stevia-sweetened cola, since the sweetener tends to work best with citrus-type beverages. Soft drink manufacturers are still trying to figure out how to make a Stevia-sweetened cola product that tastes comparable to colas sweetened with cane sugar or high fructose corn syrup.

What Is Stevia?

Stevia is a shrub in the chrysanthemum family that is native to northeastern Paraguay. First discovered by natives of Paraguay, the plant has been grown, harvested and used in South America to sweeten foods and beverages for more than 200 years. The stevia leaf is a good source of natural, zero-calorie sweetness. Stevia is 300 times sweeter than sucrose (table sugar) and is heat stable — meaning you can cook with it without altering it’s flavor or properties.

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Getting Real with Fitness Model Amanda Carrier | Female Fitness Model Interviews

July 13, 2008 on 9:05 am | By Matt | In Female Fitness Model Interviews | 23 Comments

Professional fitness model and actress Amanda Carrier talks with Answer Fitness about her diet and exercise routine, why she lifts heavy, looking sexy while you’re pregnant and America’s obsession with “thin at any cost.”

Amanda Carrier has a confession to make. Actually two of them.

The Muscle & Fitness Hers cover girl, Maxim model, actress and amateur pugilist (yes, she likes to box) has a little secret to share. And it has to do with cheat meals.

“I cheat everyday!” she gushes. “Sometimes a couple of times a day!”

This was not what I was expecting to hear from a woman who has some of the flattest female abs around and makes a living posing in barely-there bikinis.

A cheat meal once a week, I expected. A cheat day, perhaps. But daily cheat meals? And more than one of them a day?

I was waiting for Amanda to say she had “fast-metabolism” that let her eat whatever she wanted and still keep that body beach-ready for the next photo shoot or acting role.

But she didn’t.

Enter Amanda’s second confession: Until she started hitting the weights and getting serious with her training, she admits that she was the quintessential “skinny fat girl” - her scale weight said she was lean, her body fat percentage and appearance said otherwise.

“I had been inactive all of my life. I didn’t really play sports. I was always told I had a pretty face, but I wanted to also be told I had a nice body.  I never really felt like I had a womanly, sexy body,” Amanda explains. “I was thin, but ‘mushy.’ I had stick legs, a flabby belly and a square waist. I had to work really hard to put on curves.”

This was not what I was expecting to hear at all.

In a way, I was actually thrilled to hear Amanda say this, even if it seemed unimaginable based on how she looked in her swimwear portfolio.

Breaking The Myths Around Female Fitness

I’ve been wanting to run a series of interviews with female fitness models for some time now. 

Not the usual “Tell me your turn-Ons and Turn-Offs” that you often see accompanying their spreads in men’s magazines, but more honest and serious interviews around their exercise routines, diet, and philosophy for staying fit.

I thought it would be a great way to counter some of the myths around women and weight training and help inspire my female readers. I was also hoping to take some of the gloss off from fitness models and demonstrate that for many of them, getting and staying in top shape has more to do with hard work, healthy eating and good habits than with genes or metabolism.  

I decided to start this series with Amanda Carrier, partly on appearances and partly on instinct. And based on the interview she gave, I’m glad I did.

Profile: Amanda Carrier

Place of Birth: Alexandria, LA
Current Home: Los Angeles, CA
Occupation: Fitness Model & Actress
Age: 28
Height: 5 5″
Weight: 125-130
Measurements: 34C-26-37
Bodyfat: 14-16%
Marital Status: Married
Favorite Activities: Weight Training, Boxing
Amanda’s Workout Routine: 4-Day Split; Trains legs twice a week; Cardio is performed on non-weight training days, usually on a stair-stepper or elliptical trainer set to high resistance to keep her glutes hard. 
Favorite Food Indulgence: Sweets
Best Body Part: “Butt and abs”
Favorite Healthy Recipe: Pumpkin Pancakes
Latest Film Project: Featured role in “Labor Pains” with Lindsay Lohan
Website: Amanda Carrier Actress and Fitness Model (www.amandacarrier441.com)

What’s So Cool About Amanda?

I first ran across Amanda in 2007 in Muscle and Fitness Hers magazine where she did an eight page workout spread (she also graced the cover) demonstrating how to use resistance bands and an exercise ball to get a killer home workout. 

Amanda had that great combination of athleticism, feminine curves and tight, toned muscle that I think a lot of women associate with a fit, sexy, bikini-ready body. 

And she just looked so healthy, which struck me as a refreshing break from the pencil-thin role models trotted out in Hollywood or on the fashion runways.

My instincts told me this wasn’t a woman who got in that kind of shape with a bottle of Trim Spa, The Detox Diet and 90 minutes of cardio seven days a week. I’ve spent enough time in the gym to recognize a woman who lifts weights, and I was willing to bet Amanda did her fair share of hanging out in the weight room.

My instincts were right.

 I asked Amanda, who just wrapped up shooting a featured role in the upcoming movie “Labor Pains” with Lindsay Lohan, if she’d do the honors of kicking off my fitness model interview series because I suspected that she’d be able to back up some of the things I discuss regularly on Answer Fitness around female weight training, dieting and focusing on reducing body fat, instead of simply scale weight.

I also thought she would be a healthy role model for my female readers and help debunk the myth that lifting weights will make you bulky and manly. After all, there is nothing manly about Amanda Carrier. She is walking, talking proof of why more women should cut back on the endless cardio and start working in the weights.

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