sweet secret. 
Ahhhh. I love the Fall! The crisp, cool air.  It’s so invigorating in Southern California when the weather falls from 80 degrees to 79.9 degrees.  Better put on the jacket and flip flops.

Seriously, I love the vibrant warm colors the fall brings. The pumpkins, gourds, dressing up the kids for Halloween. It seems family and friends come into the spot light as the Holidays approach.  We all know that as soon as Halloween is over, suddenly the stores are filled with Christmas decorations!

Sweet Secret:  Halloween means candy.  If you have a sweet tooth or if all of your teeth are “sweet tooths/teeth” outsmart yourself before you get the urge to splurge.

I use Stevia Extract.  It’s sold in health food stores and sweetens everything from drinks to foods.  It is calorie free, aspartame free and is a natural herb supplement. 

Brief history:  Stevia is a plant found in Central and South America.  The Spanish found out about Stevia in the 16th century.  They used the leaves to counteract the bitter taste of their popular cultural drink.

Stevia is classified in the chrysanthemum family. It is now grown in over a dozen countries around the world and is used in China, Brazil, Korea, Taiwan, Israel, Paraguay, Malaysia, California, Canada and England. I use it in coffee, tea, on oatmeal.

Healthier Sweet Treat Choices: Frozen berries and frozen bananas blended taste just like creamy sorbet.  Try sugar free cookies or candies but be sure and check the calorie content. 

Outsmart Yourself: Figure out the type of sweet eater you are: a “one bite and put it down” type or “take a bite and I’ll eat the whole box” type of person. If you are the latter, do NOT take that first bite. Period.  Better yet, do NOT have any tempting foods in the house at all. If it’s not there, you can’t eat it!