5/30/2008

Wisdom Natural Brands First To Bring Stevia Product To Market

SweetLeaf® Sweetener™ beats competitors with all-natural product now available online and in retailers

GILBERT, Ariz. (May 30, 2008) – The efforts of one man 25 years ago to bring a native plant from Paraguay to the United States is on the verge of changing the way America eats. Available online and in grocery store aisles for the very first time — ahead of any competitors — is an all-natural, zero-calorie, zero-carb, zero-glycemic index alternative to sugar and man-made sweeteners — SweetLeaf® Sweetener™.

This new formulation of SweetLeaf® Sweetener™ has achieved GRAS status (generally recognized as safe), enabling its makers to expand the product beyond the dietary supplements market and sit alongside sugar and other sweetening alternatives in grocery store aisles. In production for a week now, the new sweetener is available on the
www.sweetleaf.com Web site and will be in retail outlets as soon as distributors can get it on shelves.

“No pun intended, but for me, this day is sweet victory,” said Jim May, CEO and founder of Wisdom Natural Brands, the makers of SweetLeaf® Sweetener™. May was the pioneer who realized the potential of the Stevia plant when visiting Paraguay. Since his discovery, he has worked doggedly to market the product throughout the world, and is the original U.S. marketer of Stevia with deep historical knowledge of the health benefits and history of the sweet plant.

May, considered the “Father of Stevia” in America and a legend in Paraguay, spoke to an overflow audience in a large auditorium in March 2008 in Asuncion, Paraguay. The speech on history and the future of Stevia was attended by government officials, Stevia farmers, business professionals, including press, TV and magazine journalists.

“I feel like the David that beat Goliath,” May said. “We have been working behind the scenes for months to get SweetLeaf® Sweetener™ to market before any of our competitors, and now that we see they won’t have product available until much later, we definitely have a competitive advantage,” said May.

Unlike other sweeteners which may contain chemicals, formaldehyde, acetic acids and chlorine, SweetLeaf® Sweetener™ is completely calorie-free, all-natural, and has a zero glycemic index. Long used in the United States as a dietary supplement and nutritional additive, Stevia is a naturally sweet plant, native to Paraguay, that is 30 times sweeter than sugar. The pure glycosides that are extracted from the Stevia leaves are 250 to 400 times sweeter than sugar.

To date, more than 1,000 scientific studies and abstracts prove SweetLeaf® Sweetener™ a safe and healthy alternative to sugar and man-made artificial sweeteners.

“Despite the claims of other sweeteners, this is truly the first and only all natural, calorie-free, completely safe alternative to sugar,” May said.

SweetLeaf® Stevia has gained an underground following in recent years among celebrities, health gurus, nutritionists and doctors especially with the focus over the past decade on low-carb, high-protein diets. The product can be used in beverages, cooking, baking and anywhere sugar might be used.

Gilbert, Ariz.-based Wisdom Natural Brands® is the parent company of three highly respected consumer brands: SweetLeaf® Sweetener™, Wisdom of the Ancients® herbal teas, and Sweet & Slender® Natural Sweetener. The company has spent the last year perfecting the formulation in preparation for the re-launch of SweetLeaf® Sweetener™, and also offers new SteviaClear, SteviaTabs™ and a wide variety of Liquid Stevia Flavors.

MEDIA CONTACT:Melanie Blair or Sara Fleury, (602) 277-9530 ext. 229 or 226

Compare Stevia to Other Sweeteners



Compare Stevia to Other Sweeteners

SweetLeaf® Sweetener™ is the only 100% Natural Sweetener with Zero Calories, Zero Carbs and Zero Glycemic Index!
SweetLeaf® Sweetener™ never includes saccharin, aspartame, refined sugar, fructose or high glycemic fillers of any kind. Safe for diabetics!


Sweet For You, Sweet For The World




The sweet flavor of SweetLeaf® comes from the Stevia plant
– a natural herb cultivated in the unique climates of South America.
Each time you enjoy the goodness of SweetLeaf®,
you support positive, sustainable production in these countries too.
In fact, farmers are learning
they can earn more growing Stevia
than crops used for illegal drugs.
That makes the world a safer and healthier place for everyone.

America’s First 100% Natural Alternative to Artificial Sweeteners!


America’s First 100% Natural Alternative to Artificial Sweeteners!


For the first time in the USA, there is a 100% natural alternative
to sugar and artificial sweeteners – SweetLeaf® Sweetener™.

ZERO Calories
ZERO Carbohydrates
ZERO Glycemic Index

Use it in all your favorite foods and beverages.
Welcome to SweetLeaf® Sweetener™!

Try it today!

5/29/2008

Oatmeal Apple Muffins

Oatmeal Apple Muffins

Ingredients

- 1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
- 1 Cup Rolled Oats
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 3 tsp. Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp. Nutmeg
- 2 tsp. Cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp. SteviaClear Liquid
- 1 Egg
- 3/4 Cup Milk
- 1/4 Cup Oil (or 1/4 Cup Applesauce)
- 1 Medium Apple Cored and Course Chopped
- 3/4 Cup Raisins

Preheat oven 400 degrees. Mix first seven ingredients thoroughly. In separate bowl mix remaining ingredients. Gradually mix dry ingredients into moist ingredients. Spoon into greased muffin tins.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes. (Recipe by Vicky Mosser, Excerpted with permission from "Stevia Rebaudiana: Nature's Sweet Secret", Blue Heron Press)

Send this recipe to a friend

Find out more about SweetLeaf Stevia at www.sweetleaf.com.

Blueberry Muffins

Blueberry Muffins
12 muffins

Ingredients

- 6 oz. pineapple juice
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 tablespoons SteviaPlus
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 2 oz. milk
- 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1 3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt

Pre heat the oven to 375 F. Oil muffin pans. Soak the oats in the pineapple juice for 10-15 minutes in a small bowl. Beat together the oil, egg, and vanilla in a mixing bowl.
Thin the yogurt with the milk and add to the other liquid ingredients. Beat. Mix in the soaked oats. Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet, stirring as little as possible. Fold in the blueberries just before the flour is completely blended. Spoon the batter into the muffin pans and bake for 25-30 minutes. (Excerpted with permission from "Stevia: naturally sweet recipes for desserts, drinks and more!", by Rita DePuydt - Book Publishing Co.)

Send this recipe to a friend

Find out more about SweetLeaf Stevia at
www.sweetleaf.com.

Banana Bread

Banana Bread

Ingredients

- 2 very ripe, medium to large bananas
- 1/4 tsp powdered Stevia extract
- 1/2 tsp Stevia concentrate
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup oil
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt or buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat the over to 350 degrees F. Oil a medium-sized loaf pan (7 1/2" x 3 1/2" x 2 1/2").
Mash the bananas in a small bowl.

Mix the Stevia extract, Stevia concentrate, and lemon juice into the mashed bananas.
Set aside. Sift the flour, leavenings, and salt together in a bowl.

Beat the oil and egg together in a mixing bowl until creamy. Beat in the yogurt or buttermilk and the vanilla. Stir the mashed bananas into the liquid mixture. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stirring as little as possible.

Mix in the walnuts just before the flour is completely blended. Place into the loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour until a toothpick or fork stuck in the middle comes out clean. Turn out the loaf and cool on a rack.

Note: For maximum flavor, use very ripe bananas (brown spotted). (Excerpted with permission from "Stevia: naturally sweet recipes for desserts, drinks and more!", by Rita DePuydt - Book Publishing Co.)

Send this recipe to a friend

Find out more about SweetLeaf Stevia at www.sweetleaf.com.