This week’s show addresses the product differences and safety concerns regarding stevia, a plant with very sweet leaves, and the three most popular man-made sugar substitutes: NutraSweet (made with aspartame), Sweet-N-Low (made with saccharin) and Splenda (made with sucralose). Is a natural substance better for you or is a chemically-concocted substance better for you? Why is it legal to have the chemical substances in our food and drinks and illegal to have the natural substance in our food and drinks? You’ll hear from Professor Jan Geuns, a leading scientific researcher on stevia at a top university in Belgium. Learn why Professor Geuns thinks it’s a “crime against humanity” that stevia isn’t more widely available. Our second guest is Oscar Rodes, founder of Stevita Stevia, who explains just what stevia is and how it can be used. And our third guest is attorney Jim Turner, a principal in the Swankin & Turner law firm in Washington, DC. Jim got his start back in the 1960’s with Nader’s Raiders and has dedicated the past 40 years to issues having to do with the safety of our food supply. Hear this nationally renowned expert explain why some FDA decisions are filtered by politics and corporate influence and therefore can’t be fully trusted. Host Karen Bentley reports on the latest and greatest news from the October 2008 Nutrition Action Health Letter which rates all these sugar substitutes. Find out the best, healthiest non-caloric choices for replacing sugar in your diet.