Have I have missed an update on the ban by the FDA on the use of Stevia in foods as a sweetener? There is an FDA Import Alert updated 11-15-2008, in which they clearly state:

With regard to its use in foods, Stevia is not an approved food additive nor affirmed as GRAS in the United States. Available toxicological information on stevia is inadequate to demonstrate its safety as a food additive or to affirm its status as GRAS. However, with regard to its use in dietary supplements, dietary ingredients, including stevia, are not subject to food additive regulations.

But it seems as if companies are laughing in the face of the FDA with very public launches and press releases of Stevia products that are clearly labeled as "calorie-free sweeteners." Truvia, the product of a joint venture between CocaCola and Cargill had a very public tasting event in July at the Rockerfeller Center (NY), and it's clearly labeled as "Nature's Calorie-Free Sweetener." And the label of newcomers, Stevia in the Raw Extract clearly says "100% Natural Zero Calorie Sweetener."

So, what gives?! Does the FDA get any respect - from companies or consumers - anymore? Should they?! Are they really the impotent, archaic institution that many people have tried to convince me they are. FDA - I have defended you for as long as I can. I now bow my head and admit that you may really be run by the very companies you are "supposed to" police, and you're no longer even trying to hide it.

I'm sorry; we are no longer selling Veat due to an unforeseen interruption in ingredient supply. We're sorry for the inconvenience.

R.I.P Veat. We are sad to see you go. Looks like Van's is concentrating on their delicious waffles (we reviewed Vans Organic Soy Flax Waffles), breakfast paninis and sandwiches.

And I am not just limiting my intake to oatmeal. If it has oats in it, chances are, I'll try it. Steel cut, stone ground, rolled, Irish, instant, cooked, RAW...whatever it is - I'm game.
My favorite way to eat oats is actually soaking them in almond milk and mixing in other things such as sweetener, butter, nuts, fruit, etc., but I was in the mood for something different for my bedtime snack. So I decided to try something new. Enter: Quaker Oatmeal Simple Harvest. Labeled as an "all natural instant multigrain hot cereal", I figured why not give it a try.

I microwaved a packet of the Apples and Cinnamon flavor and it was delicious. The cinnamon was very evident in the taste as were the baked apples. Some ingredient labels on 'healthy' oatmeal can read like a small book, but this is not the case with Simple Harvest. The ingredient list is short and sweet: Whole Grain Rolled Oats & Wheat, Rolled Barley, Whole Grain Rolled Rye, Sugar, Sweetened Dried Apples, Whole Flax Seeds, Oat Flour, Natural Flavors, Cinnamon, Salt & Molasses.

Stevia Extract In The Raw gets its delicious, natural sweetness from Rebiana (aka Reb-A) - an extract from the Stevia plant. This extract is the sweetest part of the plant and has recently been isolated to provide pure sweetening power without the licorice-like aftertaste that many of our predecessors exhibited. All you get is the sweet flavor without any calories.

Stevia in the Raw is available in boxes of 50, 1 gram packets and is available in stores (view list on the website), or online.

Blue Diamond Bold Flavors include:

• Jalepeño Smokehouse
  
• Wasabi & Soy Sauce
  
• Maui Onion & Garlic
  
• Lime 'n Chili
  
• Salt 'n Vinegar
  
• Salt & Black Pepper
  

And if those flavors are too much for you, they have a slightly tamer line of oven roasted almonds which includes, No Salt, Sea Salt, Cinnamon Brown Sugar and Vanilla Bean. We have reviewed Blue Diamond Natural Roasted Almonds: Vanilla Bean Flavor which we gave 5 finger licking smacks.

The cannister in which these are available has a see through strip on the side, with markings for each 1 ounce serving - built in portion control! Nuts are naturally high in monounsaturated fats (the good kind), but eating too much is definitely not a good thing. That's why I am totally in love with this packaging.

Compared to Kellogg's Pop-tarts (I recently reviewed the Whole-Grain Pop-tarts) the Fiber One toaster pastries are by far more delicious. I'm not a big fan of strawberry, but this pastry was really good. It was sweet with a delicious frosting on the outside. After a few seconds in the toaster oven it was warm, slightly toasted from the outside and soft on the inside.

We now have a "Gnu" discovery to share - Sweet Fiber, a zero calorie sweetener with the added bonus of Fiber. And, unlike Splenda and most other sugar substitutes, the ingredients in Sweet Fiber are 100% natural: Chicory Root Fiber (Inulin) and Luo Han Guo (Monk Fruit Extract) and natural flavor.

Each 1 gram packet is said to sweeten the same as 2 teaspoons of sugar, but there is less than 1 gram of fiber per packet - about 3% of the recommended daily amount. Could this be serious competition for Truvia?!

Sweet Fiber is available online at Gnu Foods at the sale price of $5.99 for a box containing 50 packets, and $7.19 for a Sweet Fiber Shaker which has 250 servings.

But as much as I love pop-tarts, let's not kid ourselves that this is a healthy breakfast. The 1st ingredient is whole wheat flour, but the 2nd ingredient is enriched flour, and the usual suspects are included, such as high fructose corn syrup.

• 9.5-ounce packages of LEAN CUISINE PESTO CHICKEN WITH BOW TIE PASTA with the production code of 8280595912 as well as a use-by date of "Best Before MAY 2010."
• 10.5-ounce packages of LEAN CUISINE CHICKEN MEDITERRANEAN with the production code of 8231595912 or 8241595912 as well as a use-by date of "Best before SEP 2010"; a production code of 8263595912, 8269595911 or 8274595912, as well as a use-by date of Best before OCT 2010; or, a production code of 8291595912 or 8301595912 as well as a use-by date of Best before NOV 2010.
• 12.5-ounce packages of LEAN CUISINE CHICKEN TUSCAN brand frozen meals with a production code of 8234595911 and a use-by date of Best before SEP 2009; a production code of 8253595911 or 8269595912 as well as a use-by date of Best before OCT 2009; or, a production code of 8292595911 or 8296595911 as well as a use-by date of Best before NOV 2009.

"Few ingredients have been subject to the extent of research that has been conducted on aspartame and the overwhelming majority of the scientific evidence confirms its safety" said Robert Brackett, GMA's chief science officer. The paper can be found at GMA Science Policy Paper Series website, along with other policy papers they have published on high fructose corn syrup, bisphenol A and perchlorate.

I should have known Uncle Wally knew what he was doing, because the first thought that came to my mind after taking a bite of Uncle Wally's Smart Portion Blueberry Muffin was, "How in the world do they make a muffin this dense and moist with barely any fat ... and no saturated fat?!" Each muffin is small, yet satisfying (especially for a mere 80 calories). I would estimate each oat topped, blueberry speckled muffin to be a smidgen of a bit smaller than a tennis ball (or the size of a regular, homemade muffin).

I tried the muffins before they were reformulated (2 small individually wrapped muffins) and I am grateful for the even denser, wholesome baked treat that Uncle Wally has recently come up with. The blueberries are certainly present and there are quite a few. These baby muffins are scrumptious and embody an enjoyable treat.

The other day I was browsing the supermarket aisles and I came Eggo Bake Shop Mini Muffin Tops. Since Eggo is trying to encroach on VitaTops territory, we did a comparison to see which one stacks up better nutritionally. No surprise that VitTaops came out on top, with less calories (for a bigger serving size at that) and more fiber.

In the past, the nuts aisle in the supermarket was filled with peanuts, cashews and almonds. But not anymore. Emerald Nuts (Diamond Foods) has been blazing the trail with exotic flavors which are not typically associated with nuts.

The flavors Emerald Nuts have dropped include:

• Sea Salt & Pepper Cashews
  
• Cocoa Roast Almonds
  
• Wasabi Oven Roasted Peanuts
  
• Chipotle Oven Roasted Peanuts
  
• Barbeque Oven Roasted Peanuts
  
• Smoked Almonds
  
• Old Fashioned Honey Roasted Peanuts
  

Plus they also have the traditional Cocktail Peanuts, Dry Roasted Peanuts Almonds & Walnuts, Whole Cashews, Cashew Halves & Pieces, Mixed Nuts. Their "On the Go Cannisters" is also a nice change from the standard packaging. It features a see through strip on the side so you can see when you have removed one (1 ounce) serving for handy portion control.

What do you think of the flavors. I have tried the Smoked Almonds and the Emerald Cocoa Roast Almonds - delish! It is my mission to try all the flavors and report back to you.

I must say that they deserve the bragging rights. I was very impressed with the warm, comforting cup of oatmeal offered with a selection of toppings, including a nut medley, dried fruits, and brown sugar, all for just $2.45. I chose the dried fruit - one of my favorite things to add to my own homemade oatmeal, and I must say that this was just as good.

But how does it taste? The grapes were fresh and the apple slices surprisingly crisp (this is a packaged good, after all). The egg was not overdone (a problem I often find with other pre-cooked, packaged eggs), and the bagel with peanut butter was good as well, if a little dry.