Fructose, Sucrose, Agave, Cane Sugar, Stevia, SCHMEVIA......!!!!????$#&^*

I have been seriously Googling different sweetener alternatives lately, not just because I have a son and I want to offer him the healthiest culinary choices possible, but also because I am ready to open my pastry business as soon as humanly possible. My business slogan is basically "naughty but wholesome" pastries and goodies. I want to appeal to a variety of customers and offer my clients goodies that are just as naughty looking and tasting as unhealthy pastries but at the same time, much healthier and free of guilt. I researched this new Truvia sweetener and found from a number of different articles and natural food/nutrition sources that it is not certainly "safe" or "unsafe" due to the unknown factors that go into a "purification process"; basically from stevia herb/leaf to "lovely white sugar crystals": Truvia. It also does not give me comfort knowing that Truvia is owned and sold by Coca Cola and Cargill (big companies that have been generously offering the public unsafe and unhealthy substitute sweeteners and chemicals in their products for over two decades now).
I then stumbled upon research for stevia - many sources say it is safe, but inconclusive. Stevia is a 0 calorie 0 fructose or sucrose sweetener that is about 3 times as sweet as sugar and it has been used and consumed by people all over the Asian and South American regions for centuries. This calms my nerves about possibly trying it because people know how it will affect the human body and no dangerous side effects have been documented. Japan is currently the largest producer of stevia; the Japanese use stevia in many of their carbonated beverages and candies, although, I probably would only sample US produced stevia because of numerous problems with other imported products from outside of our country, such as toxins found in Asian produced baby formula, which is banned in the US.
I then studied up on Agave - a new craze that has all of the health and culinary fanatics raving. At first, I found it to be extremely attractive with its low glycemic index quality, cost effectiveness (it is 25% sweeter than cane sugar, so you use less), but then, my brother and his wife told me they found information that brought my attention to how it can harmfully affect the body if not moderated. Most companies that produce Agave process it at temperatures that are higher than the Valcanic Blue Agave Co. (which claims to keep purification temps at 118 degrees or lower - maintaning its raw food properties and); other companies crank up the heat during purification to 140 degrees or higher which alters the nectar to a high fructose, low sucrose quality and add in a high fructose corn syrup as a filler because, according to scientific journals and articles, blue agave plants take 7-10 years to grow to full harvest, and are expensive and difficult to produce in large quantities. Therefore, the 100% organic blue agave are better and have a higher price tag than the lower quality brands.
After lengthy research, however, I went back to brainstorming again and narrowed my findings to what every single expert or nutritional professional had to say about this whole topic on sweeteners: whole fruit sweeteners are the healthiest and add the best needed nutrition to our diets. 0 calorie diets always leave us unsatisfied, even though we have just eaten something tasty and calorie low or free doesn't mean that it was good for us. Our bodies have been craving sweet ever since infancy; which is a pediactric proven fact. This craving for sweet is best satisfied when whole fruits and even vegetables, such as tomatoes (yes, a fruit!) are consumed. Not only will we be taming our sweet tooth, we will also be rewarding our bodies with much needed fiber, vitamins, minerals, etc. So, hit control T, go up to your browser address bar and type in www.etsy.com/badkittyscafe and check out my naughty yet wholesome and rewarding goodies for just about any age. Because everyone deserves to be naughty!! >^..^<

STRESSFUL Decisions....Your thoughts?

I am trying to freelance produce videos through deamand studios.com which is my income/hobby, and it pays really well, incidentally; not only did I study film production and aquire a BA in the craft from San Francisco State University, the little video clip projects demandstudios pays for are an easy, work as you please, ideal freelance video job for me. I had an interview with a wine company and it is a full time 8-5 retail job selling expensive wine to people with money to spare which means pressure to sell more and more. I am just not ready for that plus I need to keep my unemployment going for when I start my MFA in Feb. I also am so deeply rooted with caring for my son and I feel that weeding me out of my 1950s housewife job will throw D and I off balance. I have read several articles in Parents Magazine reguarding this issue and pediatric experts consistently emphasize that dramatically changing a child's  schedule, environment and even the presense of loved one can stress a child out. Although my husband and I agree that he would eventually adapt, I've felt sick to my stomach since the interview and I am only trying to make the smartest decision that will benefit our financial situation in the long run. Do you think I'm being selfish?

Summer Sniffles Virus...

Poor little thing: Dresden is batteling another nasty little virus for the third time this season (fall won't officially begin until September 22nd(equinox). Yes, I'm getting all nerdy on you; I like to research details when I'm blogging about something that is mentally ailing me - call me OCD; furthermore, I am about some things. But getting back to D (my son's nickname), he has this raspy cough and he wheezes when he breathes. The "What To Do When Your Child Gets Sick" book in my little home library and various websites inform readers to do steamy bathroom sits, so we have done, and give a spoon full of honey for cough and sore throat, but I am still nervous about the possible risk of botulism, even though a few local honey farmer vendors at a nearby farmer's market have sworn that raw or pasturized honey very rarely causes this in children over 12 months of age and sometimes younger; but I am not one to take risks with my son's health. He's napping now and woke up earlier this morning as his merry ol' self which calms my nerves somewhat, yet the thought of my son possibly developing asthma has always been the biggest of my fears. I have done everything I can to prevent this: exclusively breast feeding for his first year of life to the present; I always offer the healthiest of foods and in a daily menu as dictated by a food piramid (courtesy of American Academy of Pediactrics) warded off cigarette smoke with a sharp vocal stick lol (yes and passive agressiveness -OK, so, I've been a bit of a nag about this, but so what, he is MY SON and I have every right to protect him; don't get me started on how predjudice I am on cigarette smoke and how inevidably harmful it is to all forms of life, etc.!). I am an excellent mother and all that I can do is continue to educate myself, keep my chin up and put on a happy face so that my son gets a vital dose of positivity and love (the key ingredient to health, I assume!). I love my son!!