Stevia

Stevia A Natural Alternative to Sugar

BY RIDER THOMPSON

Diabetics have known about Stevia for years and have sworn by it. Stevia is a small perennial plant native to Central and South America that is sweet, much sweeter than sugar (some extracts are up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar) yet it has little or no effect on blood glucose, therefore it has drawn a lot of attention as a natural sweetener for diabetics and others on carbohydrate sensitive diets whose other alternative sweeteners are Splenda or Nutrasweet – both chemical sweeteners. Stevia has also shown promising signs in medical research for treating obesity and high blood pressure.

After learning about Stevia through a diabetic friend of mine I started using it. The brand I am using is Now Stevia Extract (made by nowfoods). The Stevia comes in little packets just like sugar it has the same texture of a sugar as well.  Stevia is available in larger quantities as well as liquid format as well.  Taste wise I think its great, I don't notice any difference at all in taste and the Stevia is plenty sweet!

 Stevia is cultivated in over a dozen countries worldwide and is widely used in Japan. It was banned by the US in the early 1990s and is now available in the US and Canada as a food supplement. There is still controversy surrounding Stevia in the US. It is currently allowed as a supplement but not as an additive. This seemingly contradictory stance by the FDA is rather strange and confusing. The Lipton Tea company has been petitioning for years to have Stevia allowed for use as an additive in the US. Stevia is a major export product and is widely used in countries including China, Brazil, North and South Korea, Taiwan, Israel, Paraguay and Malaysia

Comments

[Georgia]

Did you ever use Stevia to make cookies or pastry? I'm asking because I noticed that when subjected to heat, most sweeteners get a "medicine-like", even bitter taste. Thanks in advance and keep these articles coming! ;-)

[brthomas - homemade Fruit-Ade sports drink]

I appreciate stevia as a no-calorie sweetener and flavor enhancer. I've been using stevia clear liquid extracts in homemade sports drinks, lemonade, &tea.