If you are looking for a sugar substitute without all the dangers of aspartame, than ‘stevia' may be your answer.
Stevia
is usually in a powder that comes from the leaf of the plant which is
native to South America. It is commonly known as sweetleaf, sugarleaf
or simply stevia. It has been used for hundreds of years as an
alternative sweetener. It is sweeter than sugar and has a slower onset
and longer duration than that of sugar. Different brands will have
different tastes.
The FDA banned the importation of stevia as a food sweetener in
1991 and therefore it could only be sold as a "nutritional supplement".
It was rumored that a big soft drink company did not want stevia on the
market because it would take a cut into the sales of aspartame and the
company had somehow convinced the FDA to ban stevia.
Stevia is available at most health food stores and it is widely
used in Japan with no adverse effects. According to scientists it has
been reported to be safe for human consumption and it has little effect
on blood sugar levels. This is something that has been well known in
many parts of the world where it has not been banned.
Some of the benefits of stevia are listed below:
It does not affect blood sugar levels which can help those with hypoglycemia or Type 2 diabetes
It is helpful in weight loss management because it contains no calories and reduces the craving for sweets and fatty foods.
Improved digestion observed
May help lower blood pressure
There are no known allergies to stevia sweeteners.
Jeffrey
Goettenmoeller, author of "Growing and Using Stevia" and "Stevia Sweet
Recipes" is quoted as follows: "Stevia has undergone numerous toxicity
tests. None of these tests have shown any harmful effects. Few
substances can make this claim. The real test, though, was centuries of
continuous use by natives of South America. In addition, thousands of
tons of stevia extracts have been consumed over the last 20 years in
many countries with no harmful effects reported."
A renowned scientist, Daniel Mowrey, MD has done extensive research and reports: "More
elaborate safety tests were performed by the Japanese during their
evaluation of stevia as a possible sweetening agent. Few substances
have ever yielded such consistently negative results in toxicity trials
as have stevia. Almost every toxicity test imaginable has been
performed on stevia extract [concentrate] or stevioside at one time or
another. The results are always negative. No abnormalities in weight
change, food intake, cell or membrane characteristics, enzyme and
substrate utilization, or chromosome characteristics. No cancer, no
birth defects, no acute and no chronic untoward effects. Nothing."
In another report, Rob McCaleb, President of the Herb Research
Foundation sees the irony in the ongoing FDA stevia (which he calls
‘this embattled herb') saga. On his website, a report on the Foundation
tells that stevia has been under FDA import alert since 1991, but
"actually, according to the HRF, numerous scientists, and tens of
millions of consumers throughout the world, especially in Japan, the
herb is safe."
As Mr. McCaleb notes that IF the real point is ‘just' about
sweetness and stevia has the potential to become a very popular
non-caloric sweetener, than what would happen to all the other products
currently on the market?
Well, guess what? In December 2008, the FDA gave a "no objection"
approval for GRAS ("generally regarded as safe") status to Truvia
(developed by Cargill and The Coca-Cola Company) and PureVia (developed
by PepsiCo and the Whole Earth Sweetener Company, a subsidiary of
Merisant), both of which are extracted from the Stevia plant. Numerous
products are now appearing in the marketplace with these ingredients.
Even though it is not the whole stevia leaf, this looks like a
positive action for consumers as the sweeteners will definitely be safer
than aspartame (NutraSweet and Equal) and other artificial sweeteners.
Howard
has a keen interest in alternative and integrative health methods.
His research has revealed that a person's eating habits and lifestyle
can have a dramatic affect on their health. Howard has extensive
background in video production and has conducted numerous video
interviews with professionals in the alternative health field.
Stevia certainly has got ticks in all the right boxes except for one.
I bought 2 bottles some time back having read of the benefits. Unfortunately they are still in my cupboardm because it take a lot to sweeten a drink and it did not taste good to my palate.
Do the different brands taste different so that I should try again or is it the way it is?
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
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