Sweet On Stevia

Sweet On Stevia

By Christine Gable

Stevia, a zero-calorie herbal sweetener, can meet all of your baking and sugar alternative needs.

If you're looking to kick the sugar habit but want to avoid chemical-laden artificial sweeteners, stevia just may be your natural-and zero-calorie-solution. Thanks to its glycoside-rich leaves that are sweeter than sugar, this shrubby South American herb is on the verge of becoming a big player.

Ever since Antonio Bertoni first recorded its usage by natives in 1887, stevia has mellowed everything from medicines to beverages. Having recently received a long-anticipated green light of safety from the United States Food and Drug Administration with GRAS (generally recognized as safe) labeling, it's a sure thing that more stevia sweetening is in the works. FDA approval has spurred some companies to begin incorporating it into mass-marketed products, from soft drinks and juices to snack bars.

Clinical data has found that stevia helps to regulate blood sugar, suppress dental bacteria, encourage weight loss, and regulate blood pressure. And, unlike sugar, stevia won't exacerbate candida. Impressively, no negative reactions to the herb have been discovered. "Stevia has been used in Japan and other countries for several decades," says Ray Sahelian, MD, coauthor of The Stevia Cookbook: Cooking with Nature's Calorie-Free Sweetener. "I am not concerned with stevia causing any medical conditions; in fact, from all the studies that I have reviewed, stevia is a very safe supplement and most likely much, much safer than many artificial sweeteners. Stevia has been available in the U.S. since the mid 1990s, and there have not been any reported adverse effects with its use."

New Stevia Products

Recent developments in stevia processing have uncovered Reb A, a compound extracted from the sweetest leaf section of the plant.

It's 250 to 300 times sweeter than sugar and offers clean flavor without the bitter aftertaste. When reading labels, look for rebiana, rebaudioside, or Reb A for the purest, most natural sweetening power of stevia. Products such as PureVia and Stevia Extract In The Raw are composed of high levels of rebaudioside and offer powerful sweetening without the less favorable licorice-like flavor of the glycosides known as steviosides. Rebiana is also available combined with erythritol, a naturally fermented sugar alcohol, in Truvia (by the same manufacturer as PureVia).

Stevia is available in a variety of forms: from cut herb leaf to refined clear liquid to white powder. Watch labels for extra fillers that cause quality, flavor, and sweetness to vary. A little truly goes a long way when working with pure stevia. When substituting stevia for sugar in recipes, the recommended amount is 1 teaspoon for 1 cup of sugar, or 2 drops per 1 cup of liquid for beverages.

Article from:

Better Nutrition Magazine, December 2009 Issue, Volume 71, Number 12, pages 32-35, www.betternutrition.com