Posted on April 29th, 2009 @ 8:13 am
I remember years ago talking to my husband’s friend about stevia as a sweetener. He had been using it but I was skeptical. It seemed outrageously expensive and hard to use (you only needed this tiny amount and if you put too much in it got too sweet). Not to mention the fact that it wasn’t approved by any health organizations. But now, word is out about this intriguing sugar substitute. It shows huge potential!
We have been trying it in our house, but we got it at Trader Joe’s and I think it is the “old school” kind. Now there is apparently a new process that isolates the sweetest of the 2 glucosides – rebaudioside A – that are found in the leaf of the stevia plant. The brand names that use this new process are Truvia and PureVia.
Now Coca Cola and Pepsi will be using stevia, and it has been used as an alternative to artificial sweeters like Equal and Sweet&Low for many years in Korea, Japan and China.
According to an article from UC San Diego Medical Center, stevia has been used for centuries in Brazil and Paraguay for treatment of type 2 diabetes. It has almost no effect on blood sugar levels and it is natural so it is a very attractive sweetener option for diabetics, people watching their carbs and just generally people trying to reduce sugar in their diet.
In 2006 the World Health Organization found stevia to show no carcenogenic activity, and it has been used for centuries in places like South America without any apparent harmful effects. But as with everything, it should be used in moderation – and there are now ongoing studies to determine if there is any potention for long term risks.
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health · healthy eating · stevia
