Stevia is an alternative to chemical sweeteners. Stevia sweeteners are made from extracting and processing the sweet part of the stevia plant. Because stevia is natural it is advertised as being better for you than other zero calorie sweeteners. We're led to believe that all things that are natural are good for you, just like tobacco, opium and nightshade... Oh wait.... Let's think about this for a minute.
To decide for myself what I thought about stevia, I've been up since 6am reading scholarly articles. It's now nearly 11am and I am ready to write about what I've found.
In some places stevia has been used for centuries. The Paraguayan Guaraní used stevia as a sweetener, to relieve ailments and in one study I read, as birth control. In some countries it's banned. In some countries, such as the United States, its use is very new. Japan has been using stevia as a sweetener for over 40 years.
It seems like everyone has a conflicting opinion of stevia. That's a lot of controversy for a little green plant that gets pretty white flowers in the fall!
What did the research say?
- Most of the studies called the substances extracted from stevia to use as sweeteners (rebaudioside A) generally safe.
- Most studies reported no negative effect on their test subjects including blood pressure and blood sugar.
- One study did state that it had a negative effect on their pregnant hamsters.
- In June 2008, the World Health Organization after completing their own studies, pronounced stevia as generally safe to use as a sweetener
Yes, but how does it taste?
I thought it was kind of yummy. I went out and bought the cheapest stevia I could find. When you stick your finger in the packet to taste it you can tell from both texture and taste that it isn't sugar. But it still tastes kind of nice. I put some in my unsweetened yogurt and I put some in my green tea. Surprisingly I really liked it in both.
An interesting side note, is that plain stevia leaves taste really awful. They're sweet, but bitter. So, I don't plan on chewing on my stevia plant. I do however think I will keep adding it to my green tea.
I've tried Truvia in iced tea ... not bad as a sweetener ;o)
ReplyDeleteI quite like truvia myself! However it was over $1 more expensive per box, and knowing how much I liked truvia I wanted to see how the cheaper stevia's compared:)
ReplyDeleteStevia is my sweetener of choice for non-baked things - especially tea! I have noticed the packets seem to loose a little bit of sweetness compared to sugar when you use it in hot things. I'm curious if you noticed that at all.
ReplyDeleteYes Amity I did notice it seemed a little less sweet in my tea than in my yogurt. It's really delicious though!
ReplyDeleteI add stevia to my tea..I can order the little packs at the same place I get tei fu oil. Speaking of which, tei fu oil is a nice add to a homeade cough syrup. I can also get 20% off at the store..so if you would like to try any other "natural" stuff at a cheaper cost let me know.
ReplyDeleteI am glad you like it! I don't know if I need to order it since they're carrying it at the grocery store now :) However I would love to stop by and check out the natural store !!!!
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