There is a lot of buzz about Stevia.
What is it?
Is it better than other sweeteners?
Truth is, not all Stevia is created equal. ( No pun intended )
Stevia is a plant from South America that has been used for centuries. Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni) has also been used for things such as a treatment for burns, colic, stomach problems and sometimes as a contraceptive.
The best part about Stevia is it doesn’t add calories like other sugar substitutes. It’s 200 times as sweet as sugar in the same concentrations. And it is said it may even have health benefits.
So is Stevia Safe? And this is where all the questions begin. In it’s pure form, studies show that this no calorie sweetener doesn’t make you lose weight, or eat less. It doesn’t raise insulin levels like sugar or substitutes do. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved stevia leaves or “crude stevia extracts” for use as food additives. However, the FDA has allowed companies to use an isolated chemical from stevia as food additive, calling the chemical “generally recognized as safe.” Stevia manufacturers use Rebaudioside A, which is found in the stevia plant in the no calorie sweeteners.
Different companies have taken the Rebaudioside A and uses for the base of their “Stevia” products.