Stevia sweetener is now considered a healthy choice by many, including those who base their diets on all natural foods, and those who don’t. One of the biggest reasons that Stevia sweetener is in the spotlight now is because of the increasingly disturbing reports that have surfaced about other sweeteners like aspartame and high fructose corn syrup. Whether you choose to only eat all natural foods or not, you may want to consider switching to Stevia rather than using sugar, or the sugar substitutes currently on the market.
Stevia Sweetener Is an All Natural Food
One of the most appealing aspects of Stevia sweetener is that it is comes from a totally natural source. It is derived from the Stevia plant, which is related to all natural foods such as lettuce and chicory. While the plant has been used by the Guarani Indians to sweeten tea for hundreds of years, it is now used in homes all over the U.S., not just in beverages, but even as a sugar substitute in baking. As it grows in popularity, so too does our understanding of new ways to utilize it.
Is Stevia Sweetener Better Than Sugar?
While it’s hard to say that one type of sweetener is “better” than another, there are certainly some areas in which Stevia seems to have advantages over the sugar products that we are accustomed to using. In addition to being one of the purest all natural foods, Stevia sweetener doesn’t contain any calories. Stevia sweetener has even been recommended for diabetics in many cases. This is because it does not affect blood glucose levels in the same way that sugar does. Interestingly enough, even though it is one of the healthiest all natural foods, Stevia is 250 to 300 times sweeter than sugar, which means that only a small amount needs to be used. Many people now use Stevia sweetener in pretty much the same way as they used sugar in the past.
The Acceptance of Stevia Sweetener
With the obvious benefits of an all natural food product like Stevia sweetener, and the fact that it has been a known sugar substitute for hundreds of years, it is hard to understand why it hasn’t been used in modern culture for more than a few years. The fact of the matter is that it has! Stevia sweetener has been popular in Japan since the 1970’s. In fact, Japan consumes almost 40% of the world’s Stevia in soft drinks and other products.
In the United States, Sunrider International’s Dr. Tei Fu Chen successfully petitioned the FDA in 1995 to allow the use of Stevia as a dietary supplement. More recently, it has been approved as a food additive and companies like Coca Cola and Pepsi are lining up to begin putting Stevia sweetener in widely distributed products.
The reasons for the ban of Stevia sweetener as an all natural food additive were hotly debated, with many pointing to lobbyists from both the sugar and the sugar-substitute industries. It has experienced a number of classifications since being allowed in the U.S., and it’s likely that the use of it for both all natural foods and as a part of prepackaged foods will continue to grow as consumers learn about its many advantages.