What is Stevia?
Stevia is a herb, perhaps unique among food ingredients because it’s most valued, it doesn’t add calories.The stevia plant is part of the Asteraceae family, related to the daisy and ragweed. There are several stevia species called originally from South America, mainly Brazil and Paraguay though it now grows throughout the world
It is naturally very sweet and considered 100 to 200 times sweeter than sugar, but it doesn’t raise blood sugar levels like sugar and other artificial sweeteners do.
Unfortunately, while stevia leaf (in fresh or dried form), is a natural herbal sweetener, many modern forms of stevia-based sweeteners are powdered and processed. In fact, popular powdered stevia sweeteners go through dozens of steps during processing from bleaching to chemical alteration.
Benefits of raw natural Stevia leaves or extract:
- Anticancer Abilities – especially breast cancer reduction
- Stevia instead of white sugar can be extremely helpful to diabetics
- Helps Weight Loss – plant-based – cero calories
- Improves Cholesterol levels – it decreases elevated serum cholesterol levels including triglycerides and LDL (“bad cholesterol”)
- Lower High blood pressure –
Stevia process:
There are three types of Stevia on the market:
- Green Leaf Stevia ( the most natural and recommended) 30 -40 times sweeter than sugar and is the one with most benefits.
- Stevia Extracts – less bitter than stevia leaf – about 200 times sweeter than sugar
- Altered/ Processed/ Barely stevia- like – Truvia – 200 – 400 times sweeter than sugar. This is the worst Option, try to avoid it since its’ side effects are mainly gastrointestinal problems.
