Stevia extract is a natural sugar substitute derived from the leaves of the stevia plant, a sweet-tasting herb native to South America. Long sold as a dietary supplement, stevia extract was also recently approved as a food additive. You may find stevia extract helpful if you are striving to decrease the amount of sugar in your diet.
Benefits
With zero calories and zero carbohydrates, stevia extract is an excellent replacement for sugar, allowing you to reduce your intake of sugar and calories without having to give up on sweet-tasting foods and drinks. Stevia extract will not affect your blood sugar or contribute to weight gain and cannot promote teeth decay. Unlike chemically produced artificial sweeteners, stevia extract is derived from a natural source. Some research has suggested that stevia extract may lower blood pressure for patients with mild hypertension and reduce blood glucose levels for type 2 diabetics; these advantages were observed at very high levels of stevia extract, however, so are unlikely to apply to most consumers.
Safety
Stevia extract has endured a controversial history in the United States. Due to early animal research studies that suggested stevia extract might cause cancerous mutations and reproductive problems, for many years stevia was only granted approval as a dietary supplement. After a series of peer-reviewed research studies, however, in 2008 the Food and Drug Administration gave stevia extract a GRAS, or generally recognized as safe, status when used as a sweetener in food and drinks. The World Health Organization's Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives has also approved the use of stevia extract as a sweetener.
Disadvantages
Stevia extract is 200 to 300 times sweeter than sugar. The precise sweetness of an extract varies by brand, so figuring out how much stevia you need to substitute for a certain amount of sugar can require a fair amount of trial and error. Stevia extract also often possesses an aftertaste that many consumers find unpleasant. If you are interested in using stevia and find yourself initially put off by the aftertaste, try at least a few different brands before giving up, as taste can vary quite a bit between brands. Although regarded as safe, stevia extract may cause mild side effects like nausea and abdominal fullness in some individuals.
Usage
Stevia extract is present in certain varieties of soda, tea, juice, baked goods, gums, candies and other products. You can also purchase stevia extract to use at home. Look for it in grocery stores, health food stores and online. The extract is available in both powder and liquid forms and may also be purchased in particular flavors. All forms can be used for sweetening beverages, savory dishes, baked goods and other desserts like homemade ice cream.
References
- Mayo Clinic; Stevia -- Can it Help with Weight Control?; Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.; Nov. 18, 2010
- U.S. News & World Report; The Zero-Calorie Sweetener Stevia Arrives; Adam Voiland; July 28, 2008
- American Dietetic Association; Stevia; June 2009
- FamilyDoctor.org; Stevia Sweeteners -- What You Need to Know; January 2010
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; Stevia; June 21, 2010
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