Stevia Glycerite is a natural sweetener obtained from the Stevia plant. Native to Brazil and Paraguay, the Stevia plant's leaves also offer many vitamins, minerals and micronutrients. As a sweetener, according to "Stevia: The Genus Stevia," stevia is up to 300 times sweeter than sugar when consumed in its unprocessed form. You can use stevia as both a sweetener and as a dietary supplement.
Dietary Supplement
The leaves of this plant and its extracts offer many essential vitamins and minerals for your body. According to "Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine," leaves from the stevia plant contain iron, fiber, calcium, potassium, zinc, sodium and vitamins A and C. Stevia contains the highest quantities of these vitamins and minerals when consumed in its natural, unprocessed form. However, slightly processed forms of stevia still retain many of the plant's beneficial components.
Natural Sweetener
The glycosides found in Stevia are the source of the plant's sweetness. According to "Stevia Rebaudiana: Nature's Sweet Secret," the human body cannot metabolize the glycosides in stevia. Instead, when you consume natural, unprocessed stevia, the glycosides pass right through your body. Therefore, stevia is a safe and effective sweetener for everyone to use, including individuals suffering from diabetes, hypoglycemia or obesity. Because your body does not process the glycosides, you also do not receive any calories from the sweetener.
Flavors
According to "Stevia: The Genus Stevia," the unprocessed form of stevia has a slight licorice flavor in the leaves and oil. Through the manufacturing process, manufacturers of slightly processed stevia can remove this flavor. Additionally, the intense sweetness of the plant also has a slight bitterness. Generally, the lower the quality of the plant or leaves, the more bitterness you will taste when consuming the stevia plant. Again, however, processing the leaves or oil can generally eliminate all or most of the bitterness associated with stevia.
Baking and Cooking
You can bake and cook with stevia glycerite. In contrast to most artificial sweeteners, stevia will not succumb to the heat used during the baking or cooking process. This means the glycosides will not break down and will retain all of their sweetness. This property has given stevia several nicknames, including candy leaf, honey leaf and sweet herb.
References
- "Stevia Rebaudiana: Nature's Sweet Secret"; David Richard; 1999
- "Stevia: The Genus Stevia (Medicinal and Aromatic Plants -- Industrial Profiles)"; A. Douglas Kinghorn; 2001
- "Integrative Medicine"; David Rakel; 2002
- "Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine"; Michael Murray and Joseph Pizzorno; 1997
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