Stevia – An All Natural Sweetner

Joleen Bennett

8 years ago

Stevia

Have you tried stevia? You may not know it yet, but a quiet revolution is taking place on our supermarket shelves.

After years of research and testing, scientists think they’ve found a natural sugar substitute that has zero calories, zero carbohydrates and won’t raise blood sugar levels.

The ‘miracle’ ingredient, stevia, is between 250 and 300 times sweeter than sugar, and so by adding it to foods and drinks, manufacturers can drastically reduce the calorie content.

You may well already have had some.

Look on the label of a can of Sprite and you’ll notice stevia in the ingredients — that’s why it’s now 30 per cent lower in sugar.

You can also buy Truvia, a sweetener made from stevia manufactured by Silver Spoon, and stevia as a powder to add to drinks or cereals, not to mention stevia chocolate bars and yoghurts.

Sugar Substitutes

Sugar substitutes are, of course, nothing new — artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, saccharin and sucralose, made from amino acids and chemicals — have been around for more than 40 years.

But while these have been approved by regulatory bodies and are widely considered safe, many consumers remain suspicious of them.