Stevia - A safe and calorie-free Sweetener

Looking for a way to lower calories - without the risks of Aspartame and other artificial sweeteners?  If you haven't already - try Stevia.  This South American plant has been used internationally for centuries to sweeten foods, fight bacterial infections and balance blood sugar.   Depending upon how it is processed, Stevia can be 100 - 300 times sweeter than refined white sugar - and has ZERO CALORIES!

Stevia can have a chemical flavor - especially when used at high levels.  It can literally be too sweet.  I personally prefer Amazon Herb Company's Stevia as it is preserved with Grape Seed Extract and has a wonderful flavor. 

In the USA, stevia does not have "Generally Recognized As Safe" (GRAS) status for consumption, and is therefore "prohibited from use in human food" under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994. According to the Act, any food or drink containing stevia is an "adulterated" substance. However, while stevia may not be sold as a sweetener, it may be legally purchased and taken internally. In amongst all the contradiction and confusion, this means that stevia is available for human consumption--but only when classified as a dietary supplement or herb.

Click Here for a more complete look at the history and politics behind Stevia being accepted in the United States.

Comments

[Happyhealthy1]

I agree I love Stevia, I buy mine at Amazon.com too but I prefer the Sweetleaf stevia brand. Sweetleaf has these amazing new liquid stevia flavors that you can use in plain water and plain yogurt etc to add some excitement. Thanks for sharing!