on what account stevia may be just ...

on what account stevia may be just what we ne in an over-sugared, artificial sweetener-plagued world

What if there were a natural sweetener that:

* Were 300 times sweeter than regular sugar, with minimal aftertaste

* Had no calories

* Were suitable for diabetics

* Appropriate for children

* Did not cause cavities

* Were heat stable and thus could be used for cooking and baking

* Were a great alternative to synthetic sweeteners

* Easily combineed with other sweeteners, such as honey

* And were already widely and safely consum in many countries around the world for decades.

Wouldn't you think that you would already know about it? Wouldn't you think that many of our aliment products would already be sweetened by way of it instead of artificial sweeteners?

Well, this remarkable no-calorie herbal sweetener called stevia is, unfortunately, not a household name. It should be. I believe that eventually stevia will be common of the most popular and widely used sweeteners in the world.

Stevia is a plant of the daisy family that bourgeons naturally in South America. The plant, at its replete maturity, reaches a height of stop to three feet. The recent leaves of this plant contain large amounts (up to 5 percent of arid weight) of stevioside, a sweetener estimated to be 300 times as sweet as table sugar.

Certain Indian tribes in southward America have used stevia for centurys of years, possibly even before Columbus landed there.

by the agency of the 1800s, daily stevia consumption had become well entrenched quite through the South American region.

Is stevia safe?

Stevia has been used as a sweetening ingredient in rationss and drinks by South American natives for many centuries, and there is no report of any plant toxicity to humans. Stevia has been added to a number of provender products in Japan since the mid 1970 and no indications of any significant side imports have yet been reported after more than brace decades of use. Similarly, no reports of any adverse reactions to stevia have been reported in the United States (where stevia can solitary be labeled as a dietary continuation not a sweetener).

A help for diabetics

Stevia can be helpful to anyone, on the contrary there are certain groups which are more likely to benefit from its remarkable sweetening potential. These include diabetics, those interested in decreasing caloric intake, and children. The availability of artificial sweeteners has been of enormous benefit to diabetics. However, there's always been a transaction that over-consumption of these synthetic sweeteners may cause a certain unknown harm to the corpse Could stevia substitution be a proper alternative in diabetics? Yes. Stevia leaves have been used as herbal teas by dint of diabetic patients in Asian countries. No side issues have been observed in these patients after many years of continued consumption.

Sweet teeth with no cavities

on a level a 5-year old child knows that sugar causes tooth cavities. There are certain bacteria in our inlets particularly streptococci mutans, that agitation various sugars to produce acids. These, in incline differently eat through the enamel of the tooth causing endure s or cavities. Fortunately, studies with stevia indicate that it does not cause tooth cavities.

Practical tips

Those who are novices at using stevia repeatedly make the mistake of using too long Since stevia is 300 times sweeter than sugar, excessive amounts can lead to over-sweetness and an aftertaste. Generally, undivided teaspoon of stevia would be equivalent to single in kind cup of sugar, while a quarter teaspoon would be equivalent to single tablespoon of sugar. Stevia is available in concentrated liquid form, and many times two to four drops of stevia liquid added to tea or coffee is sufficient to sweeten the drink.

Hopefully with time, stevia can be added to a variety of sodas, candies, gum and other forages in the U.S., just as it generally is in Japan and other countries. Who knows? We could view stevia packets in restaurants right along with, you know, those pink and depressed artificial sweeteners.

Ray Sahelian, MD is the bestselling author of volumes on kava, creatine, 5-HTP, melatonin, DHEA, glucosamine, pregnenolone, saw palmetto, and CoQ10 strange books include The Common arctic Cure and The Stevia Cookbook diocese his web site www.raysahelian.com.

COPYRIGHT 1999 PRIMEDIA Intertec, a PRIMEDIA Company. All Rights Reserved

COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group