Guest guest Posted May 7, 2008 Report Share Posted May 7, 2008 Stevia - an Alternative for Sugar? (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) by Karen Railey Stevia is an outstanding, sweet tasting herb that has remarkable health promoting qualities, yet it is an herb that has been surrounded by much controversy in the United States. The sweetness of Stevia is largely due to its complex stevioside molecule that is composed of glucose, sophorose and steviol. A second compound called rebaudioside, which is present in Stevia,also contributes to Stevia's sweetness. Stevia has a taste that is unique and has been described as very sweet=with a slight licorice taste. The sweetness of Stevia is much different than the sweetness of other natural sweeteners, sugar, or artificial sweeteners, but it is delicious. For some people the taste may require some " getting used to,but most people quickly develop a taste for it. Stevia is a small shrub that is native to Paraguay where the native Gaurani Indians have used it for over 1500 years as a sweetener, a digestive aid, tonic, and topical aid in wound healing. In the late 1880's, a scientist named Moises Santiago Bertoni heard ofthe herb from Gaurani Indian guides while he was exploring the easternforests of Paraguay. When he found the herb himself he announced his discovery of the " new species " in a botanical journal and was credited with " discovering " Stevia. Stevia has many favorable and exciting health benefits. The herb is nutrient rich, containing substantial amounts of protein, calcium,and phosphorous, as well as sodium, magnesium, zinc, rutin, vitamin A, vitamin C, and over 100 phytonutrients. Stevia is a helpful aid in weight loss due to the fact that it containsno sugar, no calories and has been shown to " reduce " craving forsweetsand fatty foods. People have reported that consuming 10-15 drops of whole leaf concentrate 20 minutes before meals diminished hunger sensations. Also, those consuming the Stevia teas have experienced a reduction intheir desire for tobacco and alcoholic beverages. Because it contains " no sugar " and will not " feed yeast " , those who are dealing with candida can use it freely. The herb normalizes blood sugar levels and therefore promotes a consistent energy flow, unlike sugar, which causes a rapid peak in blood sugar followed by a crash then a craving for more sugar. Stevia has been used successfully by diabetics and those suffering from hypoglycemia and it has been prescribed by physicians in Paraguay in the treatment of both conditions and for high blood pressureas well. It is interesting that Stevia doesn't " affect " normal blood sugar levels or normal blood pressure. The Hiroshima University School of Dentistry and the Purdue University's dental research group have both researched Stevia and found it to retard plaque accumulation on the teeth and suppress bacterial growth that causes cavities. Many individuals have experienced improved dental health when they have included Stevia in their brushing routine, by adding the concentrate to their toothpaste and diluting it in water as a daily mouthwash. Numerous people have reported that taking 20-30 drops of the whole leaf Stevia concentrate with each meal brought their blood glucose levels to normal within a short period of time and many have also experienced increased energy levels and mental acuity, and improved digestion and immune response.Remember that each individual's condition and requirements are different. Stevia is available in several forms, the less refined being the mosthealthful. It can be purchased in dried leaf form, Stevia leaf powder,tea, or as a liquid tincture, extract, or concentrate. The liquid forms made from the whole leaf are dark in color, and come in different purities and strengths depending on the type and manufacturer. Read labels; additives are sometimes used in these products, and some are made with alcohol, some with water. Recently whole leaf Stevia has become available in tablet form, which provides a convenient means of supplementation when at work, traveling, or the like. The refined forms of Stevia, which are the isolated steviosides, come in a white powder or a clear extract. These refined Stevia extracts are safe and preferable to artificial sweeteners or sugar. The sweetness and taste of all forms of Stevia can vary greatly due to a variety of factors including where and how it was grown, processing methods, and if it is diluted or " blended. " It has been said that the best tasting and most health promoting Stevia comes from Paraguay. This is due to the rich, fertile soil, pure water and air, the long hours of sunlight, and the expertise and knowledge of the Paraguayan farmers in growing and processing the plants. As a sweetener and flavor enhancer, Stevia is very useful for baking and cooking because it is heat stable to 392° Fahrenheit and will not degrade. It is also excellent in smoothies, tea, breakfast grains, or sprinkled on vegetables and salads. It does have some limitations and baking and cooking with these various forms may require some experimentation to determine which forms and amounts suit your taste and recipes. Because Stevia contains no sugar it cannot be used effectively in yeast breads, as they require sugar in some form, to activate the yeast and Stevia won't caramelize so can't be used for meringues. Why has there been so much controversy concerning Stevia, a very useful herb with such great health benefits? Stevia was used in the United States in the 1980's as a sweetener. Celestial Seasonings, one of the world's largest herbal tea companies used it as a flavoring in many of their teas until 1986, when without warning the FDA raided their warehouse and seized their entire stock of Stevia. The FDA gave no reason for this action; the company was simply told they could no longer use Stevia in their teas. Prior to the 1980's Stevia was on the FDA's GRAS (Generally Regarded as Safe) list. Strangely, it was removed from that list at the same time Aspartame entered the scene and saccharin was found to be a carcinogen. In 1991 the FDA banned Stevia, even though it has been used extensively in South America, Japan, China, Germany, Malaysia, Israel, and South Korea, and is available in many other countries. Stevia extracts are used in the Far East as a sweetener in items produced by American companies, such as Diet Coke and sugar free versions of Wrigley's gum and Beatrice Foods Yogurts, as well as for its therapeutic value. The FDA was forced to lift the ban on Stevia due to the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994. Since that time Stevia has been legal in the U.S., but only if specifically labeled as a dietary supplement. It cannot be used commercially in food products as a sweetener or labeled as a sweetener. In 1998, the FDA made a raid on a Stevia producer located in Texas and attempted to burn all of the books in their warehouse. One book relays the story of FDA's suppression of Stevia and another is a cookbook, which makes use of Stevia as a sweetener, not a supplement. There has been much speculation about the FDA's actions and policies concerning this beneficial herb, but evidence points to the very real probability that these things are the result of lobbying pressure exerted by chemical companies producing synthetic sugar substitutes. Obviously because Stevia is so much sweeter than sugar, much less of it is required in recipes. Below is a conversion table to help in determining the proper amounts, followed by a couple recipes. Granulated Sugar- Whole Stevia leaf powder- White Stevia Extract (powder) 1 teaspoon -1/8 teaspoon- Dust on spoon 1 Tablespoon- 3/8 teaspoon- 1/2 pinch 1/4 cup -1 1/2 teaspoon -Pinch 1/2 cup- 1 Tablespoon -1/8 teaspoon 1 cup- 2 Tablespoon -1/4 teaspoon --- Stevia Leaf - Too Good To Be Legal? --------------- Rob McCaleb Herb Research Foundation For hundreds of years, people in Paraguay and Brazil have used a sweetleaf to sweeten bitter herbal teas including mate. For nearly 20 years, Japanese consumers by the millions have used extracts of the same plant as a safe, natural, non-caloric sweetener. The plant is stevia, formally known as Stevia rebaudiana, and today it is under wholesale attack by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Stevia is a fairly unassuming perennial shrub of the aster family (Asteraceae), native to the northern regions of South America. It has now been grown commercially in Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Central America, the United States, Israel, Thailand and China. The leaves contain several chemicals called glycosides, which taste sweet, but do not provide calories. The major glycoside is called stevioside, and isone of the major sweeteners in use in Japan and Korea. Stevia and its extracts have captured over 40% of the Japanese market. Majormultinational food companies like Coca Cola and Beatrice foods, convinced of its safety, use stevia extracts to sweeten foods for salein Japan, Brazil, and other countries where it is approved. Europeans first learned of stevia when the Spanish Conquistadors of theSixteenth Century sent word to Spain that the natives of South America had used the plant to sweeten herbal tea since " ancient times " . The saga of American interest in stevia began around the turn of the Twentieth Century when researchers in Brazil started hearing about " a plant with leaves so sweet that a part of one would sweeten a whole gourd full of mate. " The plant had been described in 1899 byDr. M. S. Bertoni. In 1921 the American Trade Commissioner to Paraguay commented in a letter " Although known to science for thirty years and used by the Indians for a much longer period nothing has been done commercially with the plant. This has been due to a lack of interest on the part of capital and to the difficulty of cultivation. " Dr. Bertoni wrote some of the earliest articles on the plant in 1905 and 1918. In the latter article he notes: " The principal importance of Ka he'e (stevia) is due to the possibility of substituting it for saccharine. It presents these great advantages over saccharine: 1. It is healthful, as shown by long experience and according to the studies of Dr. Rebaudi. 2. It is a sweetening agent of great power. 3. It can be employed directly in its natural state, (pulverized leaves). 4. It is much cheaper than saccharine. " Noncaloric sweeteners are a big business in the U.S., as are caloric sweeteners like sugar and the sugar-alcohols, sorbital, mannitol and xylitol. It is small wonder that the powerful sweetener interests here, do not want the natural, inexpensive, and non-patentable stevia approved in the U.S. In the 1970s, the Japanese government approved the plant, and food manufacturers began using stevia extracts to sweeten everything from sweet soy sauce and pickles to diet Coke. Researchers found theextract interesting, resulting in dozens of well-designed studies ofits safety, chemistry and stability for use in different food products. Various writers have praised the taste of the extracts, which has muchless of the bitter after taste prevalent in most noncaloric sweeteners. In addition to Japan, other governments have approved stevia and stevioside, including those of Brazil, China and South Korea, among others. Unfortunately, the US was destined to be a different story. Stevia has been safely used in this country for over ten years. http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets http://groups.msn.com/HerbalWisdom/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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