If you are on a low-calorie diet, a stevia zero-calorie sweetener may be an excellent choice for you. This sweetener does not raise blood sugar levels or contribute to cavities like sugar does. In addition, stevia has the added benefit of significantly lowering insulin levels compared to aspartame.
stevia sweetener
Stevia is a zero calorie sweetener that is 200 to 300 times sweeter than sugar. Unlike sugar, stevia does not raise blood sugar levels or cause cavities. Studies suggest that stevia can reduce insulin levels. This makes it an attractive sugar alternative for people with diabetes or high blood pressure.
Stevia is a plant native to South America that has been used as a sweetener for centuries. Today, high-purity stevia leaf extract is available in zero-calorie products and drastically reduces the energy and added sugar content of foods. This article will introduce the plant, how it is processed, and discuss the potential benefits and risks of using this sweetener in your diet. It will also summarize current thinking about the role of nonnutritive sweeteners in weight management.
Researchers continue to explore the benefits of stevia-based sweeteners. High-purity stevia leaf extract is used in soft drinks, jams, dairy products, and alcoholic beverages. It is also used in bakeries to reduce calories. This sweetener is not metabolized by humans, making it a good choice for people with diabetes.
You can also use stevia in cooking. However, the sugar-to-stevia ratio is different in different brands, so it is important to experiment with proportions to get the desired taste. Using too much stevia can leave a bitter aftertaste. Stevia can also be tricky to bake with, since it does not have the same chemical properties as sugar. It will also not provide the right texture in baked goods. To overcome this, you can experiment with proportions and add extra ingredients.
Although Stevia has been commercialized in the United States since the 1970s, its use in Japan remains high. Today, it is cultivated primarily in Paraguay, Kenya, China, and the United States. Its generic name, stevia, refers to the plant extract made from its leaves. It is also used to sweeten teas and medicines.
One of the most popular stevia brands in the United States is Truvia. Its Natural Sweetener product contains zero calories. The main ingredient of Truvia is erythritol, a sugar alcohol, which gives the product its bulk and sugar-like appearance. Other ingredients include natural flavors. One of the ingredients, monk fruit, may leave an aftertaste. However, it is mixed with fibers in the product.
Although the monk fruit is not approved as a food additive, it does not raise blood sugar levels and is generally recognized as safe by the FDA. Because monk fruit is not studied enough in humans, there is not much known about its effects on the human body. Therefore, it is important to choose products with higher-quality ingredients in order to boost your weight loss efforts.
The research done to date is based on several scientific studies of nonnutritive sweeteners. The American Heart Association has also published a scientific advisory on low-calorie sweeteners. Several of these studies focused on the glycemic effect of nonnutritive sweeteners.
