Stevia. How Sweet It Is

Stevia has been around for a long time. So why is it that the FDA says it's not a sweetener; it's not been proven safe and it can't be sold as anything but a food supplement? And if that's all true, why are major soft drink manufacturers trying to get a patent on their version of it? After all, for years they've been telling us that aspartame and splenda are completely harmless, all the while using stevia in their products in Japan, Germany and many other countries. So why is (their version) of stevia okay for the US now?
Stevia was "discovered" in 1903 by an Italian botanist in the jungles of Paraguay where the native people had been using it for a sweetener. When it was grown commercially and introduced to the US a few years later, sugar producers were alarmed at the threat that stevia presented to their industry, but nothing came of it until researchers isolated stevioside from it, a pure, white powder with remarkable sweetening power.

Then, in the 1960's, the Japanese, who had an aversion to artificial sweeteners, discovered stevia and started putting it into everything from drinks to gum. Their restaurants feature little green packets of stevia on the tables, the way ours have pink, blue and yellow artificial sweetener packets. Soon, other countries including China, Germany, Israel, Malaysia and others adopted stevia. Because it was used over several decades, stevia's safety record was readily apparent. There were no side effects and it was not carcinogenic.

Stevia has a glycemic index of zero, so it doesn't raise or lower blood sugar, which makes it ideal for diabetics or those on low-glycemic diets. (However, the American Diabetes Association won't endorse it because they follow FDA guidelines and the FDA says it's not safe.) It comes in both liquid and powder form - the powder has more sweetening power than the liquid - and a little goes a very long way. A mere quarter teaspoon is the equivalent of two tsps of sugar! Research supports the theory that stevia lowers blood pressure also when used on a regular basis.

I use liquid stevia in my tea and prefer Sweetleaf Stevia Products which doesn't seem to have the licorice aftertaste which many stevia brands have. I buy it online at Drugstore.com. I buy a lot of things at Drugstore.com, because I like the 5% back I get in Drugstore dollars and I've always gotten excellent customer service and shipping from them. And, yes, I am an affiliate. :) For cooking, I use stevia in combination with other sweeteners such as honey and organic raw sugar and use the Sweetleaf Powder.

Whether or not stevia will catch on when the major soft drink manufacturers introduce it in their colas and other soft drinks, or whether it will be another "New Coke" debacle remains to be seen. I'm just hoping that the soft drink giants' adoption of stevia will lead to its general use and acceptance in other foods and beverages. Now, that would be a sweet scenario.


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