Stevia

Another hotbed of controversy, partly because it is tied in with the wrangle over artificial sweeteners. We cannot determine whether to class it as an herb, or a food! And neither can the FDA.

I am not an extremist. I generally believe the truth to be somewhere between what the proponents of each philosophy are claiming in most controversies. And that is how I feel about this one. I do not believe that stevia is without risks, nor do I believe that aspartame is the "most dangerous substance masquerading as food to ever be foisted off on the unsuspecting public" (though I do know from personal experience that it can be harmful). I do not believe that there is a conspiracy to keep people eating sugar or aspartame.

I DO believe that there are major profit motives at stake. But they are there on BOTH sides of the issues, whether the people promoting stevia admit it or not. They claim there is no profit in stevia, but there is. And brand names are EVERYTHING, so if someone got it approved by the FDA, and promoted brand recognition across the US, they'd have a sweet marketing deal the same as NutraSweet does. There are many brands of aspartame, but NutraSweet is THE brand, and it is what the fortunes have been made around.

So, motives aside, stevia is a powerful natural sweetener from the leaves of a plant that is native to South America. It comes in green leaf forms, or in white extract forms, or in a liquid extract. A little pinch goes a long way.

Because stevia is an herb, in the green leaf form, it may have other health affects. There are certainly some who claim that it not only eliminates the need for sugar, but that it, in itself, has the power to reduce blood sugar levels. In fact, someone out there is willing to claim that it can help just about every major condition from which a huge number of people are known to suffer. I am more than a bit skeptical about that, but feel that the jury is still out on any other benefits besides just being a calorie-free sweetener.

Too date, the FDA has denied approval of this as a food additive, and only allows it to be marketed as an herbal supplement, not as a sweetener. They say it fails to meet their safety guidelines, because it does not have a proven history of safety. Kind of funny they should say that, since coffee, caffeine, and even sugar itself would probably fail to meet those standards if tested today.

However the arguments resolve, you can find stevia in health food stores, and there is plenty of info on how to use it. Be aware though, that it is likely to have other affects, which are not well known, so as with all herbs, you should be on the alert for problems.

I have been using this to sweeten tea, and a little in baking. I use packets, which are stevia blended with maltodextrin (another simple sugar - not enough of it to have to count it unless you use a lot). I find that one packet will sweeten a large mug of tea, or a bowl of oatmeal. If I use too much of it, it gets a sickly sweet taste.

In cooking, we use about a third the amount that would normally be used in a sugar to stevia conversion. If you use the full amount, the flavor gets way too strong.

Stevia has the unusual effect of leaving a residual taste on your lips. If you get a bit on your lips, you can lick them several times and still taste a bit of sweet flavor.

I consider it to be a reasonable alternative to sugar, but still use it cautiously, just as I do all artificial sweeteners. Stevia is recommended as natural, but in the extracted form, is really not any different from other chemical sweeteners, and should be used with similar restraint.

We can now find it in our grocery store, next to the "natural" forms of sugar.

Written by Laura Wheeler, Owner of Firelight Business Enterprises, Inc.