Anyone searching for healthy, low carb foods should be
aware of stevia, the all natural sweetener, as a
replacement for sugar or artificial sweeteners. A vast
majority of articles and research projects conducted on
stevia have concluded that it may be the one sweetener that
is actually good for people. It has been shown that stevia
can help individuals maintain normal blood sugar levels,
and it is a zero calorie sweetener. What is stevia and why
is Coca Cola teaming up with Cargill to make it a
replacement for sugar in many products? Also, why has the
FDA rejected stevia as a food additive, but permitted it to
be used as a dietary supplement?
First, let's take a look at the origins of stevia and how
it has gained attention with the rise in demand for low
carb foods and low sugar substitutes. Stevia has been used
for centuries by native South American tribes as a
sweetener in yerba mate and medicinal teas for treating
heartburn and other ailments. It is a plant in the
Chrysanthemum family, which grows wild in parts of Paraguay
and Brazil. Wikipedia describes stevia as an herb or shrub
"in the sunflower family, native to subtropical and
tropical South America and Central America". The plant's
extracts have up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar, but
have a negligible impact on blood glucose. That is why
stevia is gaining attention as a sugar substitute that can
help people, especially those on a low carb diet, maintain
normal blood sugar levels.
Since the early 1970's, Japan has led the way in
cultivating and using stevia as a replacement for
artificial sweeteners such as cyclamate and saccharin,
which are alleged carcinogens. Commercially produced in
Japan since 1977, stevia sweeteners are often used in that
country for low carb foods and soft drinks. Japan
currently accounts for about 40% of the world's consumption
of stevia, more than any other country. It is now widely
used throughout the world, especially in East Asia, South
America and Israel. Stevia has been available as a dietary
supplement in the United States and Canada since the mid
1980's. Many people in this country use it as a beneficial
sweetener for health drink formulas not sold in retail
stores.
In 1984, Dr. Tei-Fu Chen, an American herbalist from
Taiwan, perfected a method to extract the sweetness from
stevia without using chemicals. This method is accepted
today as the most advantageous way to produce stevia
products for consumption. Dr. Chen's company, Sunrider,
successfully petitioned the FDA (Food & Drug
Administration) in 1995 to lift the import alert on the
extract of stevia leaves. This paved the way for companies
to use stevia as a "dietary supplement", and in May of
2007, Coca Cola announced plans to seek approval for its
use as a "food additive". Coca Cola currently uses stevia
in soft drinks made in Japan, and is hoping to market a new
calorie free sweetener in the United States to use in low
carb foods by 2009. Sunrider was one of the first
companies to introduce stevia to the market with the
product Sunectar, in 1984, and later a variation known as
SunnyDew. Coca Cola is tentatively planning to call their
product, Rebiana, which is derived from the plant's
botanical name stevia rebaudiana.
The only thing that might prevent the use of stevia based
products for low carb foods and drinks in the U.S. is the
FDA approval of stevia as a "food additive". It is
currently only allowed to be used as a dietary supplement,
not a food additive. You see, stevia grows naturally
therefore it does not require a patent. This could be why
some consumers and politicians believe the FDA has so far
acted in response to industry pressure from sugar and
artificial sweetener lobbyists. For example, Arizona
congressman, Jon Kyl, called the FDA action against stevia
"a restraint of trade to benefit the artificial sweetener
industry". However, pressure from consumers is beginning
to force the FDA to carefully consider its current ban on
stevia as a food additive. Coca Cola has teamed up with
the agricultural products company, Cargill to market
rebiana-sweetened products in 12 countries that already
allow stevia as a food additive.
As far as I can tell through research and through my own
experience with stevia, the benefits of this herbal
supplement far outweigh any possible negative consequences.
Stevia is hundreds of times sweeter than sugar, so only
very small amounts are required to sweeten beverages and
foods. Most stevia products contain zero calories, and
some contain complex carbohydrates that are beneficial to
anyone, especially those on a low carbohydrate diet. It
has been said that stevia is food for the pancreas, which
can help maintain normal blood sugar levels. Through my
own daily use of stevia and my desire to maintain a diet of
low carb foods for more than six years now, I can say that
it has helped reduce cravings for sugary foods and has
contributed to a decrease in mood swings caused by over
consumption of sugar.
I encourage anyone who is searching for quality nutrition
in low carb foods, to investigate stevia and make it a part
of a healthy, balanced, low carbohydrate diet.
----------------------------------------------------
Cliff Smith is the owner of an online health food store, an
actor, and a serious athlete who is always searching for
the best low carb foods and high fiber foods to stay in
shape for the camera. He is a mountain biker who cycles
miles of rugged terrain in the Arizona Desert. Cliff offers
free nutrition facts and further information on stevia
sweetener at http://www.BestHealthFoodStore.net , where you
can learn more about low carb foods.
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