Stevia, you see and hear more and more about it. A natural substitute for sugar without calories. But where does this sweetener actually come from? And is it free of hazardous substances, such as aspartame?

Introduction

Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni, also known as honey herb, is a species from the stevia family. The extract of this is used as a sweetener. This has been known for centuries to the Indians of South America, where the plant originally comes from. Nowadays, more and more products containing this sweetener are being marketed. The reason for this is that until recently it was not certain whether this substance was safe. The European Food Safety Authority assessed the substance as safe in April 2010 and the European Commission approved its use in October 2011.Stevia is planted on plantations in South America and Asia. The leaves are dried and then extracted. The resulting extract is a white powder that is three hundred times sweeter than sugar. The sweet substance in the leaves is called Stevioside.

Types of stevia

Stevia comes in two varieties: refined and unrefined. The refined variant is used in the kitchen. It is available in tablet form, for coffee and tea, in liquid and powder form. Here it is used as a substitute for sugar. Due to its extreme sweetness, and therefore difficult to dose, stevia is often mixed with inulin or erythritol. This gives it a powdery or crystal-like structure, making it easier to dose.Unrefined stevia is made from ground stevia leaves. This is used for its healing properties. It is used in skin care products to treat wounds, acne, eczema, scars and wrinkles. It is also included in various dental care products due to its bactericidal properties and thus prevents plaque and caries. It can also have positive effects on the hair and scalp and can therefore also be found in hair care.

Stevia and health

Aspartame is a commonly used sweetener, but there are negative reports about it. For example, excessive use of aspartame could result in excessively high methanol concentrations in the blood. When methanol is broken down, two toxic substances can be formed, namely formaldehyde and formic acid. These could cause tumors, epilepsy and headaches, although there is no scientific evidence for this yet.Stevia is a good alternative to aspartame because it is not harmful to health. In fact, it is also healthier than sugar because, in addition to its low energy value, it does not damage your teeth. It inhibits bacteria and fungi that, among other things, cause tooth decay. In addition, refined sugar removes calcium from the bones, which stevia does not do. Stevia also contains vitamins A and C, calcium, proteins, phosphorus, iron, potassium, magnesium, sodium, rutin and zinc.Stevia is a solution for people with diabetes. Their blood sugar levels rise very quickly when they use sugar, which does not happen when they use stevia.This makes it easier for overweight people to consume fewer calories and it also helps to feel full sooner, which means you have less appetite.In addition, it can lower high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol.

Conclusion

In short, it looks like this plant has a lot to offer us. Consumption of stevia is safe, studies show. It is sometimes called ‘nutritional medicine of the future’. Demand for it is increasing, even the large company Coca Cola already uses it as a sweetener in their light variant. But smaller companies are also increasingly incorporating it into their products. What else could stevia have to offer us in the future?