Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
302,647
views
However, there are a few natural sweeteners out there that taste just
as good.
What is Stevia?
Stevia is a green, leafy plant that is native to South America.
It has been used for medicinal purposes for many centuries. The plant
has also been bred for its strong, sweet flavor and used as a
sweetener.
You can buy whole or crushed stevia leaves, but most often you are
getting an extract (either liquid or powder), or a refined version of the
plants isolated sweet compounds.
The two major sweet compounds that are isolated from the leaves are
called Stevioside and Rebaudioside A. These two compounds are
hundreds of times sweeter than sugar.
People often confuse stevia with another sweetener called Truvia, but
they are not the same. Truvia is a blend of compounds, one of which
is extracted from stevia leaves.
These were the results after two years in the group taking stevioside:
There are also other studies in both humans and animals showing that
stevioside can lower blood pressure (2, 3, 4).
Keep in mind that it would be hard to reach these large daily doses
with regular use, so just sweetening things with a little stevia here and
there probably wont have such a potent blood pressure lowering
effect.
Other studies in animals and test tubes have shown that stevioside
may increase production of insulin, as well as make the cells more
sensitive to its effects (8, 9).
Insulin is the hormone that drives blood sugar into cells, so this
appears to be the mechanism behind the blood sugar lowering effects.
But definitely take all of this with a grain of salt. What works in rats
doesnt always work in humans.
Is Stevia Safe?
Judging from two review studies published in 2010, stevia has not
been shown to lead to any adverse effect on health (12, 13).
However, there have been some claims out there about it having a
similar structure to hormones that can interfere with fertility.
You can buy stevia in powder and liquid form. Some people prefer the
powder over liquid and claim that it has less aftertaste.
Note that the liquid forms often have alcohol added to them, which
might contribute to the bad taste.
Look for a brand that is organic, has no unnatural additives and has
good flavor according to reviews.
How to Use it
Stevia can be used in many ways.
You can add it to your smoothie, yogurt, tea, coffee and other
beverages. It is also a good sugar substitute for baking.
Since you can buy it in liquid and powder form, its more convenient to
use the liquid form for beverages and the powder for baking.
It has no calories, is 100% natural, and if you choose the the right one
then it also tastes like a million bucks.
https://authoritynutrition.com/stevia/