Stevia plant as a substitute for sugar, healthier?
Have you ever heard of food ingredients as a substitute for sugar? There are various sugar substitutes, including natural sweeteners, sugar alcohols, and artificial sweeteners. Stevia itself does not fall into these three categories. The stevia plant is categorized as a new sweetener (novel sweeteners). Why is that? Does that mean, stevia contains many benefits over other sweeteners?
What is Stevia?
Stevia is extracted from the leaves of plants belonging to the Ateraceae family, often associated with plants daisy or ragweed. In Paraguay and Brazil, for hundreds of years, people have used leaves from plants Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni) to sweeten food. Even stevia is used in traditional medicine to treat stomach problems, burns, and is sometimes used as contraception in the country.
The following are some of the different types of stevia:
Stevia with green leaves
- Processed from all types of stevia
- Unique because stevia green leaves don’t contain calories or sugar, but taste sweet
- Used in Japan and South America for thousands of years as a natural sweetener and medicine
- Has a very sweet taste, 30-40 times sweeter than sugar
- Has benefits associated with blood sugar levels, cancer, cholesterol, high blood pressure
- The good way to eat it is to eat it in moderation
Stevia extract
- Most products extract the sweet and slightly bitter parts (rebaudioside) from stevia. No health benefits have been found in stevioside (sweet stevia leaf).
- Has no calories or sugar
- It has a sweeter taste compared to stevia which comes from the leaves
- Even 200 times sweeter than sugar
Is the stevia plant safe for consumption?
Most people feel fine after consuming stevia, but it should be emphasized that each person reacts differently to stevia. The benefits and effects of consuming stevia depend on what type of stevia you are consuming. When a low-calorie sweetener has received approval from the FDA, it means that the sweetener is safe to use. However, not all stevia is made equally. There are several types of stevia that are made with more chemical processes than stevia. Even with its negative effects, further research is still needed to ascertain the negative effects that stevia is really causing.
Stevia has no calories and is 200 times sweeter than sugar in the same amount. Since there are no calories in this sugar substitute, we would obviously assume that this sweetener is good for the diet. However, there are several studies that show that replacing sugar with artificial sweeteners or other low-calorie sweeteners does not automatically make it easier for you to lose weight.
According to a study in the International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, a 2004 study in mice showed that low-calorie sweeteners lead animals to overeat. One study author later argued that people who use artificial sweeteners may experience health problems related to excess sugar, such as metabolic syndrome. This syndrome can trigger diabetes.
You need to know, there are other opinions which reveal that stevia has no side effects on short-term metabolic problems. Even a study in 2010, which involved 12 people who were obese and 19 people who were thin, did not find excessive eating behavior. Blood sugar after eating a meal containing stevia is also lower than that of foods containing sugar. Stevia is also able to make insulin levels decrease compared to other artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame and sucrose.
What are the benefits of stevia?
Based on the draxe.com site, there are several studies that show the ability of stevia as a natural treatment. These plants can bring benefits for the healing process. What are the benefits claims?
- Has anticancer abilities. A journal Food Chemistry A published Croatian study shows stevia is thought to have potential benefits for the natural treatment of colon cancer, combined with blackberry leaves.
- Good for diabetes. Using stevia instead of sugar will be very helpful for diabetics. Based on the journal published in the Journal of Dietary Supplement, there was an evaluation of how stevia affected mice with diabetes, then it was found that mice that were given about 200 and 500 mg daily had decreased levels of blood sugar, triglycerides, and alkaline phosphatase. Human studies have also shown that consuming stevia before meals can reduce post-meal blood sugar and insulin levels.
- Lowering high blood pressure. The glycosides in stevia extract have been found to dilate blood vessels and increase sodium excretion, both of which can help maintain blood pressure at healthy levels.
Indeed, there are many various kinds of benefits of stevia, but to consume it, you should only taste it in moderation. Still avoid consuming it excessively.
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