Stevia

A naturally sweet herb called stevia is gaining in popularity as a sugar substitute, especially in beverages. Food additives must provide evidence of their safety and effectiveness before receiving FDA approval, and stevia lacks this approval for use as a sweetener because so little is known about its effects on human health, save that it can be absorbed by the human digestive tract.

Another natural sweetener comes from the stevia plant. In December 2008, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave a “generally recognized as safe” status to Truvia and PureVia, both of which are wholly derived from the stevia plant and have no calories.

My absolute preference for a sweetener is the herb stevia—not the white crystalline extract, but the chopped green leaves. Stevia has no calories and does not cause any insulin response.

Stevia is a natural, non-fattening sweetener that is 30 to 100 times sweeter than sugar and without any of the aftertaste that is common in many sugar substitutes.

Around 1970, Japan approved stevia as a sweetener and flavor enhancer, and, in the last 35 years of Japanese employment, not a single case of toxic or deleterious effect has been brought to light.

Stevia is made from the leaves of a small shrub found largely in South America and China, and has been used by indigenous peoples for hundreds of years. It is considered one of the healthiest sweeteners available, and often used as a tonic for healing wounds.

Some examples of the sweeteners include aspartame, saccharin, sucralose and stevia. The W.H.O.’s announcement contradicts previous studies that have said these sweeteners don’t offer any health benefits but also do not cause harm.