More on Sweeteners: Stevia

By Amy Campbell Due to popular demand, I'll conclude my series on sweeteners by writing about stevia. I actually wrote about stevia back in 2008, but times have changed (and I realize that perhaps not everyone had an opportunity to read my entry back then!). Stevia Stevia is an herb that belongs to the sunflower family (Asteraceae). It's grown primarily in Central and South America, and is sometimes called candy leaf. For many centuries, people living in Paraguay and Brazil have used stevia to sweeten a drink called yerba mate. In the early 1930's, scientists isolated stevioside and rebaudioside, the ingredients that give stevia its sweetness. These ingredients, collectively known as glycosides, are about 300 times sweeter than sugar, but they are calorie-free and carbohydrate-free (meaning they have no effect on blood glucose). Stevia users sometimes describe stevia as tasting a bit like licorice. Japan, which is the largest consumer of stevia in the world, has been manufacturing stevia since the 1970's for use in products such as Diet Coke. Stevia is also used in other Asian countries, as well as in Central and South America. Stevia has been available in health food stores in the United States for a long time and was considered to be a dietary supplement until the FDA granted it "GRAS" (generally recognized as safe) status in 2008. However, only one of the stevia extracts, rebaudioside A, or rebiana, has been given the green light by the FDA; whole-leaf stevia has not be gi...
Source: Diabetes Self-Management - Category: Diabetes Authors: Source Type: blogs