It is natural for people to crave sugar and sweetness. Our ancestors longed for the sweetness of berries and fruits. However, the amount of sweets and sugars in most diets today is completely unnatural. People want foods that aren’t naturally sweet to have a sweet flavor.
The Stevia Trend
This demand, particularly in western countries, has led to the creation of artificial sweeteners of all types and sweetness levels. Many health concerns can come with artificial sweeteners, including increased cancer risk, an inability of the body to process or recognize artificial sugars, difficulty concentrating, and headaches.
Perhaps that is why stevia has become so popular. Stevia has been marketed as a natural sweetener that has none of the negative side effects of sugar or artificial sweeteners. If you use this to sweeten your drinks or food, you may be wondering if it is really what it claims to be. Unfortunately, there is more to stevia than food manufacturers will tell you.
What You Really Need to Know About Stevia
Once food manufacturers realized that there was a demand for herbal stevia, they got to work. Most of what you buy on store shelves today is not actually herbal stevia. It is an industrial extract or derivative of stevia.
This unnatural shoot off of stevia has none of the health benefits of the original herb. In fact, food manufacturers have essentially just created another artificial sweetener. These sweeteners have been chemically altered and processed in so many different ways that they cannot be called natural.
Unless you are completely certain you are using herbal stevia and not a derivative, you may not be getting the health benefits that you think you are. Some of the companies that produce artificial stevia include Erylite Stevia, Rebiana, Truvia, Enliten, and PureVia.
Currently, there is little research on what chemically altered stevia can do to the body. However, that certainly does not mean it is safe. Until there is further research into this sweetener, you may want to switch to a natural form of stevia. Natural types of stevia have a slight taste of bitterness, which is a giveaway that you are eating real stevia.
One of the main benefits of eating natural stevia is the naturally high level of sweetness it has. Chemically altered forms have lost much of the natural flavor of the earth, so you need to use more to make your food taste the way you want it to. Real stevia is incredibly sweet, so you only need a little bit to get your fix.
Good Alternatives
Luckily, there are other natural sweeteners you can use if stevia is no longer a good option for you. You may want to use honey or agave syrup to sweeten your food or drinks.
It is important to be aware of everything you are putting in your body, though it’s very hard to discern the truth with food companies trying to hide it at every turn. Do your research and use a sweetener that fits your needs.
http://eatlocalgrown.com/article/14684-the-bitter-truth-about-stevia.html
http://regevelya.com/stevia-sweetener/
Why I Quit Stevia
