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Stevia makes sweet progress with FDA approval
I love tea. And I love a little something sweet in it. Yet I have learned that it’s better to avoid too much sugar. Not so much for the fear of gaining weight (not exactly my problem) but because sugar tends to feed the wrong kind of processes in our body. So I was happy that, quite a few years ago, I found stevia. Stevia is a plant from the Amazon with very sweet leaves. Stevia is much sweeter than sugar, yet it has no calories or any of the other bad effects that sugar has. Stevia is available in drops and as a powder. You can get it in natural food stores as a… supplement. Yes, stevia is not supposed to be an alternative for sugar. It can only be sold as a supplement. At least that was the case until the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved stevia for use as an alternative sweetener in food just a few days ago.
This is a very important breakthrough. Lots of people use “light” versions of all kinds of food products. These products are sweetened with artificial sweeteners like aspartame. These artificial sweeteners have been suspect. Some studies seem to indicate that they are carcinogenic. Others suggest that they support rather than fight obesity. Although science may not have given the final verdict on these artificial sweeteners yet, there are good reasons to avoid these as much as possible.
All major food companies are familiar with the possibilities of stevia. However until the recent FDA decision the manufacturers of artificial sweeteners have been successful in blocking the entry of stevia to the sweetener market. They have used a lot of money and bad science to prevent the entry of stevia, which – as a plant – contrary to the artificial sweeteners cannot be patented.
So the new year begins with some sweet progress. Look at the label of your light soft drink in the months ahead. And, in the mean time, do buy some drops to sweeten your tea. Highly recommended.
The only reason Stevia has finally been approved by the FDA is because Coca-Cola has been pushing it. Before that, it couldn't get anywhere.
Cargill, in partnership with The Coca-Cola Company, has developed Rebiana (a sweetener from the Stevia plant) as a natural, zero-calorie ingredient which will be marketed by Cargill under the brand name TRUVIA™.
www.thecoca-colacompany.com/presscenter/nr_20080515_rebiana.html
I suppose the same thing will happen to stevia as happened to organic food- standards will be watered down, and everyone will be producing it.
I've tried to grow stevia, and it's not easy! We need to look at crop/land/large-scale-production factors with a sustainable eye.
I've been using Stevia for quite a while, and I have to say it is VERY different than sugar. Especially when baking with it. It does not yield the same properties as sugar does with texture, etc. to baked goods. Also, many companies say that their stevia does not have a bitter aftertaste, but even the best stuff has a slightly anise-like aftertaste (but I personally don't mind.) It is also many times sweeter than sugar.
I love stevia, but I think it's important that folks do their homework and know what they're getting into first.
Regardless, it's much better than putting artificial sweetner into your body!
posted by deadmousegirl on 1/13/2009 2:43 pm