Stevia - A “Sweet and Sour” Story of This All-Natural, Glucose-Friendly Sugar Alternative
By Lisa Jobs, B.A., M.J.

Whether you’re diabetic or not, you’re probably aware of the many sweetener options available on the market today.  Sucralose (Splenda), aspartame (Equal) and saccharin (Sweet n Low) are among the increasing number of artificial sweeteners that want your business.  You may feel overwhelmed or confused about which one you should use and is right for you.  On the other hand, you may know all too well which sweeteners you need to eliminate from your diet because of undesirable side effects you’ve suffered while using it or perhaps you simply don’t like their aftertaste.

If there were an all-natural sweetener alternative with no side effects, no affect on your glucose, no calories, no carbohydrates, no aftertaste when measured properly and that’s been safely consumed in other parts of the world for decades, would you want to know about it?  This article briefly discusses this wonderful herbal extract called stevia.

Stevia is derived from a shrub grown in different parts of the world including Paraguay, Brazil, China, Korea, Japan and Thailand.  The plant’s intense sweetening qualities called glycosides and steviosides are what make this up to 300 times sweeter than sugar and non-caloric.  It’s available in many forms including powder, liquid and leaves at health food stores and natural grocery stores.  It’s been used in Japan for many food applications including soft drinks to soy sauce since the 1970s and commands a 52% share of Japan’s commercial sweetener market.

Stevia Rebaudiana is the botanical name for the plant from which stevia is extracted and packaged into this delightful, all-natural alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners. 

You may not have heard of stevia because of its current approval as a dietary supplement by the FDA, not as a sweetener or food additive.  However, once you purchase stevia, you can use it as you wish, like baking and cooking since it is heat stable.

As Andrew P. Mandell, Executive Director, Defeat Diabetes Foundation says in the foreword of the new stevia dessert cookbook entitled Sensational Stevia Desserts published this month:

“After doing much research and with Lisa’s help, I realized there really is a viable natural alternative available.  I hope our endorsement of Sensational Stevia Desserts will open your eyes to this natural alternative to sugar and how you can make it part of your diet.”

The book “offers a wide variety of tasty new stevia dessert recipes, sure to please diabetics and others looking for low-carbohydrate, no sugar and no artificial sweetener ‘sweets,’ “ states David Richard, author, Stevia Rebaudiana: Nature’s Sweet Secret.

Despite numerous studies worldwide touting its overall safety and even health benefits for diabetics and consumers in general, the FDA has not given stevia G.R.A.S. certification (Generally Regarded as Safe).  Interestingly enough, aspartame, a well-known prevalent sweetener has some of the highest reported consumer complaints to the FDA.  Many believe that the ban on stevia is primarily due to political pressure from sugar and artificial sweetener industry lobbyists to the FDA.  In addition, stevia is an herb and is therefore unpatentable, unlike chemical sweeteners that are manufactured in a pharmaceutical company’s laboratory.  Furthermore, a stevia company has little incentive to go through the long, arduous FDA approval process and spend the millions of dollars necessary to conduct its own research needed for GRAS certification since any company can turn around and sell the product once it obtains the approval.

In spite of these formidable challenges, stevia has steadily gained popularity over the past 20 years in the USA and many other countries.  Isn’t it time you gave it a try?  Here’s a delicious sample recipe excerpted from Sensational Stevia Desserts with full permission from author Lisa Jobs:

Sinfully Cinnamon Cream Cheese Pie
Source: Sensational Stevia Desserts
By Lisa Jobs (www.steviadessert.com)
Serving Size: 1 slice    Total Servings: 8

*the sweetness potency of stevia varies greatly by manufacturer. you may have to adjust, based on your own sweetness preferences.

Beat the heavy cream for about 45 seconds using hand or electric mixer. Add vanilla and ¼ teaspoon stevia extract and beat for about 20 seconds or until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

Mix milk, water and cinnamon in small saucepan and stir over very low heat for about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Place gelatin in bowl and then pour milk mixture over gelatin. Stir until completely dissolved. Put through a strainer to remove any possible lumps from undissolved gelatin. Add this to cream cheese and beat in a large mixing bowl for about 2 minutes. Add ¾ teaspoon stevia to cream cheese and beat again.

Fold in 1 cup of the whipped cream mixture until thoroughly blended. Spread mixture in piecrust. Spread the remaining whipped cream on top of pie. Place in refrigerator for about 2 hours before serving.

Lisa's Note: This pie can also be made using cinnamon chips. You can add 1 cup of the chips, delete the ground cinnamon, reduce the stevia to ½ teaspoon and reduce milk to ¼ cup. You'll also have to increase the gelatin to 1½ envelopes. However, I prefer to use the other ingredients listed because they yield a delicious pie with fewer calories and sugar and are more natural.

This is one of over 80 recipes and variations for stevia desserts.  For more information, click here or on the book to visit www.steviadessert.com. 

For more information on stevia and its uses, visit www.raysahelian.com, www.steviacanada.com.  For worldwide safety studies, visit www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, do a keyword search on “stevia,” then click on “PubMed.”  Check with your doctor before including stevia to your diet.  If he/she doesn’t recommend it, politely ask why to see if the reason is satisfactory to you.

Back to September 2005 E-Lerts™ Newsletter