Stevia: A Proof That All That’s Supreme Nature Has Wrapped in Green
Coffee lovers surely can feel the difference between sweeteners when drinking their coffee. Not so long ago, the market has been flooded with different types of sugar substitutes that can make your cup of coffee less bitter. Generally speaking, sugar substitutes are the preferred sugar alternative mainly because they are lower in calories and provide great health benefits.
However, the most preferred natural sweetener with no calories at all is stevia. Stevia is a 100% natural sweetener with numerous health benefits that have been confirmed through medicine studies.
What is Stevia?
Stevia is a green, naturally occurring leafy plant that originates from South America. It has zero calories and it includes two important compounds: Stevioside and Rebaudioside A.
This plant is also known for its strong and sweet flavour which is the reason for its use as a sweetener.
Nowadays, you can buy whole or crushed stevia leaves, but you can also find it in the form of a powder which makes it suitable for sweetening your tea or coffee, as well as for your baking pastries.
Its health benefits are known since ever and this wonder-plant was mainly used for medicinal purposes. Let’s have a look at the most important health benefits of consuming Stevia powder.
Diabetes
Many medical surveys have shown that stevia powder does not contribute carbohydrates nor calories to the diet, and cannot affect insulin or blood glucose response. This fact makes stevia one of the healthiest sweeteners for people with diabetes.
Those studies were performed on people who already have diabetes and showed that stevia significantly lowered both insulin and blood sugar levels when compared to other types of sweeteners.
Blood Pressure
As stevia consists of glycosides, it has been proven that some of them can dilate blood vessels, increase sodium excretion and urine output, which can lead to lowered blood pressure. In fact, this plant has cardiotonic activity that can regulate the heartbeat and normalize the blood pressure.
Weight Control
These days, obesity is one of the most common problems worldwide, and one of the main reasons for this bad condition are the increased intake of sugars, fatty foods, and insufficient physical activity. However, the intake of added sugars has proven to be one of the main reasons for weight gain and stevia powder has proven to be the best zero calories natural sweetener that can reduce energy intake without sacrificing the taste of your food.
Different Types of Stevia Sweeteners
These days, stevia is available in numerous forms and the problem here is that some of them can taste pretty bad. Finding the right form of stevia is essential, and the ones that have proven as the best are in powder and liquid form. Liquid forms usually have alcohol added to them that can contribute to the bad taste, so the best option you have is stevia powder as it has no alcohol, nor added flavours.
reference: www.naturallysweet.com.au
