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Thursday, December 22, 2011

Sugar Substitutes - Part 2


Stevia is another “natural” sugar alternative.  The great thing about this sweetener is that it is nearly “calorie free” (see below) and isn’t made from artificial ingredients. 

Stevia products are made from the stevia plant, a crop native to South America.  The sweetness of this plant comes from Rebiana or Reb-A, an extract that is isolated and purified from the stevia plant leaves. The natural stevia extract is 300 to 400 times sweeter than sugar. 

One packet of Stevia in the Raw is as sweet as 2 teaspoons of sugar.  Stevia in the Raw claims to have 0 calories and less than 1 gram of carbohydrate per packet but it actually contains fewer than 2 calories per packet.  Labeling regulations of the USDA allow manufacturers to label products with less than 5 calories per serving as “zero” calories.  So in reality one cup of stevia will have about 84 calories.  Sugar on the other hand truly has about 16 calories per teaspoon which means one cup of sugar contains 775 calories!  So even though stevia may not truly be calorie-free, it still reduces calories big time! 

Stevia can be used as a tabletop sweetener and in baking.  I don’t use sugar/sweeteners too often but I am definitely going to try some Stevia in the Raw the next time I bake some of my favorite treats.  In the past I’ve used Splenda but I am not a fan of the taste and it actually upsets my stomach.  I often use brown sugar because I like the taste.  But I’d prefer to use a natural, low-calorie sweetener.

Stevia products are “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS), a standard of the FDA and USDA, which means they can be used as sugar substitutes. 

Other leading stevia brands, Truvia and PureVia include ingredients like erythritol and isomaltulose, which contribute additional sweetness to their products.  Stevia in the Raw claims to have the highest Reb-A content and doesn’t need to “mask” unappealing aftertastes that may be present in the other stevia products. 



If you are looking for a sugar substitute to help with weight management, I recommend stevia.  But remember that all sweeteners should be used in moderation – there are no FREE foods, especially sweet ones!  Eating sweet foods makes you crave more sweet foods!!

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