Uses for Stevia

A product that can satisfy the sweet tooth without adding calories, carbohydrates, or chemicals to the diet sounds like an impossible dream. In fact, the unassuming little stevia plant has been doing just that for centuries in many South American countries. According to the website Stevia Info, stevia also rates a zero on the glycemic index, making it a safe sweetener for those with diabetes and hypo/hyperglycemia.

A Diabetes Treatment

• According to the website Agricare.org, studies by Dutch and Japanese scientists conclude that ingestion of stevia restores pancreas function, enabling the natural production of insulin. Regular use of stevia may help reduce the need for oral or injected insulin by diabetics.

A Digestive Tonic

• In China, where stevia tea is drunk both hot and cold, the herb is thought to be both an appetite stimulant and a digestive aid. Stevia has been used for centuries in South America. Brazilian gauchos, who use the powdered leaves to sweeten, credit stevia with improving their digestion and easing gastrointestinal upsets.

A Natural Sweetener

• The most popular use for stevia is as a natural sweetener and flavor enhancer. WebMD reports that stevia is noncaloric, and was approved as a food additive by the Food and Drug Administration in 2008. Stevia is many times sweeter than white sugar. It can be purchased in powder and liquid forms, pure or with additives. In addition to using it in coffee, tea, and as a sweetener of fruits and cereals, stevia is useful for baking and cooking. However, care must be taken not to oversweeten. See the Resource section of this article for a stevia/sugar equivalency chart.