Stevia Leaf is Heart Healthier
Stevia leaf is a natural sweetener relatively new to the U.S. and sold only as a dietary supplement, as the FDA has yet to approve its use as a sweetener or food additive. Stevia leaf is 300 times sweeter than sugar, contains no calories or carbohydrates and is just as tasty when added to coffee or your favorite beverage.
Stevia leaf comes from a perennial shrub native to South America and has been incorporated in food and beverages in Paraguay, Brazil, South Korea, China and Japan. To some, the heart healthy benefits of stevia leaf may seem clear. It contains none of the useless calories of processed granular sugar and may even reduce your cravings for sweet and fatty foods, helping you manage weight better.
After use by millions of consumers, it's rather uncanny that the FDA still refuses to let manufacturers use it in place of sugar in food products. Don't let this stop you, though. Study after study indicates that stevia leaf may do more good than harm and some research suggest that a component of stevia leaf helps to lower post-meal blood sugar and reduce blood pressure.
It seems very shady that the FDA is only now approving food with Stevia after pressure from Coca Cola.
I never trusted the FDA before, and I surely don't trust them now.
Posted by: Chris Ronk | January 22, 2009 at 02:18 PM