Stevia is The No Calorie Sugar Substitute You've Never Heard Of

I’m not selling or marketing Stevia. I’m just a satisfied user who wonders why this natural, no-cal sugar substitute that doesn’t cause tooth decay, doesn’t raise blood pressure or glucose levels and has been safely used for hundreds of years in countries around the world, is only beginning to attract attention here in the USA. I started using Stevia about five years ago after a friend recommended it to me. It doesn’t give me a headache and has no bitter after-taste. It’s great in drinks and on cereal. It isn't artificial or chemical. It comes from the ground up leaves and stems of a South American plant. Since it is 300 times sweeter than sugar, a little goes a long way. A small amount sweetens even a humungous mug of coffee. I’m told it’s good for cooking and baking too, though I can’t personally attest to that, as I’m not much of a baker and these days, since I don't have a family to feed, I don't cook much either.

You would think that a product this good would be on grocery store shelves everywhere —but no. Few have heard of it and it is only available in health food stores or on the Internet. The FDA has decreed that it cannot be sold as a food additive but since 1994 has permitted it to be sold as a “food supplement” Translated this means you can buy powdered Stevia at the health food store and put it in your afternoon tea, but food manufacturers are forbidden to use it in processed foods or sweetened beverages. Thus, there are no potential profits from huge sales of diet soda and sweetened juice drinks to be had. Hmmmmmmm, makes you wonder, doesn't it?

The Stevia plant (Stevia rebaudiana) is an unassuming herbal shrub, native to Paraguay and northern Brazil, where it has been used for hundreds of years by the local Indians to sweeten their bitter herbal teas. Conquistadors came upon it in the 16^th century. Local European settlers used it happily through the 18^th and 19^th centuries. There was at least one attempt, early-on, to exploit Stevia as a cash crop. This met with crushing resistance from entrenched sugar-growing and refining interests. Remember the infamous triangle trade of slaves, sugar, and rum you studied in school? It was a profitable, if immoral cycle involving powerful colonial plantation owners and New England and European merchants who had little interest in competition from an upstart Paraguayan shrub.

Stevia remained virtually unknown until the turn of the 20^th century, when a Brazilian botanist, Dr. M.S. Bertoni, “discovered” it on a hiking trip in 1899. Bertoni was an early fan of Stevia, singing its praises and recommending it as a substitute for saccharin for diabetics.

In 1921 the American Trade Commissioner for Latin America brought Stevia to the attention of the United States Department of Agriculture as a “new sugar plant with great commercial possibilities.” Uh-oh. Red alert for the sugar lobby. The FDA banned Stevia, citing an absence of studies to show it was not harmful to human health.

The Japanese got interested in Stevia in the 1970’s and did extensive human and animal testing. No toxic effects were found. Today Stevia is used widely in Japan. During the same time period, in the USA, the FDA got behind Equal and more recently, Splenda as alternatives to sugar—both developed and manufactured by large, powerful American corporations with mass-marketing capability.

But, things are about to change. Agro business and the soft drink industry are on the move, looking to capitalize on the growing popularity of natural and organic products. Cargill and Coca-Cola, both major multi-nationals with lots of clout and money to spread around, have approached the FDA and are requesting that the ban on Stevia as a food additive be lifted. They are citing a number of new studies, including one done last year by the World Health Organization. I suspect that the FDA will soon relent and you’ll be hearing a lot more about Stevia. Amazing what a little power and money will do, isn’t it?

Meanwhile, if I’ve piqued your interest in Stevia, check out the links below. If you want to buy Stevia, you can probably find it at your local health food store or you can order it online. I use packets of Sweet Leaf Stevia Plus which are little green packets containing a gram of stevia mixed with fiber to cut the sweetness. Each packet is equal to two teaspoons of sugar. Delicious, convenient, and zero calories. Give it a try.