Using Stevia in Recipes

Stevia is a plant belonging to the family related to marigold, lettuce and chicory. It is a genus that includes almost 240 species of shrubs and herbs. It is mostly found in the subtropical and tropical areas of South America and in Central America. Also known as sweet leaf and sugar leaf, stevia is grown for its sweet leaves. Often used as a substitute for sugar, its taste has a longer duration than that of sugar. Some of its extracts, however, have a bitter aftertaste, if used in high concentration.

Since the demand for low carbohydrate, low sugar food alternatives is rising by the day, stevia is drawing a lot of attention. In addition to this, medical research has suggested possible benefits of stevia in treating high blood pressure and obesity. It is then only natural that it has become a convenient choice for a natural sweetener to all those on a carbohydrate controlled diet. This is because stevia has minimal effect on blood glucose.

Use of Stevia

As early as the 1970s, Japan had begun cultivating stevia as an alternative to artificial sweeteners. The leaves of stevia as well as the aqueous extract of the leaves are usually used as sweeteners. In recent times stevia is being used by countries like China, Malaysia, Thailand, Korea and Taiwan.

Reason for Popularity

Stevia has become popular because it is in use since the pre-Colombian days. Till date no reports of ill side affects of stevia has been received. Research over the years has proved it to be safe for consumption by both humans and animals. For example, no reports have suggested that stevia is toxic. Also, there is no document to prove that it is mutagenic. So, people generally regard it as safe across the world.

Reason for including Stevia in Recipes

Several benefits of using stevia has been observed over the times. Though these benefits have not yet been approved by the FDA, they have prompted inclusion of stevia in recipes. These benefits are listed below.

• It has no calories
• It doesw not affect blood sugar levels
• It is sweeter than sugar
• It is fully natural
• It is not fermentable
• It is remmended for diabetics
• It enhances flavor
• It is non-toxic