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Tag: stevia

  • Stevia-Sweetened, Healthier Drinks For Summer

    Healthier sodas are officially making a splash. As kids, most of us had refrigerators full of Coke, Dr. Pepper, Mountain Dew or whatever was our favorite (or our parents’ favorite, more likely) to freely drink.

    Now that we are parents and more educated on the dangers of huge amounts of sugar, as well as the disgusting and sometimes downright disturbing things that go into artificially sweetened diet drinks, we are a little more choosy about the drinks we bring home from the grocery store.

    The trend of choosiness has finally begun to spark a fire of new lines of sodas and fizzy beverages to satisfy the longing for something cold, sweet, and tingly while keeping in line with our more guarded diet choices.

    Yay!

    Stevia-sweetened beverage makers are especially taking advantage of the new trend, using the plant-derived sweetener that is said to be 100x sweeter than sugar. However, that twangy after taste has been a serious problem and have turned many off to drinking “healthier” beverages with stevia.

    One exception to the lot is Mountain Zevia, made by Zevia. They of course use stevia to sweeten their drinks, but the Mountain Zevia seems to somehow dodge that nasty aftertaste. So, health-conscious fans of Mountain Dew, rejoice!

    Another exception would be Steaz’s blueberry-pomegranate flavor soda/tea. It’s loaded with fantastic flavor and has the added benefits that come along with organic green tea. What’s not to love?

    Nothing but cold, fizzy cola will do, you say? Don’t worry, there’s no need to fall off the wagon on a hot day. Veri’s cola flavored soda will meet the need for cola flavor as well as fizziness. It’s made from only six organic ingredients and is creepy chemical-free.

    Summer is coming, and so is the craving for cold refreshment. Hopefully, with the help of a few of these stevia-sweetened options, we can make it!

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Stevia: The Healthy Alternative To Sugar?

    Stevia: The Healthy Alternative To Sugar?

    All our lives we’ve been told that if something, “sounds too good to be true, it generally is”. Then….Stevia happened.

    Imagine something that is 300 times sweeter than sugar, is reported to have absolutely no calories, and comes from a plant rather than being man-made. Well, that’s Stevia in a nutshell.

    As Americans come to terms with the reality of sugar addiction and the unwanted obesity and health problems that come with it, they must decide how best to treat the “sweet tooth”. Some brave souls have decided that they will go without sweets of any kind, opting to face down their sugar dependance by going completely cold turkey. Others are not looking to give up sweets, but to steer clear of sugar.

    Enter the practically miraculous Stevia, and an industry looking to make billions off of diet and sugar-free crazed Americans.

    Jeremiah Mann, who is in charge of the Yuba-based, “Stevia First”, is very optimistic about plans to grow and market the plant in the United States.”Unlike artificial sweeteners, these are molecules that taste really good,” says Mann. He believes that stevia will be a “highly profitable crop in California.”

    Most stevia currently is produced in China, but that could change, especially as the $60 billion industry expands. The World Health Organization has it on track to replace 20 to 30 percent of all sweeteners worldwide.

    Despite the seemingly good news about Stevia, there remains a cynical element. If Stevia is so wonderful and as natural a plant as sugar, why are we just now hearing about it? Are there any negative side-effects that we won’t be hearing about until billions of dollars have been made off of Americans?

    Stevia hasn’t been approved by the FDA, but that won’t stop companies from selling it. Despite a lack of in-depth research, there are early concerns that it can drop the blood sugar levels of diabetics to an unsafe degree, as well as blood pressure. It’s also recommended that anyone with allergies to ragweed and related plants steer clear of stevia.

    Will stevia prove to be better for you than sugar and successfully set the sugar substitute market ablaze? Or will it turn out to be like margarine was with butter—worse for you than what it was replacing? Only time will tell.

    In any case, it’s best to abide by the “if it sounds too good to be true” creed and proceed with caution.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons