What is stevia?
Stevia is an herbal plant of the sunflower family that has been used as a sweetener by the Guarani Indians in Paraguay for hundreds of years. Sweet extracts from the stevia leaf have been used as a natural sweetener in Japan for more than 40 years and are approved as a food ingredient in more than 60 countries.
What is stevia used for?
Stevia extract is up to 300 times sweeter than sugar and suits perfectly as a sweetener in foods, sweets, drinks and other sweetened products. Stevia table top sweetener and stevia drops can be used instead of sugar when baking.
In what products can I find stevia?
Thousands of stevia products have been launched during the last few years, mainly soft drinks, chocolates, candy, ice cream, nutrition products, and ketchup.
What are the benefits of stevia?
- Stevia is natural and 100 % calorie free.
- Stevia doesn’t cause tooth decay
- Doesn’t affect the blood sugar, suitable for diabetics
- Heat stable, suitable for cooking and baking
- Stevia can be grown organically without pesticides
- Stevia is 300 times sweeter than sugar
How healthy is stevia?
As stevia contains no calories and doesn’t affect the blood sugar, it has quickly become popular amongst diabetics and those that want to reduce their sugar intake. Unlike other types of sugars, stevia does not cause tooth decay. In many countries, particularly within Asia, stevia is considered to have a number of positive health effects.
How does Real Stevia work with sustainability?
Sustainability has been our cornerstone since the start in 2003. We work actively throughout the whole process to produce a socially, environmentally and economically sustainable product. In Paraguay, we’ve founded Fundación Granular in order to educate farmers in organic and sustainable farming. The foundation’s work helps farmers and their families to a steady income and a better livelihood.
Do you offer organic stevia?
Yes, we sell organic stevia leaves from Paraguay. In Europe, due to legislation, organic stevia extracts are not yet an approved ingredient in organic products.
What is a stevia table top sweetener (TTS)?
Stevia extract is very sweet, up to 300 times sweeter than sugar, and in order to sweeten a cup of coffee with stevia extract you’d have to use a toothpick as a dispenser. Table top sweetener is stevia diluted with the natural sugar alcohol erythritol to make it less sweet and easier to use. Erythritol is commonly used as a bulking agent when creating a table top sweetener that contains steviol glycosides.
Are stevia extracts safe for consumption by diabetics?
Research has shown that stevia extracts do not affect blood glucose levels or interfere with insulin. With effectively zero calories, stevia extracts offer people with diabetes greater variety and flexibility in budgeting total calorie intake and assisting with weight management. Stevia extracts do not have an effect on GI, at the recommended levels of use.
How does the body metabolise stevia?
Through a series of digestive processes, the body breaks down steviol glycosides (the form of stevia we eat) into steviol glucuronide. The steviol glucuronide is then removed from the body in the urine.
