The best-tasting Stevia is one of the most popular sugar alternatives having zero calories. People use it to lower their intake of added sugars while also getting satisfaction from enjoying the taste of something sweet. Some sweetener in this category, like aspartame, is low-calorie, while others have zero-calorie. Stevia sweeteners, monk fruit sweeteners and sucralose fall in the latter category and are often referred to as sugar substitutes.
What is Stevia made from?
People have used stevia plants for food and medicinal purposes for the last hundreds of years. Stevia sweeteners originate from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana plant, a herbal shrub from South America. Leaves and crude extracts of this plant have been sold as dietary supplements.
The best-tasting Stevia is obtained by extracting steviol glycosides from the stevia plant leaves and processing them to remove some bitter ingredients in the crude extract. Steviol glycosides belong to the steviol group, including compounds like stevioside and rebaudioside. The most popular version of Stevia is rebaudioside A.
Stevia vs Sugar
Consumption of natural sugar in large quantities has many Side effects on health. It's especially very harmful to your teeth and cavities. On the contrary, the best-tasting Stevia is one of the best sugar alternatives. It has virtually zero calories. A teaspoon of sugar contains approximately 16 calories, and a can of soft drink has about 10 teaspoons of sugar. If we compare Stevia vs sugar, we find that with a single can of cola, you will be accumulating 160 calories. However, choosing an artificial sweetener like Stevia can save all those extra calories and prevent weight gain.
If you have diabetes, opting for sugar alternatives like Stevia makes a lot of sense. Natural sugar contains carbohydrates, but artificial sweeteners don't fall under that category. Hence, they don't raise blood sugar levels, unlike sugar.
Stevia is intensely sweet because if you compare it with ordinary sugar, it's 200-350 times sweeter. It is why we use them in minimal quantities. Stevia sweeteners have a lot of applications in the food and beverage industry. It's essential in beverages such as diet sodas, light sugar juices and flavoured waters. Manufacturers prefer Stevia for canned fruits, condiments, and dairy products like ice cream, milkshakes and yoghurt. Since Stevia is stable at high temperatures, it's ideal for baked goods.
What are artificial sweeteners and sugar alternatives?
Several healthy sugar alternatives are available, and artificial sweeteners are just one of them. Some artificial sweeteners are processed and refined, but people still call them "natural." The best-tasting Stevia happens to be one of them. On the other hand, some artificial sweeteners originate from natural substances. For example, sucralose is an artificial sweetener that comes from sugar.
Natural sweeteners
Natural sweeteners are sugar alternatives available in the market as healthy sugar substitutes. However, even such natural sweeteners require processing and refining.
According to FDA, the following natural sweeteners are safe for consumption:
Honey
Molasses
Fruit juices and nectars
Maple syrup
Artificial sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners are also sugar alternatives that come from the synthetic manufacturing process. They are often sweeter than sugar; we also call them intense sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners are ideal sugar alternatives because they add zero calories to your diet. However, you should be cautious about using them in tiny proportions compared to the sugar you typically use.
Artificial sweeteners are prevalent ingredients in the food and beverage industry, but people have also adopted them for home use. These are perfect for baking or cooking. However, traditional recipes need to be modified because, unlike sugar, artificial sweeteners don't provide volume. Therefore, before choosing them for home use, you should check the labels on artificial sweeteners. Moreover, some artificial sweeteners also leave a strange taste in the mouth. Therefore, you should choose a suitable alternative or a combination of two artificial sweeteners to make it more appealing.
Do artificial sweeteners have Side Effects?
Scientists and nutritionists have done a lot of research on the possible side effects of artificial sweeteners. Some critics claim that it causes various health issues, such as cancer. Some studies were carried out in the 1970s that linked artificial sweetener saccharin to bladder cancer. Therefore, saccharin once included a health warning that its continued use may be hazardous to your health.
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