What is Stevia?
If you’ve ever tasted stevia, you know it’s extremely sweet. In fact, this remarkable non-caloric South American herb has been used as a sweetener by the Guarani Indians of Paraguay for hundreds of years to sweeten their yerba mate and other stimulant beverages. Stevia is t he leaves of a small, green plant have a delicious and refreshing taste that can be 30 times sweeter than sugar. Stevia h as many excellent properties. The body does not metabolize the sweet glycosides from the stevia leaf or any of its processed forms - so there is no caloric intake. Stevia doesn't adversely affect blood glucose levels and may be used freely by diabetics . But this innocuous looking plant has also been a focal point of intrigue in the United States in recent years because of actions by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. That’s why you don’t see stevia on supermarket shelves next to the Sweet’N Low or Equal. But you can buy it in health food s...