|
|
| STEVIA FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS |
|
Is Stevia Safe?
Stevia has been
used since
pre-Colombian times with no reports of ill side affects. Stevia has also
withstood years of research that has proven Stevia to be safe for human
and animal consumption.
- Is Stevia Toxic? – No. Stevia has been used in Japan
since 1970 and there have been no reports of toxicity or other
side effects.
- Mutagenic? – No. The Japanese Food and
Drug Safety Center has found stevia not to be mutagenic. Only
one study has shown stevia to be potentially a mutagenic and
this study has been criticized for errors in procedure.
Scientist in Great Britain said that according to the study’s
formula, distilled water is mutagenic.
- A contraceptive? Two studies showed
stevia to have a contraceptive effect. The first study was done
in Uruguay over 30 years ago and since then no one has been able
to reproduce the results. The second study was done by a
graduate student in Rio de Janeiro and the results and methods
have been questionable. Multiple other studies have shown that
stevia has no contraceptive effect.
What are the
benefits of using Stevia?
Studies have shown the following benefits from using Stevia in
one's diet.
- Sugarless with no calories
- Will not effect blood sugar levels like sugar does.
- 100% Natural
- 250 to 300 times sweeter than sugar
- Heat stable to 200 degrees Celsius (392 degrees Fahrenheit)
- Non-fermentable
- Flavor enhancer
- Plaque retardant Anti-caries (prevents cavities)
- Recommended for diabetics
- Non-toxic Extensively tested in animals
and Extensively used by humans with no adverse effects.
Where
is Stevia Grown?
Originally stevia grew wild in the highland region of
Northern Paraguay and Southern Brazil. It was later cultivated for use
as a sweetener until the introduction of sugar cane by the Spanish and
Portuguese. Today Stevia is grown around the world from China, Japan and
other Asian countries to South America, Europe, India, the Ukraine and
even North America.
Does Stevia have the same qualities as sugar in cooking recipes?
No! The molecular structures of sucrose and Stevioside are
completely different. When Sucrose (Sugar) is heated it will caramelize making
fudge and caramel, stevia will not. Some sweets, like caramel, is not possible, but other
sweets like cookies and cakes are possible. You just need to add yeast and/or baking-powder.
Will Stevia break down at high temperatures like saccharine or aspartame?
No! The fact that stevia is heat stable is one of the real great
properties of Stevia. Stevioside is heat stable to about 200 degrees
Celsius (392 degrees Fahrenheit). So it can be used in almost any
recipe.
How come diet soft drinks are not sweetened with Stevia?
Pepsi, Coca-Cola, and Cargill are starting to use stevia in Canada
(read more). The diet soft drink market is
HUGH, worth billions of dollars. After December 2008
when US FDA stated it had no objection for use stevia as a
general purpose sweetener, Coca-Cola and Pepsi start to
introduce calorie-free beverages sweetened with stevia
derivatives (Truvia for Coke, PureVia for Pepsi), including
Coke's Odwalla juice and Pepsi's SoBe Life.
Does
Stevia have any effect on hypoglycemia?
According to the report Effect of the iodide and of the
aqueous extract of Stevia Rebaudiana (BERT) Bertoni on the glycemia of
normal and diabetic rats By: Professor Carlos Eduardo Pinheiro,
Presented to the II Brazilian Convention on Stevia rebaudiana (Bert)
Bertoni - September 1982, they found that the use of Stevia did not
produce any significant glycemic effects in normal or diabetic rats. In
other words, stevia does not add sugar to the blood stream as sugar or
even fruit can do. This allows the body to regulate the blood's sugar
levels naturally. Of course if you drink tea with stevia with a twinkie,
all bets are off but if you are careful with your diet, stevia is a
wonderful way to satisfy your cravings for sweets without sugar.
What makes Ever Stevia different than any other stevia brands?
Pure stevia extract should not have any other ingredient
than stevioside and rebaudioside-A which comes naturally in
the stevia plant. Our stevia products are extracted from Rebaudiana-A
(Reb-A) the sweetest part of all steviol
glycoside found in the leaf. The rebaudioside
A is refined to up to level of RA98+. It is the most expensive
grade of stevia powder. However, RA is still cost effective
considering the intensity of the sweetness. RA
could go up to 450 times sweeter than sugar.
More info...
In addition to Rebaudiana A concentration, we don't add any fillers,
additives, preservatives or sweet agents.
Most of stevia you found online or on the shelves contain
some sort of sweet substances or fillers such as,
Talin, Dextrose and/or Maltodextrin etc. to mask the
bitterness, last longer and to reduce the costs and make it affordable for
consumers.
Although some may contain highly purified rebaudiaside A
(the sweetest part of the plant), it is still unclear how much stevioside or rebaudiaside
A in the
product?
If the label says it contains "90 or 95% Stevioside" and
nothing about rebaudioside, it is simply a misleading. Stevioside has
an aftertaste even if it is 99% purified, but Rebaudioside A
does not possess an aftertaste and has a sweetness flavor
comparable to sugar.
In other word, best and good quality stevia is the pure
Concentrated
Rebaudiana-A.
|
|
|
Copyright � 2008 | Site owned and operated by: EverStevia.com, All Rights Reserved.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Bookmark this
site!
|
contact us
|
sitemap
|
|
Disclaimer: The information provided on
EverStevia.com is for educational purposes only and IS NOT intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek professional medical advice from your physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
|
|
