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Stevia -- Benefits and Drawbacks

By Ben Mester

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Published: 20Nov2010
Word count: 634
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White stevia powder is an artificial sweetener that actually might be good for you. I've long since given up on most artificial sweeteners, not because of the artificial flavor, but because of the fact that they're toxic to the body. For those who haven't heard, here's the simple explanation. Artificial sweeteners have zero calories for one very simple reason, because your body can't process them as a food. Instead, it sees them as toxins and processes them accordingly. Over time, these toxins cause an overburdening of the liver and other organs, leading to many other health risks. There are already so many foreign toxins in our environment, things like preservatives, pesticides, and overly processed foods, don't add even more by using artificial sweeteners, especially when there are good alternatives out there. One that I prefer is using honey instead of processed sugar. Sure, you'll still get the calories, but you won't get the other drawbacks that come with processed sugar. But if you need to kick the calories too, white stevia powder is actually not so bad.

White stevia is derived from natural food sources, and isn't treated as a toxin by your body like traditional artificial sweeteners are. Stevia has a very interesting sweet flavor to it, and many people have described the aftertaste as something akin to licorice. Apparently stevia has had a long history of use in South America where natives would use the shrub as a sweetener. Modern processed white stevia powder is derived from the plant, which is actually quite rich in nutrients, though the processed version of stevia doesn't really retain them. That's okay though, because the main benefit of stevia is that it's a great non-toxic substitute for sugar.

There are a few added benefits to using white stevia as a sweetener instead of regular artificial sweeteners.

1) Reduced Craving for Sugar. Because of the fact that Stevia is a sugar substitute and not an artificial sweetener, your body is still able to process it. it doesn't merely fool your tongue like artificial sweeteners do. Because of this, many people who use white stevia as a sugar substitute report a reduced craving for sweets made with processed sugar. They're able to give their body what it wants without the excess calories.

2) Stevia Extract is a Helpful Herb. Apart from processed white stevia powder, the stevia herb itself is quite healthy. Studies have been done to show the different health benefits that the stevia herb has to offer. Using stevia extract, concentrate, or whole stevia leaves can help control appetite and other cravings, such as for alcohol and tobacco. It has also been shown that stevia extract can be used topically to help heal minor injuries. When applied to cuts and scrapes, there is an increase in the rate of healing and pain reduction.

Even though stevia has been shown to be a very helpful herb to the human body, debate still rages over how healthy stevia actually is once it undergoes its refining process to turn it into white stevia powder. Without a doubt, the less processed the stevia is the more healthy, but is it still healthy as a processed powder. Studies are being conducted even now to answer that question. Already stevia has been shown to be much healthier than artificial sweeteners in that it's actually refined from real food sources, unlike artificial sweeteners. White stevia powder is definitely more aptly named a sugar substitute, not an artificial sweetener. From that standpoint, stevia is leaps and bounds ahead of the competition, but I still maintain that the healthiest substitute for processed sugar is natural honey. If you can get away with the extra calories, you'll be doing yourself a big favor by using honey in your coffee and tea, and whatever else you need to sweeten.

For more information about stevia, sugar substitutes, and artificial sweeteners, check out my articles on truvia side effects and sucralose dangers.

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