Overview

Stevia is any day better than any other sugar substitute. It is a sweetener which doesn't fall under the category of artificial sweeteners as it is derived from a plant called Stevia rebaudiana.

Unique features of Stevia:

Stevia is so popular in diabetics because of the fact that it sweetens food without adding to the blood glucose levels or carbohydrates. It has no calories in its pure form. Therefore, not only diabetic population but other health conscious non-patients can also try it.  Further, Stevia has many natural antioxidants that help lower blood pressure, and cholesterol.

INDICATIONS

Stevia is useful in:

• Diabetes
• Lower blood pressure
• Lower cholesterol
• Weight loss

ABOUT PRODUCT

Stevia is an herb, originally from South America, though it now grows throughout the world.
It is naturally very sweet and considered 100 to 200 times sweeter than sugar, but it doesn’t raise blood sugar levels like sugar and other artificial sweeteners do.
There are two compounds in stevia that are responsible for the sweetness: Stevioside and Rebaudioside A.
Rebaudioside A is most often extracted and used in stevia powders and sweeteners, but it is not usually the only ingredient. In fact, most stevia sweeteners on the market contain added erythritol from corn, dextrose or other artificial sweeteners.
Stevioside only makes up about 10% of the sweetness in stevia but also has the unusual bitter aftertaste that many people don’t like in stevia. It also contains most of the beneficial properties of stevia that are credited with the health benefits and is the most well studied.

Benefits of Stevia:

• Anticancer Abilities
  Stevia’s consumption is useful in breast and colon cancer. Stevioside enhances cancer apoptosis (cell death) and decreases certain stress pathways in the body that contribute to cancer growth. This shows stevia’s potential as a natural cancer treatment.


• Sweet News for Diabetics
  Using stevia instead of white sugar can be extremely helpful to diabetics who need to avoid conventional sugar as much as possible on a diabetic diet plan.
  Stevia before a meal reduces post-meal blood glucose and insulin levels. These effects appear to be independent of reductions in caloric intake. This research demonstrates how stevia can possibly assist with glucose regulation.


• Helps Weight Loss
  Stevia is a plant-based, zero-calorie sweetener. If you choose to replace health-hazardous table sugar with a high-quality stevia extract and use it in moderation, it helps you decrease not only your overall daily sugar intake, but also your caloric intake. By keeping your sugar and calorie intake in a healthy range, you can help fend off obesity as well as many health problems linked with obesity, like diabetes and metabolic syndrome.


• Improves Cholesterol Levels
  Stevia extract effectively decreases elevated serum cholesterol levels, including triglycerides and LDL (“bad cholesterol”), while increasing good HDL cholesterol.


• Lowers High Blood Pressure
  Certain glycosides in stevia extract have been found to dilate blood vessels and increase sodium excretion, two things that are very helpful to keeping blood pressure at a healthy level.

SIDE EFFECTS

Stevia is relatively safer sugar substitute as there have been no documented side-effects associated with its consumption so far. 

PRECAUTIONS

Seek medical advice before using stevia if you have an ongoing medical condition or take other medications.

STORAGE

Store in a cool, dry place.