STEVIA

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Scientific name:  Stevia rebaudiana

Malay name: Pokok Stevia

Facts:

Stevia is a naturally sweet plant, and a member of the sunflower family discovered over 200 years ago. It’s up to 350x sweeter than sugar, making it mother nature’s zero-calorie sweetener. Stevia is an intensely sweet-tasting the plant that has been used to sweeten beverages and make tea since the 16th century. There’s a big difference between the stevia you buy at the grocery store and the stevia you may grow at home.


Fast facts on stevia

  1. Stevia is primarily grown in Brazil, Paraguay, Japan, and China.
  2. The natural sweetener tastes 200 to 300 times sweeter than table sugar.
  3. Stevia can be classified as “zero-calorie,” because the calories per serving are so low.
  4. It has shown potential health benefits as a healthful sugar alternative for people with diabetes.
  5. Stevia and erythritol that have been approved for use in the United States (U.S.) and do not appear to pose any health risks when used in moderation.

Medical uses :

  1. Diabetes -Stevia sweeteners do not contribute calories or carbohydrates to the diet where it demonstrate no effect on blood glucose or insulin response. This allows people with diabetes to eat a wider variety of foods and comply with a healthful meal plan. Stevia showed minimal to no effects on blood glucose, insulin levels, blood pressure, and body weight.
  2. Weight control - High-purity stevia extract is approved for consumption by the FDA and a number of other regulatory bodies.-Suitable for people having diabetes, pancreatic cancer, nutrition, diet, obesity/weight loss/fitness issue.


Stevia as a sweetener:

Stevia products found on grocery store shelves, such as Truvia and Stevia in the Raw, don’t contain whole stevia leaf. They’re made from a highly refined stevia leaf extract called rebaudioside A (Reb-A).

In fact, many stevia products have very little stevia in them at all. Reb-A is about 200 times sweeter than table sugar.

Sweeteners made with Reb-A are considered “novel sweeteners” because they’re blended with different sweeteners, such as erythritol (sugar alcohol) and dextrose (glucose).


Some of the common trade names for stevia sweeteners are:

  •  Enliten
  • PureVia
  • Rebiana
  • Stevia
  • Steviacane
  • Stevia Extract In The Raw
  • SweetLeaf

Tasty ways to use stevia include:

  • in coffee or tea
  • in homemade lemonade
  • sprinkled on hot or cold cereal
  • in a smoothie
  • sprinkled on unsweetened yoghurt

For more information, you can visit this link :

http://globinmed.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=106135:stevia-rebaudiana-bertoni-bertoni&catid=286&Itemid=357

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