Got a sweet tooth but health conscious at the same time? There’s no need to hold the reigns tightly when it comes to getting your sweet fix. You can opt for alternative sweeteners instead that make food taste sweet, without giving your body the negative effects many experience when ingesting sugar.
There are many available alternative sweeteners out there, both artificial and natural. Of course, natural ingredients are usually best, and alternative all-natural sweeteners are no exception. A popular plant-based sweetener many have to add to their kitchen cabinets is Stevia.
Stevia, a better alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners, is a healthy, all-natural substitute for sugar. Coming in liquid or powder form, many see Stevia as the best option to switch from sugar without having to sacrifice sweets.
Artificial vs. Natural
When it comes to food, it’s generally best to choose ingredients closest to their natural state. While there are artificial sweeteners out there that could take the place of sugar, many have proven to be unsafe and react with the human body that scientists and nutritionists are still discovering. Regardless if these sweeteners have zero calories and add sweetness to any dish, their chemical composition makes it a questionable ingredient to have in your pantry.
All-natural sweeteners such as Stevia on the other hand bring to the table the same zero calorie benefits of artificial sweeteners, as well as not spiking an individual’s blood sugar levels. Being plant based, Stevia is minimally processed and less harmful to the body in comparison to artificial sweeteners.
How Stevia differs from artificial sweeteners
Stevia is a plant-based all-natural sweetener, coming from the leaves of the Stevia plant. These leaves are naturally sweet and are extracted into liquid or powdered Stevia which anybody can use, diabetics included, for a sweet fix without having to worry about calories, sugar, or increased blood sugar levels.
Artificial sweeteners on the other hand, such as refined white sugar, aspartame and sucralose all have negative effects on the body. Refined sugar promotes obesity and insulin resistance, aspartame once digested creates formaldehyde in the body, is linked to causing headaches and dangerous to brain cells when combined with food coloring, and sucralose is highly processed, with chlorine being one of the many chemicals used to make it.
Indeed, many studies regard Stevia as the best alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners. Make sure to choose pure Stevia extract, and not just Stevia based sweeteners which may have unwanted ingredients and chemicals mixed into it. Opt for 100% pure liquid Stevia extract as this is its purest and least processed form next to consuming the leaf fresh.
With Stevia on hand in your cupboard, you can enjoy sweetening all your food and beverages such as tea, coffee and pastries without worrying about damaging your dental health, spiking your blood sugar, adding empty calories into your body, or promoting obesity. Now that’s sweet.
sources:
https://www.stevia.com/
http://www.mayoclinic.org/
http://www.webmd.com/
http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/
