

Toward True Health: Get the skinny on Stevia

Question: Carolyn, you talk about using Stevia, but what is Stevia and how do I use it? Is it any better for me and my high blood sugar?

Answer: Stevia is a natural sweetener that comes from a plant that grows wild in South America and is used to sweeten at the table and can be adapted for use in cooking. Known as “sweet leaf” or “sugar leaf,” the source of its sweetness is in the thick soft leaves of the plant.

Stevia’s whole name is Stevia rebaudiana. It has been used by the Indians of Paraguay for hundreds of years. The leaves were often chewed or brewed as a tea and can still be used this way. These leaves contain natural glycosides that give them the sweet taste, with no unhealthy side effects. This composition makes the leaf very sweet but does not raise blood sugar levels as fructose, sucrose and other sugars do.

Today this plant extract is being recognized as a major weapon to ameliorate the effects of a growing sweet tooth plaguing and threatening the health of millions of people. Sure, it sounds too good to be true, all the sweetness of sugar but with none of the calories, none of the problems.

Stevia has been used for centuries in South American cooking, and as a health tonic and treatment for high blood pressure, heartburn, gout and type 2 diabetes.

It has been used extensively in Japan since the 1970s in desserts and drinks to create low-calorie products for consumers.

Among the benefits of Stevia’s natural sweetness, which is said to be 300 times sweeter than beet or cane sugar, is it allows persons to enjoy an all-natural sweetness which does not add calories or contribute to obesity.

Some research has found that this plant lowered blood pressure. One of the better benefits in our culture of Stevia is that not only does it not elevate blood glucose levels, but will actively lower blood sugar.

Only recently has Stevia become popular here in America, as people began searching for healthier sugar substitutes that promote health, rather than diminish it. Stevia became a welcomed alternative, replacing artificial sweeteners as well as other high calorie sugars. It’s low carbohydrate content is not metabolized in the same way by the body, allowing blood sugar to remain level. It also does not ramp-up sweet cravings, does not cause inflammation, or contribute to liver damage, as do other sugar based sweeteners and artificial sweeteners.

Persons who cannot tolerate other sugars usually can tolerate Stevia well. An added bonus is that it has a stimulating effect on the pancreas by regulating it and aiding in digestion.

Some other benefits of Stevia analyzed in a 2009 research study at Thailand’s Mahidol University found Stevia to have “blood pressure-lowering, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-diarrheal, diuretic properties, and has the ability to regulate immune functions.”

The increasing introduction of this calorie-free natural sweetener has been embraced in America as many become concerned about the health effects of the ever-increasing number of sweet drinks enjoyed by millions every day.

Heart attacks, diabetes, weight gain, brittle bones, pancreatic and prostate cancer, muscle weakness and paralysis are all well known potential problems of drinking soft drinks.

Recently, a study warned that just one can of a sugary soft drink a day can raise the risk of diabetes by up by 20 percent.

Harvard University’s respected School of Public Health warns that sugary drinks ‘are a major contributor to the obesity epidemic’.

Additionally, The American College of Cardiology, presented findings in Washington, D.C. recently that “a relationship exists between diet soda intake and the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease.” That relationship relates to heart attacks; strokes; blood clots that threaten the legs, arms, organs or head; surgery to reopen clogged arteries; heart failure; or death from heart trouble.

Also, people who have Candida or other immune disorders should know eating any sugar is ill advised. Stevia is the exception, because it does not affect the growth of unfriendly flora nor increase the growth of cancer cells in the body, as other sugars do.

It is the perfect solution for those with Candida or diabetes because its only affect on blood sugar levels is to stabilize them.

Stevia is widely available as a dried green power or leaf – this is the least processed. It also comes as the white powder in bulk packaging and in packets to carry and as a clear liquid extract. It is easy to use in hot or cold drinks and is easy to adjust to as a daily sweetener of choice.

Best of all, it can be grown in our moderate region from seed or a starter plant. It loves sun and partial shade (probably better to grow in a pot for wintering since it won’t like the cold). I am looking for one. So let me know if you come across either. If you like sweets, let’s all find a Stevia plant to grow at home.

Carolyn Guilford is a nutrition consultant, health and wellness advocate, author and workshop organizer. If you have a question you’d like answered in Toward True Health please send it to ‘Like’ us on Facebook and get new health tips at or write to Health Restoration Consulting P.O. Box 2814, Savannah, GA 31402