Sugar takes a huge part of our diet regime. I personally could not imagine drinking my morning coffee without one tablespoon or two of sugar. But, the great amount of sugar I was consuming on a daily basis start making me feel the luck of energy and of course my kilograms start to multiply. One day I wake up and I said to myself it’s time to stop. It’s time to change my habits and switch to some healthier option. From all sweeteners available on the market, I pick Stevia. I found few very good reasons why to use Stevia sweetener instead of sugar and the firs main reason was the safety.
Sugar and Stevia are both natural sweeteners that have been used for centuries all around the world. Stevia in a form of produced sweetener is quite new on the market, but because the number of people who are trying to catch some health benefits is on a rise, this sweetener has hugely increased in popularity. If you change the regular sugar with Stevie sweetener you will experience sweetness without the all bad consequences of sugar consumption.
Basics
Both of these sweeteners are produced from natural sources. The sugar is produced by one of the few possible hybrids of Saccharum officinarum, known as sugar cane. On the other hand, Stevia is extracted from the leaves of Stevia plant. Stevia is 300 to 450 times sweeter than table sugar and healthier too.
Calories
One of the main reason why Stevia becomes so popular among people that gain healthy eating habits is the low level of calories. One package of this sweetener (which is equal to 2 tablespoons of sugar) offers 1 gram of carbohydrates and 5 calories. If you choose a Stevia extract, which comes in liquid form and is widely sold in most of the health food stores, you will have the opportunity to enjoy sweet food with no calories. On the other hand, 2 tablespoons regular sugar contain 8 grams of carbohydrates and 30 calories. So, did you see why I choose Stevia over sugar?
Health effects
In 2008, Food and Drug Administration has approved Stevia as a safe and healthy sweetener. In 2003, there was a study made in China, where people have been consuming Stevie for about two years. After the study was finished the results have shown that subjects experience a decrease in hypertension. Many other studies have shown that Stevie helps to lower blood glucose levels thus reducing the risk of metabolic syndrome. The effects of sugar on our health are well-known: insulin resistance, obesity, general inflammation and more. Do you need more reasons to change your sugar habits?
Cooking
Is it possible to enjoy your favourite cookies without experiencing all those bad consequences that come from sugar? Yes, it is possible but only if you made them with Stevia, This sweetener will not break the taste of your cookies, okay maybe will chance them a little bit, but just think about the health side. Believe me, it’s worth it. Stevia will provide your cookies with additional sweetness but will still substantially lower the number of calories in the recipe. When using Stevia for cooking keep one thing in mind. This natural sweetener does not help for ferment yeast, which means in some cases should not be used instead of sugar because sugar is necessary for fermentation.