When it comes to lose some weight (or other situations related to one’s
health), many people are told to give up sugar—chocolates, cookies, soda,
cakes, and many other products. But as it is very difficult to stop eating such
a vital element of our diet, some sugar users have decided to include other
sweetener alternatives to their lives.
As you may know, there are many options when referring to food
sweeteners: the most important ones (and the most popular) are saccharin, sucralose and aspartame. Alternative
sweeteners are said to be calorie-free and represent an important alternative
for those who do not want to gain extra weight. Artificial sugar substitutes
can be bought in supermarkets and they are not particularly expensive.
Nowadays, there is a "new" sugar substitute that has
plenty of followers. This new product is called Stevia, and it is derived from a
South American shrub called Stevia rebaudiana which contains a substance
that is said to be about 250 times sweeter than sugar. In 1991, this product
was banned in the United States due to some studies that suggested that Stevia may
cause cancer and reduce fertility, and although this product has been used for
centuries by many cultures, it was not until now that Stevia has become popular
and widely available for anyone who wants to replace artificial sweeteners for
a more natural sugar substitute.
Some experts claim that Stevia, when consumed in
large amounts, may have harmful effects, but it cannot be still proved due to
the lack of long-term studies related to this topic. At the same time, Stevia
followers claim that its natural properties are less harmful than those of artificial
sweeteners.
Not all natural products are always good for our
health, and Stevia may be a good example. Do you always trust nature? Or do you
prefer to do some research before consuming new products that claim to have
natural properties?
