Often in articles on proper nutrition and weight loss, you can find the mention of stevia as a complete sweetener. What is it and how does it help to fight excess weight?
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Stevia is a perennial plant in the Astrov family that grows in Central and South America. Ground stevia is widely used as a sweetener and is often used in the treatment of obesity. The extracts contained in stevia are 300 times sweeter than sucrose, therefore, in comparison with regular sugar, a much smaller amount is required to achieve a sweet taste in the stevia dish.
A few interesting facts about stevia:
- Stevia has been used as a sweetener for several hundred years.
- Stevia almost does not affect the level of glucose in the blood, therefore it is allowed to diabetics.
- The feeling of sweetness when using stevia comes longer than with regular sugar, but lasts a longer time.
- With high concentration, stevia can acquire a bitter aftertaste.
- There has been controversy around the safety of stevia for a long time, as research has yielded conflicting results. However, in 2006, the World Health Organization finally recognized Stevia extracts (steviosides and rebaudiosides) as non-toxic, non-carcinogenic and generally harmless to the body.
- Stevia is especially widespread in Japan - here it is used in the production of drinks and many food products.
- The taste of stevia extracts resembles cane sugar, however, dried leaves can leave a bitter aftertaste.
How to use stevia for weight loss?
Stevia is a great alternative to sugar for losing weight sweet tooth. It gives the dishes a sweet taste, but does not add calories (100 g of stevia contains only 18 kcal). There are several forms of release of food additives based on stevia: in granules, tablets, powder, and also in the form of syrup. In addition, on sale, for example, in phyto-pharmacies, you can find dried crushed leaves of the plant.
With stevia, you can brew tea and add it to compotes, stevia-based sweeteners are put in baked goods, desserts, cereals. Decoctions of stevia leaves are used as a drink that reduces appetite. The use of stevia instead of sugar can reduce the calorie intake by an average of 15%.