Two summers ago I grew a stevia plant in a container on my back deck. I was intrigued by how easy this beautiful herb was to grow, and I was surprised how sweet the leaves actually tasted. I wasn't surprised when commercial industries started turning stevia leaves into a powdery white substance or liquid.
Although the stevia plant is not bad for you, when the green leaves are processed and converted into a white sweet powder for your morning coffee it takes lots of processing and chemicalizing. I've bought some packages of a brand called Truvia, but I really wondered how
While doing some research, I came across an informative article on the Dr. Axe website ( same doctor who wrote about apple cider vinegar and weight loss) about the affects of stevia products like Truvia on your health .
As I suspected, anything that is processed to become a white powdery substance will have it's drawbacks. My original concern was that white powder is so refined it usually acts as what is called an "excito- toxin" which excites the nervous system or appetite. In my case, it stimulates my appetite. Not Good for weight loss! I'll continue to use the green leaves from the plant itself are fine from the plant or dried which have not been processed.
Dr. Axe was looking at processed stevia from another point of view. He was asking whether it could actually be unhealthy.
It turns out processed stevia that we buy in little packets in the stores are not really healthy after all. Read Dr. Axe's article for additional information.
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| Dr. Axe |
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You can never be too careful. I like to just adjust the regular sugar I drink Thanks for linking up to fridayfrenzy
ReplyDeleteIt's good to be cautious.
DeleteI always found stevia to be way too sweet, so I just drink coffee and tea plain! I wish they could come up with a good and healthy substitute for white sugar.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that we are doomed when it comes to sweets. I guess it's just too concentrated for the body.
DeleteStevia comes in liquid form called Stevia Drops. You can get unflavored for your coffee or in flavors like Vanilla Cream, Root Beer, Valencia Orange, Lemon Drop, plus several more. This is not unhealthy at all. And I have not had a regular of diet soda for 2 years now and my health has improved significantly. The good Dr has written a book he is selling on line and is trying to protect it's integrity rather than giving full information here. Do not give up on Stevia because of this biased information.
ReplyDeleteI was very surprised to find the plants at a local farm. I think Whole Foods may sometimes carry the plants.
Deleteso you have stopped using the processed stevia and only use the herb itself? i want to grow stevia and use the dried ground leaves in things instead of the extract that i had been using. all i need to do is find how to source the plants.
ReplyDeleteI like Stevia better than the all chemical packets, I now like the monk fruit extract too. I'm sure that will end up not being healthy either.
ReplyDeleteI use organic liquid stevia, Any healthy product can be made unhealthy by the chemical processing and is what has happened. I think it is very important that you check out ingredients and know as much as you can about any thing you eat. The big corporations are going to take a pure healthy product and ruin every time.Thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays Blog Hop!
ReplyDeleteI have been growing stevia and extracting it naturally for my own use! It is, as you said, an easy plant to grow, and extracting the sweetness into stevia drops or powder yourself is also an easy process in your own kitchen, for a pure, healthy product. I have a post about this on my website Making Our Sustainable Life dot com.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Vickie.
DeleteI tried stevia, but didn't like the taste after reading this I'm glad. Featuring this post tonight on Real Food Fridays, thanks for sharing weekly.
ReplyDeleteI love your word "chemicalizing" I might have to use that someday :)
ReplyDeleteFor those who are looking for plants, I recently saw stevia at Lowe's.
ReplyDeleteI've never tried Truvia, but I agree, Judee, too much fiddling around. Thank you for sharing.
The first time I found the plant, I was shocked by the smell of the leaves.. Gardener wanted me to "taste it"... I knew by the taste that it was stevia :) I order "green" bulk from Starwest or MySpiceSage... anything "natural" that's been processed to white is a problem!
ReplyDelete~Tess
I have a friend who grows stevia plants. Her daughter likes to snack on the leaves! Thanks for sharing at Happiness is Homemade :)
ReplyDelete