Stevia: The 'Holy Grail' of Sweeteners?

STEVIA : THE 'HOLY GRAIL' OF  SWEETENERS?

The U.S. FDA may soon decide the future of what some in the food industry are calling the holy grail of sweeteners -- a low-calorie, natural substance derived from the South American Stevia plant.

Stevia has been used in Paraguay for centuries and in Japan for decades. It is currently available in the United States only as a nutritional supplement. The FDA must decide whether Stevia is safe enough to be used as an additive in processed foods, where consumers may not realize it is there. If approved, it would likely be used in massive quantities of processed foods and drinks.

Comments from Dr. Mercola's:

Personally I believe Stevia is the best sweetener available today and is the one I personally use and travel with.  Some people object to a bitter metallic type of aftertaste but it has been my experience this is related to the way the Stevia plant is processed. If you were to eat the whole fresh leaf of the plant there is no metallic aftertaste.  

So if you are one of those that have objected to the taste of Stevia, considering using a different brand until you find one that tastes good.  But you won’t be able to look for this in the sweetener section in the U.S. as the FDA made Stevia illegal to use as a sweetener. You have to purchase it in the supplement section. 

So it would seem like good news that the FDA is considering changing its ludicrous and inconsistent banning the use of a harmless plant as a sweetener while it allows toxic artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose to be freely available on the market. 

But here’s a perfect example of why you have to pay attention to detail, onerous as it may be. 

So, is Stevia a Safe Sugar Alternative? 

Leave it to the food industry and the FDA to mess up an otherwise perfectly safe, all-natural product.

Extract made from the leaves of the Stevia plant is undoubtedly the safest sweetener on the market. Unlike aspartame and other artificial sweeteners that have been cited for dangerous toxicities, regular Stevia is a safe, natural alternative that's ideal if you’re watching your weight, or if you’re maintaining your health by avoiding sugar. 

It is hundreds of times sweeter than sugar and truly has virtually no calories -- unlike the lies and deceptions with regular artificial sweeteners, which are loaded with other sugars to make them flow better. 

Two of my favorite drinks are La Croix sparkling water, and Tulsi tea, flavored with some Stevia. But it can be used in appetizers, beverages, soups, salads, vegetables, desserts -- virtually anything! It is, hands down, the best alternative to sugar you will ever get your hands on. 

Article from : http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/12/16/stevia-the-holy-grail-of-sweeteners.aspx