Stevia is a natural sweetener that conquers the taste of Brazilians every day
At first, replacing sugar with stevia seems like a good idea. After all, it’s been a long time since the refined substance became a real villain in diets and even health. Fair fame. But does replacing it with other sweeteners guarantee a significant effect on well-being?
It is acceptable to swap sugar for stevia
“Yes. Because of its high sweetness content. 1 g of stevia is equivalent to 200-300 g of sugar. It is not necessary to have many drops or spoons of stevia for the food or drink to be sweet,” he assured Sport exclusively Life the nutritionist Renata Branco.
Therefore, its consumption is recommended especially for diabetics and obese people due to its low calorie content. There are several ways to include stevia in your daily menu as a replacement for sugar.
“Stevia is resistant to high temperatures, as it does not lose its properties and leaves no residual flavor after being subjected to heat. The ideal is to use the powdered stevia sweetener in recipes and preparations, which require high temperatures as a substitute for sugar and use the liquid for juicing,” Renata emphasized.
Therefore, ingesting stevia becomes interesting for anyone. And ideally, a follow-up with a nutritionist should take place so that there is no harm to your health. So, overdoing it with this sweetener can pose serious risks to someone.
“Stevia is a natural sweetener obtained from the Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni plant. It is composed of the steviol glycoside, called Rebaudioside A, which is considered safe by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). Logically, it should be ingested in moderation and to side effects only at high doses,” explained the nutritionist.
What are the other benefits of stevia?
“Helps lose weight, helps regulate appetite and reduce hunger. May help control and reduce blood sugar levels, which may be helpful for people with diabetes. May help raise HDL cholesterol when used in baked or roasted foods, as it remains stable at temperatures up to 200º C. It is recommended to consume 7.9 to 25 mg/kg per day to obtain the benefits of stevia”, concluded nutritionist Renata Branco.
Research
Consumption of stevia has long been common in South America as a natural sweetener in foods and beverages. Additionally, Ingredion research showed that 58% of consumers believe Stevia is the best alternative to sugar.
“We know that 95% steviol glycosides is the minimum amount for Stevia to be approved for use. Leaf components and extraction technology are some of the factors that significantly influence product quality, in addition to flavor and to sweetness,” said Rafaela. Manso, regional leader of Ingredion’s Sugar Reduction platform.
The novelty of this study is that Reb M, a molecule present in the Stevia leaf together with other sweeteners, does not provide calories and that obtained through fermentation reduces the environmental impact of the ingredient by 82% compared to sugar and by 50% if obtained in bioconversion.
“In addition to being more ecological, bioconversion is also a cheaper production technique than extraction,” accused Rafaela, who also concluded that Reb M allows for a high reduction of sugars, maintaining a clean aroma profile and a pleasant sweetness as an excellent “tool” in the development of products with little or no added sugar.
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Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
