Dangers of Stevia, Sugar And Natural Sweeteners - Real or Not?
Why all the talk about the dangers of stevia? It can be very confusing when you want to branch out and try sweeteners other than white
sugar.
This page will explain stevia, sugar, natural sweetener alternatives and information on artificial sweeteners.
Stevia Side Effects
What are the dangers of stevia? The biggest danger is that stevia is misunderstood and there is much mis-information out there. Read on...
Some media reports, like these, would have you believe that there are many
stevia side effects.
The truth, however, is slowly coming out.
People are realizing
that using stevia is a good option.
Is Stevia Safe?
Is stevia safe and ok for the anti-candida diet?
It is especially suited for people with Candida, if you are diabetic or if you want a lower glycemic,
low carbohydrate sweetener. It helps people keep their blood glucose within a
normal blood sugar count range.
Demand and Interest Are Growing
Many people are becoming more interested in learning about
foods that lower blood sugar and more knowledgable about
other natural sweeteners like
agave sweetener.
The Political Controversy
Yet, the stevia plant has been plagued by much
controversy - both political controversy and health controversy
Politically, many marketers and consumers have felt that the FDA (Food and Drug Administration in the US), originally banned
any importing of Stevia in 1991 because of pressures from local artificial sweetener industries. The dangers of stevia were not really the motivator.
Some people feel that the artificial sweetener companies didn't want the competition from stevia. Because Stevia is a natural
sweetener, from a plant, it was felt that if it was approved, people would naturally go for the natural sweetener - not the artificial one.
After a long approval process and lobbying by stevia supporters, eventually, in 1995, the FDA
approved Stevia as a dietary supplement and then in 2008 as a sweetener.
This meant that Stevia could be sold in grocery stores along side sugar, splenda and equal as a sweetener for food.
Stevia began to be mass produced by 2 large US companies.
In 2008, two stevia sweeteners were approved
for use - Truvia (produced by the Coca Cola Compnay and Cargill) and PureVia (produced by PepsiCo and a subsidiary of Merisant).
The worry about the dangers of stevia was disappearing.
Some claim that this sudden approval is because consumer research now predicts that the market for stevia sweetened
products could reach $2 billion (US) by the end of 2011. Big money.
Freely Available and Approved
So finally, after many ups and downs, Stevia is now commercially available as a sweetener in the US.
However,
it is only certain stevia extracts that are approved, not the use of the whole stevia plant.
The approval process is slow,
as each type of extract needs to go through it's own approval process by the governing bodies.
This said, even in Canada
where it is still considered a food supplement, you can buy stevia in the neighbourhood grocery stores, not just the health
food store.
In fact, Health Canada is currently reviewing it's position on stevia extracts. Food and beverage makers are now
allowed to expand the use of stevia in their products. The Toronto Globe and Mail did a
recent article on this.
Despite the controversary, the benefits and use of stevia are winning out.
Stevia Health Benefits Are Winning
Happily, as the political controversy around stevia calms down, the health controversy is also decreasing.
The main type of stevia sold and consumed today is the Rebaudioside A extract
from the stevia plant.
The majority of studies, which have been done on Rebaudioside A, show no harmful
effects from the use of this type of Stevia extract.
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In 2006, the WHO (world Health Organization), concluded that there
were no health risks and some possible benefits to patients with hypertension and type 2 diabetes. The main recommendation
was that more study should be done to determine proper dosage.
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Dangers Of Stevia Becoming A Misunderstanding Of The Past
So, now that we've worked through any of the misunderstandings about stevia - are there dangers of stevia that we need to worry about?
There are no stevia dangers according to the World Health Organization.
All You Need To Know About Stevia
If you use stevia to cook with or to sweeten your beverages, there is no research
that shows any health risks for you. You only need to use a very small amount - usually 1 tsp of stevia equals 1 cup of sugar.
And, if you have Candida or struggle with yeast infections, stevia can play an important role in helping you
control your sugar intake and keep a constant sugar blood glucose level - which will help
control sugar cravings, and highs and lows. Stevia is
also allowed on an anti-candida diet.
It can be a great addition to your
healthy diet plan and the nutrition part of your treatment.
Craving
sugar can be a huge struggle for Candida sufferers, and stevia is a good option to satisfy that sweet tooth, without affecting your blood sugar
levels and feeding the yeast.
Related pages:
Blood Sugar Level Chart:
Is a blood sugar level chart useful for Candida? When managing Candida, it is good to know foods
that lower our blood sugar or how foods affect us, but knowing our exact blood sugar levels may be too much information. Find out why.
Sugar Addiction Help
Sugar addiction help is here. Understand why sugar addiction happens, learn about withdrawal symptoms such as
sugar headache and some solutions for sugar cravings.
Stevia Side Effects
Stevia side effects can make you worried. You want to use the natural stevia sweetener, but is it
really natural and good for you? The pros and cons of using the stevia plant are clearly laid out for you.
Is Stevia Safe?
Is stevia safe to use instead of sugar when on the yeast infection diet?
Or, are their stevia side effects and stevia dangers that you need to know about? The safety of stevia for Candida
is simply explained and easy to understand.
A Normal Blood Sugar Count Will Help Keep
Yeast Infections and Candida Away
A normal blood sugar count will help you avoid unnecessary health problems. Even if you don't have
diabetes or use a blood sugar meter, knowing about normal blood sugar levels is a smart, pro-active choice for great health.
Tell us about your stevia experiences.
Read what other's say about their nutrition.
If you found this stevia information useful, you will also like the information in our YIA Health Ezine.
Subscribe to: YIA's Natural Health Ezine
Also, you will likely find videos and pictures of yeast-related health issues helpful.
Check out what our visitors have submitted about yeast health or submit your own.
Dangers of Stevia and Sugar Tips
by Lisa Geary B. Ed., M.A. Health Researcher
www.yeast-infection-answers.com
Return to top of Dangers of Stevia And Sugar Tips page.
Also see: Our Nutrition section.
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