Sweet Stevia
In this day and age of watching your weight and reducing your sugar, it’s good to know that there are natural alternatives to sugar. There’s no shortage of sugar substitutes in the supermarket, but many of them are artificial.
The only truly natural sugar substitute that isn’t chemically altered is stevia.
Stevia is a small perennial plant. It’s leaves and ground or infused in water to make a sweet liquid. When all is said and done, stevia is considered 300 times sweeter than sugar. In fact, a teaspoon of stevia is equal to about a cup of sugar.
Stevia can be used to sweeten teas and other beverages. In some countries stevia is also used to sweeten cookies, candies, and gum. But in the United States that’s a rare occurrence. However, you can buy sweetener in packets or jarred that you can use for your own beverages.
When it comes to cooking, stevia doesn’t work well in baked goods. That’s because stevia is not very dense and doesn’t mix well with other ingredients. So when it comes to baking, you’re better off using an organic cane sugar. However, stevia can be used for many other purposes.
Stevia doesn’t have calories, so it won’t cause you to gain weight but it will still satisfy your sweet tooth. There are many ways that you can purchase the plant. Most people choose to buy it in powdered form.
However, you can also buy the loose dried leaves. To use them, you can simply put one leaf in a cup of tea to help sweeten it. You can also grow your own stevia plants and have the fresh herb. But this is more difficult as stevia can be a little bit temperamental.
If you’re looking for an alternative to sugar that doesn’t have artificial chemicals in it, stevia may be the perfect solution for you. It’s been used for centuries by South Americans as a sweetener, and now its use has increased to other parts of the world.
While stevia was once considered too expensive to manufacture, its now worth it to most consumers to pay the price. With stevia, you know you’re getting a safe alternative to sugar that’s also very tasty.
No other artificial sweetener can deliver those results. The next time you’re looking for something to sweeten a cup of tea or coffee, reach for a packet of stevia and see how you like it.
Stevia Leaf Recipes