Stevia: The Sweeter, The Better?

It's long been known that desserts, candies and other sweet treats are not good for us because of all the sugar, which can lead to all kinds of health problems, including heart disease. In a pervious blog post called "Fight Fat, With Fat!" I mentioned how in the 1970's, the sugar industry paid off Harvard Scientists to downplay sugars role in heart disease, the number one killer in America, and shift the blame to saturated fat.

So, what is the solution to those sweet cravings you get, without eating any of that harmful sugar? Have no fear, stevia is here! Stevia is an all natural, zero calorie, zero carb sweetener that can be substituted in place of sugar. Stevia extracts are anywhere from 30-400 times sweeter than sugar without all the calories, carbs, blood glucose increase, or harmful side-effects to our health, like heart disease.

This is the main reason stevia is being used in many health and fitness supplements, like Organic Muscle's products. It is also popular among diabetics and people with carbohydrate or calorie restricted diets as well. I use it regularly to sweeten my foods and beverages, while keeping my carbohydrates down for my Ketogenic Diet. 

So stevia is sweeter and it doesn't have the harmful effects of sugar, but is that all that makes it better? No. Stevia is a superfood, packed with important antioxidants and nutrients to promote a healthy body. Not only that, but stevia might be able to help certain health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and osteoporosis. Along with it's benefits for oral health, skin care and cancer prevention, stevia is a staple in my cupboard for sure!

The high levels of antioxidant compounds in stevia are what gives it the ability to aid in preventing cancers, including pancreatic cancer. Glycoside compounds in stevia such as, quercetin and kaempferol, also give stevia the ability to eliminate free radicals in the body. This prevents the free radicals from mutating healthy cells into cancer cells.

These rich antioxidant levels bring along other benefits for the ride. Those benefits include, preventing premature aging, cognitive malfunction, and various health conditions like, heart disease and inflammation. The complete opposite effects of sugar! Stevia is like the good twin, while sugar is the evil one!

So it is true! The sweeter, the better! Well, in the case of stevia that is. So push that sugar aside and sweeten your food, along with your life, with some stevia!