Stevia: Nutritional Facts & Health Benefits
Stevia or Stevia Rebaudiana is a sugar substitute collected from the leaves of Stevia plants in South America and Central America. Over the years Stevia is growing its popularity as a natural and calorie-free sugar alternative. Stevia is mostly popular among people with diabetes and people who want to manage their weight. With zero calories, it is sweeter and better than normal sugar. There are lots of benefits of natural sweeter.
Stevia Nutrition Facts
The following nutrition value for 1g of stevia is provided by the USDA
Carbs: Carb amount in stevia is very little. A single packet of stevia contains only one gram of carbohydrate. However, many users will use more than one packet, so they may consume more than one gram of carbs.
Fat: Luckily, stevia is a fat-free sugar alternative.
Protein: A single packet of stevia contains zero amount of protein.
Micronutrients: Micronutrients such as calcium and iron or vitamin and minerals are important to stay healthy and function properly. But stevia contains no vitamins or minerals.
Health Benefits of Stevia
As a sugar alternative, stevia has some considerable health benefits. Here are some important health benefits of natural sweetener-Stevia.
1. Diabetes Control
Many research has shown that stevia does not add extra calories or carbs to the diet. They have also shown there is no effect on blood glucose or insulin response after consuming stevia. That means people with diabetes can eat a wide variety of food without worrying. Many studies showed that stevia has minimal to no effect on blood pressure, blood sugar, insulin levels, and body weight. One of these research also suggested stevia to control type-2 diabetes.
2. Weight Control
Nowadays, cases of overweight and obesity are increasing rapidly because of physical inactivity and consuming foods that are high in fat and added sugar. According to the researchers, sugar can contribute 16 percent of the total calories in the American diet. And unfortunately, this has been linked with gaining weight. Stevia contains zero to no calories, so it can be a part of any well-balanced diet plan to control body weight. This is another stevia health benefit.
3. Prevent Cancer
Stevia is full of sterols and antioxidant compounds such as Kaempferol. Many studies have found these compounds in stevia can reduce the risk of Pancreatic cancer by 20- 23 percent.
4. Blood Pressure
Glycosides in stevia can dilate blood vessels. Also, 2003 research showed that stevia can help to lower blood pressure levels. But there is also some further research needed to confirm this benefit of stevia.
5. Children diet
We all know that the extra sugar and the extra calories are the reason for obesity and cardiovascular disease. Food and beverages containing stevia can play an important role in reducing calories in the diet of a kid. There is a whole variety of products containing stevia ranging from salad to snack bars. This allows children to consume their favorite drinks or food without adding extra calories to their diet.
FAQs:
Can you use stevia for baking?
Some brands make stevia sweeteners, especially for baking. So you can try those out. If you use stevia as a sugar alternative do you use the same amount? Stevia is 250-300 times sweeter than normal sugar. So you don’t have to use the same amount.
Lastly, Remember, stevia may help you to reduce the risk of lots of diseases, but it is not a magic bullet for any of those. In this article, we discussed everything about the nutritional facts and benefits of stevia. Hope it will be helpful.
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