Is Stevia Really Natural?

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Marion Nestle

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

The April 26th New York Times Magazine carried a seductive ad on page 15 for PepsiCo’s “Trop50 orange juice goodness with 50% less calories and sugar…And no artificial sweeteners”. PepsiCo performs this miracle by diluting the juice by half with water (really, you could do this at home). But in case the result isn’t sweet enough for you, Trop50 adds the sweetener, Stevia.

PepsiCo can get away with claiming that its juice drink has no artificial sweeteners. Because Stevia is isolated from leaves of the Stevia plant, the FDA lets companies claim it is “natural”.

We can debate whether a chemical sweetener isolated from Stevia leaves is really “natural” but here’s another problem: Stevia doesn’t taste like sugar. Companies have to fuss with it to cover up its off taste. And, they must do so “without detracting from the perceived benefits of its natural status.” Flavor companies are working like mad to find substances that block Stevia’s bitter taste, mask its off flavors, and extend its sweetness, while staying within the scope of what the FDA allows as “natural.”

Yesterday, I received an e-mail from a Stevia PR representative eager for me to see the company’s website. “Naturally delicious” anyone?

This was originally posted on April 29th of this year on the blog Food Politics.

The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author and not necessarily those of Healthy Child Healthy World.

Posted by joel digiorgio on 04/11/2011 at 01:20 PM

The health benefits of “processed” Stevia Leafs is debatable. It may or may not have the same health benefits as the raw leaf does (lowers high blood pressure, aids digestion, prevents bacterial growth such as cavities, etc) but, no one can argue that it seems to be the best “sugar substitute” available. If you want a food or beverage product to be sweet, but you don’t want all the health hazards associated with sugar, let it be HFCS or Agave Nectar (same as HFCS, honestly) or even organic Sugar Cane (they all have immense caloric values as well as cause bacterial growth, blood sugar fluctuations and dehydration) the chemical extract “Stevioside” (which is found naturally in the Stevia Leaf) is your best option, hands down.

It’s health benefits, in terms of lowered hypertension and digestive aid, are still up for debate, but the benefits of subsidizing sugar intake with stevia intake has been proven: DRAMATICALLY LESS CALORIES, ZERO GLYCEMIC INDEX, ZERO FRUCTOSE (possibly aids tumor growth), AND ZERO ARTIFICIAL INGREDIENTS OR PRESERVATIVES (like Sodium Benzoate).

Lastly, don’t forget that the sugar and artificial sweetener industries are led by billion dollar corporations that will do whatever it takes to slander this new natural wonder sweetener. Most of the time, the negative press on Stevia is associated with its direct competitors, just FYI

Thanks for reading!

Posted by Andrea on 08/28/2009 at 09:23 AM

the thing is I’m not a scientist or an expert however I believe that Stevia is actually a really great sugar substitute. Stevia has been around for AGES (we’re talking years and years), used very frequently by the health conscious.

Only just recently have major corporations started to catch on. Yes, they may be using it improperly by trying to cover up its taste and modifying it. I agree that is not a positive thing. In general, people will just acclimate to the taste if they are concerned with their health. If not they are not going to use the product.

I find it upsetting that you/this article trashes Stevia.

Basically the FDA and major corporations like Coca-Cola are not in my opinion worthy sources of anything, but just because they got ahold of it, don’t let that taint it’s reputation. I get the vibe you are being judgemental about a thing based upon who is trying to popularize it.

Maybe I was duped like everyone else. Maybe it is really bad for your health, however I don’t believe it for a min. Prove me wrong, give me information that shows me that the health conscious are wrong. That the underground sugar substitute really has been bad all along, not that its new found fame is causing people to be skeptical.

I absolutely love your blog and refer people to it all the time. This however was upsetting and I did feel I needed to comment.

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