THE FASHION OF STEVIA

I have lived long enough to see more than clothes go in and out of fashion.  In the last couple of weeks, I have been in meetings and when the group was finished and the chit-chat began it was about the evil effects of coffee and the wonderful natural herb sweetener, Stevia.  Every new sweetener on the block arrives with glowing results.  I remember the arrival of Sucaryl and Saccharin, Sweet & Low and a bunch of other sweeteners.  But I am told by those that who tout the benefits of Stevia and carry little packages of it in their purses that it is all-natural with a 0 glycemic index and 0 calories.  Excuse me, but sugar is natural.  It has 16 calories a spoon and it only has one ingredient in it... SUGAR.  Granted Sucaryl, Saccharin and the like were all chemical compounds.  Hey, but I read the package on the side of one of my guests Stevia compound.... and I say compound.  Yes, it starts with a natural product, Stevia. 

All the Health Food stores sell it, the Naturalpaths just love it but The FDA's position on it is somewhat ambiguous.  In the 90's the FDA blocked the importation and sale of Stevia in the USA.  Finally, several years later the FDA revised its import alert to allow Stevia and its extracts to be imported as a food supplement but not as a sweetener.  Yet, it defines Stevia as an unapproved food additive, not affirmed as "generally recognized as safe" in the United States. It has been used in various food products, including Japanese sugar-free versions of Wrigley's gums, Beatrice Foods yogurts and even diet Coke.  It has also been used in Japanese style pickles, dried seafoods, fish, meat products, vegetables and seafoods boiled down with soy sauce, confectioneries and a host of other products.  Now that I have researched this, I will really watch what I am consuming.

I am not surprised now why some of the diet or imported foods taste so sweet,  Stevia has up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar.  Why is it creating the buzz?  In this weight obsessed world where obesity has caused diabetes, heart problems and the like, Stevia is a sexy product.  People are looking for low-carb, low-sugar food alternatives.  Because Stevia has a negligible effect on blood glucose, it is attractive as a new sweetener to people on carb controlled diets.

Stevia has been grown on an experimental basis in Ontario since 1987 for the purpose of determining the feasibility of growing the crop commercially.  In May, 2008,  Coca Cola and Cargill announced the availability of Truvia, a consumer brand stevia sweetened containing erythriol and rebian which the FDA permited as a food additive in December, 2008.  Shortly afterwards, PepsiCo and Pure Circle announced PureVia, their brand of Stevia-based sweetener.  Sooooooo should I rest my case that the pop companies have Stevia-based sweeteners?  Since the FDA permitted Truvia and PurVia, both Coca Cola and PepsiCo have introduced products that contain their new sweeteners.

In its purest form, I don't think you can eat a Stevia leaf.  It is about 30 to 45 times the sweetness of sugar.   I think it needs to be highly processed, something we all try and avoid if we are food savvy.  Meanwhile, back at the bar, nothing is nicer to chew on than a piece of raw sugar cane that you have used to stir your mojito.  In my world, I believe they will one day find that Stevia isn't so sexy after all.  There are still unresolved questions about whether metabolic processes can produce a mutagen from Stevia in animals. 

My belief is we have screwed around with so many foods that we have developed allergies and illnesses never as rampant as today.  I will stick to my sugar, thanks.  I don't put it in coffee but boy, do I like a good brownie, blondie or creme caramel.  I am not prepared to give it all up for the fashion of Stevia.  However, I know that portion control is the key.  Maybe I will just add to that thought and say homemade is best.  You never know what is in the combined products.  For the last 20 years or so I have been shopping the perimeter of the grocery store where there is fresh fruit and vegetables, bakery, dairy, fresh meat and fish and avoiding the canned and processed foods for the most part.