Is Stevia the best sweetener because it is of natural origin?Is Stevia healthy?Is it the only natural substitute?If you have asked yourself these questions.Read this that we will tell you 9 myths about Stevia.
Let's clarify some myths about Stevia:
1. Do you reduce the taste for the sweet?
Fake.Even when Stevia and other sweeteners help consume less sugar, it is advisable to remove the mania to add it to everything that is eaten or drink, in order not to get used to taking sweet things.
2. Can it be used to bake?
TRUE.Thanks to the mix with other sweeteners, it has allowed him to work on pastry.For this use it is necessary to consult the manufacturer's recommendations regarding the amount to be used and the times and temperature in which it must be baked.
3. Is it better to consume its leaves?
Fake.Although it is increasingly common to hear that the leaves are healthier, the truth is that the envelopes are the only regulated, harmless and with a sweetness 200 times more powerful than sugar.
4. Can it be used for everything?
TRUE.Thanks to industrial development, stevias have been created that respond to different needs.It can be used in the production of gum, refreshing pills, drinks and light jelly.
5. Is it more harmless than other sweeteners?
Fake.Many people believe this because of the natural origin of Stevia.However, all the substitutes that exist in the market are regulated by standards and agreements that force them to determine a safe daily intake.
6. Are South American varieties the best?
Fake.Stevia comes from Paraguay, Brazil and part of Argentina, but its extract is marketed in Mexico and retains 95% of its essential properties.
7. Doesn't it have adverse effects?
TRUE.To date, it has not been related to any disease as happened with the aspartame, sweetener to which no relationship with cancer was proven.
8. Is it the only substitute for natural origin?
Fake.Although their compounds come from a sheet and does not require a chemical synthesis but extraction and purification methods, it has not demonstrated better than other sweeteners.
9. Do you have more healthy properties?
TRUE.In addition to not producing decay and contributing to glucose control (like any sugar substitute), Stevia has diuretic and antioxidant effects.However, it is not yet known in what amount and how often it must be consumed to obtain them.
Source: Agustín López Munguía, researcher at the Biotechnology Institute of the UNAM.