Stevia. The Controversy... is over!

Stevia is processed from the herbal plant "Stevia Rebaudiana". When refined into a white powder extract called stevioside, it becomes 200-300 times sweeter than sugar without raising blood sugar levels and free from chemicals, carbs or calories. In fact, research indicates that both diabetics and persons suffering from hypoglycemia may use Stevia. So why don't more people know about it?

Stevia has been grown on an experimental basis in Ontario, Canada since 1987 for the purpose of determining the feasibility of growing the crop commercially. In the United States, it is legal to import, grow, sell, and consume stevia products if contained within or labeled for use as a dietary supplement, but not as a food additive.

Stevia has also been approved as a dietary supplement in Australia, New Zealand and Canada. In Japan and South American countries, stevia accounts for more than 73% of the sweetener used. Stevia is currently banned for use as a food additive in the European Union It is also banned in Singapore and Hong Kong.

In 1991, at the request of an anonymous complaint, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) labeled stevia as an "unsafe food additive" and restricted its import. The FDA's stated reason was "toxicological information on stevia is inadequate to demonstrate its safety." Despite the fact that Stevia has been in common use in South America since before the Spaniards landed without a single reported case of any adverse effects from it's use.

This ruling was controversial, as stevia proponents pointed out that this designation violated the FDA's own guidelines under which any natural substance used prior to 1958 with no reported adverse effects should be generally recognized as safe (GRAS).

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Michelle A. Hoffmann is a mother of 4, first off, then a wife, writer, philanthropist, traveler, photographer, computer geek... in other words, she does it all! You can find out more about her at www.midastouchmediagrp.com or by visiting her ezine (sign up, while you're there!) at www.24karatmarketer.com