Liquid Stevia sweetener has been receiving more and more attention, both by those who base their diets on natural foods, and those who don't. One of the main reasons that liquid Stevia sweetener has ended up in the spotlight is because of the increasingly troubling reports coming out about other sweeteners akin to aspartame. Whether you elect to eat natural foods or not, you might want to mull over switching to liquid Stevia rather than using sugar or the sugar substitutes currently on the market.

One of the best characteristics of liquid Stevia sweetener is that it is comes from natural sources. In fact, the Stevia plant is related to lettuce and chicory, and is part of the Chrysanthemum family. This is excellent for those who want a healthy way to sweeten natural foods and beverages. As liquid Stevia sweetener grows in popularity, so too does an understanding of new ways to make use of it.

Whereas it's inadequate to just argue that one type of sweetener is more advantageous than another, Stevia has definite advantages over sugar and artificial sweeteners. In addition to being 100% natural, liquid Stevia sweetener contains no calories and registers zero on the glycemic index. That, in itself makes this sweetener alluring to many healthy conscious consumers who choose natural foods over artificial. Whereas sugar is well-known to cause tooth decay, Stevia has been found to thwart cavities. Also, there is no chemical aftertaste or danger from artificial sweeteners that have been linked to age related diseases, such as alzheimers.

Liquid Stevia sweetener has been advised for many people with diabetes. This is because it does not interfere with blood sugar levels in the same way that sugar does. Despite this fact, Stevia is considered to be many times sweeter than sugar. It can be manipulated in much the same way as sugar, but only small amounts are required. While the Stevia plant has been used by natives to South America to sweeten tea for hundreds of years, it is now found in homes all over the world as a sugar substitute in drinks as well as natural foods.

With the unequivocal attributes of liquid Stevia sweetener and the fact that it has been known as a sugar substitute in natural foods and drinks for centuries, it is challenging to understand why it hasn't been used more frequently in modern society for more than a few decades. During the past fifty years, Japan has been the largest consumer of Stevia, and the studies that have been done on it have been truly positive.

In the USA, Dr. Tei-Fu Chen and his company, Sunrider in 1995 successfully petitioned the FDA to authorize the application of liquid Stevia as a dietary supplement in America. More recently, certain forms of stevia have been authorized as a food additive, so companies like Coca Cola and Pepsi are ready to put Stevia in broadly distributed products like healthy natural foods and drinks.

The reasons for the ban of Stevia sweetener as a food additive were hotly debated, with passionate input from lobbyists of both the sugar and artificial sweetener industries. After experiencing several classifications since being approved in the U.S., it's clear that the use of liquid Stevia sweetener for both natural foods and drinks will continue to expand as consumers learn about its healthy rewards.