A person looking for healthy, low carb foods should be aware of liquid stevia sweetener, the totally natural zero calorie replacement for sugar or artificial sweeteners. A vast majority of studies, tests, and articles regarding stevia have concluded that it may be the one sweetener that is in fact helpful for people. It has been discovered that liquid stevia can help healthy individuals maintain normal blood sugar levels, and it is a zero calorie sweetener, which is great news for diabetics.

To begin with, let's take a look at the origins of stevia and how it has gained the spotlight with the rise in demand for low carb foods and healthier substitutes for sugar and artificial sweeteners. Stevia has been implemented for generations by native South American tribes as a sweetener in their herbal teas and other health drinks as well as for treating heartburn and other ailments. Stevia is a bush in the Chrysanthemum family, which grows wild in parts of Paraguay and Brazil. The plant's extracts have up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar, but have a negligible significance on blood glucose. That is why liquid stevia sweetener is gaining the spotlight as a healthy sugar replacement that can help people sustain normal blood sugar levels.

Since the early 1970's, Japan has led the way in developing stevia as a substitute for artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, which are reputed carcinogens. Manufactured in Japan since 1977, stevia sweeteners are frequently used in that country for low carb foods and soft drinks. Japan presently accounts for just about 40% of the world's consumption of stevia sweetener, more than any other country. It is now commonly used throughout the world, notably in East Asia, South America and Israel. Stevia has been offered as a dietary supplement in North America since the mid '80's. It registers zero on the Glycemic index, so many smart consumers worldwide are now using liquid stevia sweetener to enhance the flavor of natural health drinks that do not contain sugar or artificial sweeteners.

In 1984, Dr. Tei-Fu Chen, an American herbalist from Taiwan, invented a method to extract the sweetness from stevia without using chemicals. This approach is acknowledged today as the most favorable way to create stevia products for consumption. Dr. Chen's company, Sunrider, victoriously petitioned the FDA in 1995 to lift the import alert on the extract of stevia leaves. Sunrider was one of the earliest companies to introduce liquid stevia to the market with the product Sunectar, in 1984, and later a variation known as SunnyDew.

Some consumers and politicians think the FDA has so far acted in response to industry demands from sugar and artificial sweetener lobbyists. For example, Arizona congressman, Jon Kyl, called the government restrictions against stevia sweetener "a restraint of trade to benefit the artificial sweetener industry". Nevertheless, pressure from consumers is beginning to push the FDA to cautiously consider its current ban on stevia sweetener as a food additive. Actually, some forms of stevia have more recently been given the all-clear as a food additive.

Above all else, stevia contains zero calories and that is valuable to everybody, especially those that are diabetic or on a low carbohydrate diet. It is understood that stevia is healthy for the pancreas, which can help perpetuate normal blood sugar levels. Anyone searching for quality nutrition in low carb foods is sensible to investigate liquid stevia sweetener and include it in a healthy, low carb diet.