Stevia:
- Dietitian.Lauren Hmede
- May 15, 2019
- 3 min read
Is Stevia a Good Substitute for Sugar? Benefits and Downsides
Stevia is a plant-based, calorie-free alternative to sugar.
Many people prefer it to artificial sweeteners like sucralose and aspartame, as it’s extracted from a plant rather than made in a lab.
It also contains little to no carbs and doesn’t rapidly spike your blood sugar, making it popular among those who have diabetes or poor blood sugar control. Nonetheless, it may have some drawbacks.
What is stevia?
Stevia is a sugar alternative extracted from the leaves of the Stevia rebaudiana plant.
These leaves have been enjoyed for their sweetness and used as an herbal medicine to treat high blood sugar for hundreds of years.
Their sweet taste comes from steviol glycoside molecules, which are 250–300 times sweeter than regular sugar.
To make stevia sweeteners, the glycosides must be extracted from the leaves. Beginning with dry leaves that have been steeped in water, the process is as follows:
1. Leaf particles are filtered out from the liquid.
2. The liquid is treated with activated carbon to remove additional organic matter.
3. The liquid undergoes an ion exchange treatment to remove minerals and metals.
4. The glycosides that remain are concentrated into a resin.
What remains is concentrated stevia leaf extract, which is spray dried and ready to be processed into sweeteners.
The extract is usually sold as a highly concentrated liquid or in single-serve packets, both of which are only needed in very small amounts to sweeten food or drinks.
Stevia-based sugar equivalents are also available. These products contain fillers like maltodextrin but have the same volume and sweetening power as sugar, with none of the calories or carbs. They can be used as a 1:1 replacement in baking and cooking.
Keep in mind that many stevia products contain additional ingredients, such as fillers, sugar alcohol, other sweeteners, and natural flavors.
If you want to avoid these ingredients, you should seek out products that list only 100% stevia extract on the label.
Stevia nutrition facts
Stevia leaves can be processed into liquid or powdered stevia extract, which is much sweeter than sugar. The extract is virtually calorie- and carb-free and contains only trace amounts of minerals.
Benefits and potential downsides
Stevia leaves have been used for medicinal purposes for many centuries, and the extract has been linked to decreased blood sugar and blood fat levels in animal studies. The sweetener may also aid weight loss.
Nonetheless, the extract also has potential downsides.
Benefits of stevia
Because it’s calorie-free, it may help you to lose weight when used as a replacement for regular sugar, which provides about 45 calories per tablespoon (12 grams). Stevia may also help you stay full on fewer calories.
They also reported similar fullness levels, meaning the stevia group had an overall lower calorie intake while feeling the same satisfaction.
Additionally, in a mouse study, exposure to the steviol glycoside rebaudioside A caused an increase in several appetite-suppressing hormones.
The sweetener may also help you manage your blood sugar.
What’s more, some animal research has linked stevia consumption to decreased triglycerides and increased HDL (good) cholesterol levels, both of which are associated with reduced heart disease risk.
Possible downsides
It is still a highly refined product. Stevia blends often contain added fillers like maltodextrin, which has been linked to dysregulation of healthy gut bacteria.
Stevia itself may also harm your gut bacteria.
Moreover, because it’s so much sweeter than sugar, stevia is considered an intense sweetener. Some researchers believe that intense sweeteners may increase cravings for sweet food.
Additionally, many observational studies have found no link between the consumption of zero-calorie sweeteners and improvements in body weight, calorie intake, or risk of type 2 diabetes.
Keep in mind that as stevia sweeteners have only recently become widely available, research on their long-term health effects is limited.
Is it healthier than sugar?
Stevia has a lower GI than table sugar, and using it may be a healthy way to reduce your calorie and added sugar intakes. Added sugars should be limited to less than 10% of your daily calories.
Is it a good substitute for sugar?
Stevia sometimes has a bitter aftertaste and doesn’t possess all of the physical properties of sugar during cooking. Nevertheless, it’s an acceptable sugar substitute and tastes best when used in combination with sugar.
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