Friday, May 22, 2009

My Evaluation of "Stevia Plus"

I was asked my opinion of "SweetLeaf Stevia Plus" by my office nurse. I admit to being out of the loop. I had never heard of this before. The label states "zero calories, all natural" with ingredients "inulin fiber and Stevia". The chemical name for the latter is stevioside. I can not find any additional information that is not essentially listed on Stevia's website. This page lists a grid that compares Stevia favorably to sugar, Splenda, Equal, and Sweet'n Low with regard to five variables (calories; net carbohydrates; dietary fiber; glycemic index; natural/artificial). Stevia's taste was not bad. It did what it was supposed to do, which is sweeten. Personally I like the kick from honey, but there's the calories and glycemic index problems. From an allergist's perspective, none have been reported in trials to cause allergic reactions, although I can say that all, save Stevia due to it's newness, have been reported to me to be a suspected trigger of symptoms. There is no available test for allergy for any of these sweeteners. In summary, time will tell. Stevia does look promising.

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