Well it’s about time – I think. It looks like stevia, an intensely sweet herb with no calories, and thus in my mind perfect sugar-substitute, may finally begin appearing in a broader range of foods.
The FDA issued a GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) ‘no objection’ letter for use of SG95, a stevia blend that contains rebaudioside D and rebaudioside F in food and beverages, according to an article on FoodBev.com.
This is a pretty major deal because for years the FDA has questioned the safety record of stevia as a food ingredient and thus, continued to only allow its sale as a dietary supplement. So while stevia has been around for you and me to add to teas, smoothies or baking, it has not been available in foods as other artifical sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose (Splenda) have.
To me, this is a good thing. I’m not a huge fan of Splenda and I avoid Nutrasweet like the plague. I’m looking forward to a new batch of foods, bars and shakes that I can look to when in a rush that are low in sugar.
In the meantime, stevia is available in packets, liquids, and bulk from a variety of manufacturers.
–Michael Ventresca
This is great to hear. I have come to depend on stevia as a coffee sweetener — eight drops will sweeten a very large, very strong cup as much as a heaping teaspoon of raw sugar.
Michael, do you know if anyone has done studies as to the glucose impact with stevia?
Joe – from what I’ve read, Stevia has no real caloric value, thus no carbohydrates, thus no real effect on blood sugar. I will have to do some poking around for some studies. Much of what I’ve seen is looking to determine other potential effects of stevia, for example studies are on-going looking into the blood sugar lowering effects of stevia. So, it may be that stevia can do more than just take the place of sugar without raising blood sugar, it may actually help to “treat” health concerns. Anecdotally (is that a word?) I can say that I’ve known many diabetics that have successfully used stevia without negatively affecting blood sugar.