Planetary Formulas Stevia Liquid Concentrate Dark has zero calories, zero carbohydrates and a zero glycemic index, it is perfect for individuals who cannot or would not like to have their blood glucose levels fluctuate at rapid levels. This includes those with diabetes, hypo/hyperglycemia and anyone looking to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Benefits:
- Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle
- Zero Calories
- Zero Carbohydrates
- Maintains Blood Glucose levels
- Delicious and Healthy Sweetener
- Help Regulate Blood Sugar
- Help Reduce your Calorie Intake
- Contributor to any Healthy Weight Loss Plan
Stevia is the world’s only all natural sweetener with zero calories, zero carbohydrates and a zero glycemic index. Harvested from a plant in the daisy family, stevia provides a truly delicious and healthy alternative to sugar or chemical sweeteners. The sweet part of the stevia herb is extracted and converted into an intensely sweet powder. This sweet powder is then blended with other all-natural ingredients to create the delicious and healthy sweetener.
Since stevia has zero calories, zero carbohydrates and a zero glycemic index, it is perfect for individuals who cannot or would not like to have their blood glucose levels fluctuate at rapid levels. This includes those with diabetes, hypo/hyperglycemia and anyone looking to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The glycemic index, or GI, measures how fast a food will raise your blood glucose level. Choosing foods that produce zero fluctuations in blood glucose is an important component for long-term health and reducing your risk of heart disease and diabetes. By helping you reduce your calorie intake and glycemic index, stevia can be a significant contributor to any healthy weight loss plan.
Nutrition science supports this naturally sweet treat as a component of a healthy diet. The safety of stevia is well documented in over 200 published scientific studies. The herbal sweetener has been used for centuries by in South America and is gradually finding its way into the homes of millions around the world. Stevia leaves contain numerous all-natural nutrients that help regulate blood sugar, including chromium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, selenium, zinc, and vitamin B3(Niacin).
Stevia is a genus of about 150 species of herbs and shrubs in the sunflower family (Asteraceae), native to subtropical and tropical South America and Central America. The species Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, commonly known as sweetleaf, sweet leaf, sugarleaf, or simply stevia, is widely grown for its sweet leaves. As a sugar substitute, stevia's taste has a slower onset and longer duration than that of sugar, although some of its extracts may have a bitter or liquorice-like aftertaste at high concentrations.
With its extracts having up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar, stevia has garnered attention with the rise in demand for low-carbohydrate, low-sugar food alternatives. Stevia also has shown promise in medical research for treating such conditions as obesity and high blood pressure. Stevia has a negligible effect on blood glucose, even enhancing glucose tolerance, therefore it is attractive as a natural sweetener to diabetics and others on carbohydrate-controlled diets. However, health and political controversies have limited stevia's availability in many countries; for example, the United States banned it in the early 1990s unless labeled as a supplement. Stevia is widely used as a sweetener in Japan, and it is now available in the US and Canada as a dietary supplement.
Stevia is a white-flowered herb native to Paraguay. Its use by indigenous cultures dates back more than 400 years and it is an integral part of the Paraguayan diet. Its primary constituents, known as steviosides, are found predominantly in the leaves. Stevia Liquid Concentrate is made from the whole leaves and is concentrated in a base of purified water for convenient use.
Native people in Paraguay and other parts of South America have used stevia safely for centuries. More recently Stevia gained popularity as a sweetener for coffees and teas, but it can sweeten just about anything you like. Because it works so well in cooking and baking, you can easily substitute stevia for sugar in just about any recipe. Check out our stevia equivalency chart to see how much stevia you should use instead of sugar. Or visit our stevia recipes page to learn how to cook with stevia.
Stevia is found in consumer products across the world, particularly Japan, China and South America. Drinks, candies and gum sweetened with stevia are produced by most major food companies in Japan. In the United States you can stevia in dietary supplement items, protein drinks, energy bars and a wide range of teas.