Stevia is a subtropical shrub whose leaves contain a long sought-after no-calorie sweetener, its extract is said to be 200 to 300 times sweeter than regular table sugar. As such, very little of the extract needs using and the amount of calories associated are considered negligible. Unlike its current cohorts on the market, stevia sweetener is derived from a plant and not created in a lab. Controversy over its safety has lasted for years, but in 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the herb to be used as a sweetener Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) for foods and beverages. This broadened the use of the herb from merely a "dietary supplement" to widespread commercial application.

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Lose Weight with Stevia

If you want to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you take in. That statement makes sense. But how can someone easily cut out calories? Stevia could be one terrific option!

Stevia contains no calories and will not spike blood sugars. Maintaining healthy stable blood sugar levels alone will set many people down a path to a healthy weight.

Stevia is not just beneficial for weight loss. There are many other health benefits from using stevia leaf extract.

Safer for Teeth

If someone started using this sugarless sweetener to replace refined sugars in their diet, they may see a decrease of tooth decay. In 1999, an average person consumed 158 pounds of sugar a year. That means that people are consuming over 3 pounds of sugar every week!

Don't think that you consume that much sugar? Start tracking what you eat. Check out the food labels for added sugar, fructose, or high fructose corn syrup. Here is a list of just a few out of many foods that can be packed with unexpected added sugars: ketchup, baked beans, cream substitutes, salad dressings, deli meats, processed juices, etc.

One can only imagine how many teeth can be saved by replacing all of that sugar with healthier options, such as stevia. That is one of the great benefits of stevia.

Lower High Blood Pressure

Webmd.com s ests that there is research that stevia could lower high blood pressure by using between 750-1500 mg of stevioside each day.

Amanda Gardner, at CNN.com, states that researchers have linked the high consumption of fructose, another hidden sugar, with a raised risk of high blood pressure by 30%. In fact you only need to drink 2.5 cans or more of regular soda each day to increase your risk.

If more people choose to lower their risk by eliminating soda and using stevia throughout the day to sweeten water, they may have a better chance to lower their blood pressure in the future.

Lower Blood Sugars

Webmd.com also highlights other research revealing that 1000 mg of stevioside could reduce blood sugars by 18%.

Some Ways I Use Stevia

There are many foods used on a daily basis that can be sweetened with the benefits of stevia instead of the other harmful and refined sweeteners. For instance, homemade spaghetti sauce can be easily sweetened with stevia. Or squeeze lemon juice into water and add a dash of stevia for some refreshing calorie free lemonade.

And of course... I can't forget smoothies! Smoothies are another terrific idea.

I usually use between 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of powdered stevia in a large 3-4 cup smoothie. I like my dessert smoothies on the sweet side... I use about 1/2 teaspoon in a 2 cup dessert smoothie. I usually add dates to those smoothies as well.

If I am using the liquid form of stevia, I use about a dropper full for a large smoothie. If you want an all-purpose liquid stevia... I would recommend that you try using the unflavored liquid stevia. Then you can use it with dessert smoothies, fruit smoothies, green smoothies, and whatever else you want to sweeten and receive the benefits of stevia.

Summary

Even though stevia has shown all of these great qualities, there is still need for more research in order to validate the above benefits of stevia. In the meantime, people can enjoy the natural sweetness without the guilt of the calories.