The Whole Food Blog

Stevia sweetener is not only healthier, but it is hundreds of times sweeter than sugar.  Stevia is a zero calorie sweetener, and it can actually help people maintain normal blood sugar levels.  Stevia has no known harmful side effects and does not contribute to health problems the way that sugar does, so it only makes sense to consider it as a desirable alternative.

Stevia sweetener harmfully impacts no important bodily functions, while the dangers of sugar are well documented.  For example, it has been discovered that sugar shuts down the immune system. Researchers at Loma Linda University documented the effects of sugar on phagocytes, white blood cells in the immune system that protect the body from harmful invaders.  The studies showed that sugar caused the phagocytic index to drop, creating a negative effect on the number of harmful invaders destroyed by the immune system.  Bacteria not consumed by phagocytes means the immune system is compromised and the chance for disease increases.  So, instead of risking a shutdown in the immune system, stevia sweetener makes a smart choice as a healthy alternative.

Sugar disrupts the delicate balance of minerals in a healthy body while stevia sweetener does not have this kind of an impact.  Calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, iron and zinc are vital minerals for the body. A shortage of just one of these minerals means the entire system can be disrupted.  Two teaspoons of sugar can cause micronutrients in the body to change, creating a radical shift in blood chemistry.  Some mineral levels increase, some decrease, and fragile ratios are disturbed. Even a little sugar can undo the effects of consuming calcium supplements.  Stevia sweetener, on the other hand, will not have that sort of a negative impact on minerals in the body.

Sugar speeds up the aging process, but stevia sweetener contributes to a healthy, active lifestyle.  Often, when sugar is consumed, the pancreas becomes over stimulated and secretes too much insulin.  Excess insulin can cause a drop in normal blood sugar levels.  Stevia sweetener is a zero calorie natural sweetener that has no effect on normal blood sugar.  Low blood sugar causes hypoglycemia.  Symptoms of hypoglycemia include fatigue, memory failure, rapid heartbeat, anxiety, tremors, headaches and depression.  These may sound like diseases of the elderly, but more and more young people are noticing health problems of this nature because they are ingesting too much sugar.  Understanding that stevia sweetener is hundreds of times sweeter than sugar without the harmful side effects can have a dramatic impact on health, especially when this discovery is made at an early age.

Of course, it’s hard to avoid sugar in foods today, but stevia sweetener is gaining acceptance as a healthy alternative.  To learn more about the dangers of sugar, read “Lick The Sugar Habit” by Nancy Appleton, PhD.