Planning to substitute sugar with stevia? Learn stevia side effects and benefits before you do it. Sugar intake is one of the most apparent reasons behind weight gain and can lead to several diseases. It is why people are replacing it with other substitutes, such as sugar-free pills and several others. Stevia is also one such sugar substitute that can help you in adding this plant-based sweetener to your diet and lead a healthy life. So, is it all good? Read this post until the end to know about the benefits and drawbacks of this sugar substitute in detail. Learn more.
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What Is Stevia? An Overview
Before proceeding any further, let’s understand more about stevia. It is a plant mainly found in Paraguay and Brazil. It is being used since the 16th century in making tea and other purposes, which is credited to its extremely sweet taste. You can cut down sugar from your food and beverages without needing to give up on their taste. It can range from low-calorie to no-calorie sugar. People speak about the stevia side effects; however, the leaf extractions in the purest form are devoid of any health risks. People also use the whole leaf to sweeten their food from medieval times, yet the safety of this practice is less agreeable.
Benefits Of Stevia
Now that you know about the sweet plant stevia, below are some of the main advantages that it can add to your life along with a sweet taste:
1: Controls Diabetes
Stevia does not add any calories, which makes it suitable for people dealing with diabetes. The sweeteners found in this plant do not leave any effect on the blood sugar or insulin level. Diabetes has emerged as one of the most common health issues of today’s world. It is spreading in the rich and poor countries with the same levels and promoting a number of other health issues. It is why people are looking for similar solutions that can keep the calories and bay and enable you to enjoy every taste of life. Stevia is an effective way to fight against diabetic conditions.
2: Promotes Weight Loss
Since this plant-based sweetener is devoid of calories, it does not contribute to weight gain. Including stevia in your day-to-day intake can look after the sugar intake and keeps your weight in moderation. On the other hand, regular sugar supplies plenty of calories to the body. Due to a sedentary lifestyle, the energy packets from the sugar start getting deposited in the form of fat and result in excessive weight gain. Besides, sluggish metabolism is also one of the reasons that do not convert sugar into energy. However, when you take stevia, you don’t need to get into all this science.
3: Antioxidant Properties
Stevia is also known for its antioxidant properties. Antioxidants prevent the free radicals from damaging the body and make the damaged cells heal faster. Pollutants and harmful substances evoke a chain reaction in the skin cells and start damaging them. However, stevia can cut down the detrimental oxidative effects of the free radicals and prevent the body from its severe effects, which may include cancer as well. Its best effects can be seen in alleviating the apparent symptoms of pancreatic cancer.
4: Lowers High Blood Pressure
Stevia is also known for lowering high blood pressure. It contains certain glycosides known to dilate the blood vessels. Furthermore, they can also promote sodium excretion from the urine. The blood pressure control property is credited to its cardiotonic attributes. Therefore, it keeps the blood pressure normal and manages a healthy heartbeat. However, there are a few studies that deny this characteristic of stevia. More research work is on progress to release a more agreeable conclusion. The sugar substitute is less harmful than the regular sugar, for sure.
5: Keeps Heart Healthy
Cardiovascular diseases are very common these days, and the number of heart patients is increasing at a faster pace. Poor food habits, a sedentary lifestyle, and other detrimental routines lead to a rapid increase in heart diseases. To deal with it, you need to take the right precautionary methods. Cutting sugar from your life can probably be the best way to get rid of it. Adding stevia does not add calory with its intake and prevents you from being obese. Obesity is the main reason behind heart disease, so it works directly to the root and keeps your heart in its optimal health.
6: Safe For Children
Even children are not untouched by obesity and other health-related issues. If you want to give them the sugar-ridden food, then stevia has got you covered. There are no stevia side effects for the children and safe for their daily doses. Other sweeteners can add sugar and excessive calories to their diet. However, stevia can be a safe sugar alternative. Besides, a large number of the products available in the market use it as a sweetener. If your kids have the symptoms of obesity, it can facilitate an easy transition to the low sugar diet without making much having much hassle.
Stevia Side Effects
When it comes to the stevia side effects, you can get different theories on the Internet. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the steviol glycosides in their purest form to be safe for use. Contrarily, the safety of the leaf intake is still questionable.
Stevia was believed to show hazardous impacts on the kidney, but the recent studies tell just the opposite story. It says that stevia has favorable results on kidney health. It is safe for pregnant women in moderate amounts. Yet, people who are allergic to sugar alcohol can experience stevia side effects, as it contains sugar alcohol. The research carried out to examine the allergies showed that it is free from any allergic reactions.
Final Words!
Stevia has its multifaceted benefits to offer. However, stevia side-effects must be considered for the people who can be allergic to it. If not, you can get the satisfaction of all the tastes without facing the catastrophe evoked by sugar. If you liked this post, find more on health categories by visiting our blog section.
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