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Can I use stevia instead of aspartame?
How can I use stevia if I am
diabetic?
Can stevia be mixed with other
sweeteners?
Will it cause tooth decay?
Does it contain vitamins or
minerals?
Why do labels not tell us what
the replacement factor of stevia compared to sugar?
Why is stevia under fire from
the government?
When should I harvest my stevia
plant?
How do I replace sugar in my
recipes with stevia?
What is the difference between
green and white stevia powder?
What are steviosides?
What substances is stevia best
blended with?
Does it taste like sugar?
Why does the stevia I bought
at my local health food store say "Stevia P.E. 90%"?
Why do some stevia's taste
burnt or like black licorice?
My Stevia has hardened into chunks. Should
this of happened?
Some stevia labels say "96%
steviosides (including 70% rebaudiosides)" Can you explain this?
Why do you blend stevia extract
with other ingredients in your Spoonable Stevia Product?
Send your questions to
Info@SteviaCanada.com
Yes! Aspartame has been under questionable safety for a long time, Stevia
has been safely used for 1500 years with no known contraindications or
negative side effects. For your own health, switch to stevia.
Stevia is pancreas nourishing and is not a sugar. It is sweeter than sugar
but does not contain sugar properties. Diabetes is a serious condition
that requires professional monitoring, but stevia does not raise blood
glucose levels and is healthy. If your practioner advises you not to use
stevia, ask to see their current reports to support that advice.
Yes. Refined and artificial sweeteners should be avoided for your own
health, but stevia mixes well with other ingredients.
No! Stevia has antibacterial properties, is fluoride compatible and inhibits
the growth of plaque significantly. It prevents cavities!
Raw organic stevia contains over one hundred phytonutrients. Used
by some for it's trace mineral properties.
Stevia cannot be sold as a sweetener yet in Canada. Although used
as a sweetener in Japan since 1970's, and in other countries around the
world, the Canadian government has not yet given permission to market
stevia as a sweetener. See our
conversion chart for replacement factors.
That is happening for a couple of reasons: the government is behind on it's
regulations of natural products, larger companies are trying to keep stevia
off store shelves in favour of their own questionable products, and because
it is a natural product that is threatening the very existence of processed
sweeteners. Ever try to grow an aspartame tree?
Harvesting should be done just before the first frost or just as the plant
begins to bloom. This will ensure a high content of stevioside. Cut the
entire plant at the stem and hang in a dry, warm, airy place, remove leaves
when they are crisp and dry. If you do not want to harvest the entire plant,
leave at least 4" of stem on the mother plant. See our
Growing
and Harvesting page.
If you do not have tried and true stevia recipes, it is best to experiment
to your personal tastes. If you wish to lower the calories in a recipe,
try removing most of the sugar and replacing it with stevia. If baking for
a diabetic then remove all the sugar and use stevia remembering to increase
the moisture of the recipe ie: milk or water. Stevia does not brown like
sugar does, so use a toothpick to test for doneness.
See our
conversion
chart or our
tips
and tricks.
Green powder is made up of the whole stevia leaf. The white powder is the
sweetening portion of the stevia leaf removed through a water process and
crystallized. This is called stevia extract or concentrate, it can be up
to 400 times sweeter than sugar.
The green powder contains more nutrients and phytonutrients and also has
a stronger licorice flavouring.
Within the stevia leaves are four major sweetening agents called steviol
glycosides. The names of these four glycosides are steviosides, rebaudioside
A, rebaudioside C and dulcoside A.
Stevia blends very well with citrus flavours and chocolate flavours, especially
carob. Stevia can overpower some weaker flavours and should be used modestly.
It tastes terrific when the whole leaf is crumbled on a salad!
No, stevia does not taste exactly like sugar. Stevia has a slightly different
taste that people adjust to easily. The whole leaf has a bitter or licorice
aftertaste, but some people prefer this taste. Stevia is extremely sweet
and must be used modestly. A very small amount can last a long time in your
kitchen! The biggest problem people face when switching to stevia is that
they use too much of it and find it intensely sweet which ruins the overall
flavour, use sparingly at all times.
Why does the stevia I
bought at my local health food store say "Stevia P.E. 90%"?
This is describing the extract purity, it is not explaining the amount of
rebaudiosides found within the powder. Rebaudioside A the sweetest and
purest glycoside in a stevia leaf.
Why do some stevia's
taste burnt or like black licorice?
This is usually due to a low quality stevia extract being used. This tends
to be a common complaint when a powder with high steviosides content has
been used.
My stevia has hardened
into hard chunks. Should this of happened?
This is unusual for pure stevia powder unless some other substance was
mixed in. Double check that your stevia was pure with no additives. Some
stevia’s that are mixed with other ingredients may have this problem if
not sealed securely, but this should not happen to pure stevia powder.
Some stevia labels say
"96% steviosides (including 70% rebaudiosides)" Can you explain this?
No - steviosides and rebaudioside A are two different glycosides found
within the stevia leaf, along with other glycosides and components. They
are not one in the same. A product with 96% steviosides just simply cannot
possibly also contain 70% Reb A content. It is mathematically impossible.
Why do you blend stevia
extract with other ingredients in your Spoonable Stevia product?
It is a fact that
stevia extract (white) powder is too concentrated to sprinkle on your
cereal. To make it more convenient we have added a filler, to our
Spoonable Stevia. Not all fillers are the same. There are many different
types of products that can be used to ‘‘dilute’’ the intensity of stevia
extract powder to make it more convenient to use. We have carefully chosen
two products to use as ‘‘fillers’’.
They are both healthy, diabetic safe and chosen based on their positive
attributes, solubility and convenience of use. Spoonable Stevia was
created for convenience - your convenience.
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