Stevia, Weight Loss and Cancer

Let’s start with the basics.

What is stevia?

It is a plant that is also called ‘meethi tulsi’ in India. 

The leaves of this stevia plant are many more times, at least as many as 200 times sweeter than sugar. But they also carry a bitter aftertaste. Stevia-based sweeteners are made from stevia leaf extracts, diluted of their sweetness and removed of their bitterness to match the taste of sugar.

Benefits of stevia-based sweeteners

Now there are quite a few benefits of stevia-based sweeteners that studies have shown. Some of them are:

• Made from plants
• Diabetic friendly 
• 0 calories

Stevia Weight Loss Confusion

This 0-calorie point is the one where many get confused. See, a stevia-based sweetener won’t make you lose weight. It’ll just help you in reducing the number of calories you consume in the same amount of food you eat. 

For example, were you to drink chai made with sugar instead of stevia-based sweetener, you would be intaking more calories. On the other hand, stevia-based sweetener chai would have less calories. 

On average, a regular desi cup of chai has around 200 calories of which 20 to 50 or even more can be just from sugar. But assuming you use a stevia-based sweetener instead of sugar in your chai, you are consuming around 150 instead of around 200 calories of sugar. 

See, same amount of food but fewer calories. This is where stevia-based sweeteners can help in weight loss. They themselves won’t make you lose weight but can reduce the amount of calories you consume in other ways. For any sweets, cakes, drinks or other food items you make, using stevia-based sweeteners instead of sugar can help you in maintaining your calorie intake.

Now next question.

Is stevia safe? Does stevia cause cancer?

The answer is no. Multiple studies have shown that stevia-based sweeteners are safe and don’t cause cancer. The issue arises when it is consumed in excess. Like anything consumed or done in excess, there will be harms that will be associated with it. The thing with stevia-based sweeteners is that they fool your body’s sweetness-detecting sensors. This can make people overconsume stevia-based sweeteners which dulls these detectors over time. And while you can use stevia-based sweeteners instead of sugar in chais or cakes, chais or cakes themselves aren’t healthy or low in calories which might hinder you from losing weight.

Conclusion

Stevia-based sweeteners are safe to consume and can be a part of your weight loss journey, making it a tad bit sweeter and easier but they don’t make you lose weight. They are a support you can depend upon instead of the harm-causing sugar and continue to build momentum in your desire to stay fit.

Sweetifying health : )

FAQs

1. Is Stevia FDA Approved?
   Yes, stevia is FDA approved.
2. Are There Any Health Concerns Associated with Stevia?
   Stevia is safe to consume and is not known to cause any harms to the body at the moment.
   
3. Does stevia really have no calories?
   Stevia has calories but our body does not absorb it, thus it passes out in the stool, making it a 0-calorie sweetener.
   
4. I'm diabetic. Is stevia a good sugar substitute for me?
   Yes, absolutely. Stevia is particularly good for diabetics as it does not spike insulin or raise blood sugar levels.
5. Can stevia consumption really dull my taste buds and make me crave more sweets?
   If you consume loads & loads of stevia without a care in the world, then maybe. But if you just replace your sugar consumption with stevia all the while reducing ultra-processed foods topped with added sugars, then no.