Stevia Powder: The Natural Low Calorie Sweetener

Have you seen stevia powder in your grocery store? You'll generally find it next to the artificial sweeteners that often come in either blue or pink boxes. Stevia powder, sold under a variety of brand names, will generally be in a green box. Why the green box? Stevia powder is a totally natural sweetener, just as sugar is. The difference, of course, being that stevia powder does not have the high calories that you get in sugar. The other reason for the green comes from the fact that stevia powder in its natural form, before being refined, has a green color. Stevia powder is made from the leaves of the plant. The powder turns white after it is refined.

The many varieties of stevia plants grow mostly in South America. Although the use of stevia as a sweetener is fairly new to some markets, it has been used for hundreds of years in its unrefined form and the refined form has been widely used in Japan for severally decades, as well as in limited amounts in other areas by those wanting a natural form of low calorie sweetener.

Stevia powder, like other forms of low calorie sweetener, is many times sweeter than sugar. Therefore the amount of stevia powder needed is minimal to achieve the same sweetness created by a much larger amount of sugar. Refined stevia products are generally several hundred times sweeter than sugar.

Stevia powder is continuing to gain in popularity as a sugar substitute. Once relegated to natural food stores, it is now strongly competing in grocery stores as a healthier option for those desiring a low calorie sweetener. Just as honey and sugar have different tastes and sweetening characteristics, the same is true when comparing stevia powder to sugar. Stevia's taste will not be quite the same as sugar but has its own unique flavor. It is a flavor that is becoming well loved across the world.