Q: What's your take on stevia?
Stevia must be a hot topic right now, as this question was sent to me twice by email and posted to Nourished Kitchen's Facebook Wall twice this week, too. So here's the background behind stevia, its traditional use, its modern use and how I approach stevia in my kitchen.
So, here's the skinny on stevia:
Stevia is a South American herb that acts as a natural, noncaloric sweetener owing to steviol glycosides which make stevia sweet. Stevia-sweetened foods have a thin sweetness with a slow onset that can leave a strikingly bitter aftertaste (not dissimilar to artificial sweeteners like aspartame). Stevia is popular in the natural and organic foods community because it is noncaloric, therefore considered "healthy" as it sweetens without contributing sugars to the diet, and because it is a natural alternative to non-caloric artificial sweeteners. It has been used in Japan as a sweetener for decades.
Stevia's Contraceptive Effects
Stevia's traditional and folkloric use among the indigenous populations of South America is not as a sweetener, but as a contraceptive (sources here, here and here.). So stevia's reimagining as a noncaloric sweetener for natural foods enthusiasts is relatively recent. And there's some evidence that stevia, does, indeed, have at least a some effect on fertility, especially when taken (you guessed it) in huge amounts, frequently. Is that a recommendation to avoid it? Nope, it's just something you should know.
Studies examining the role of stevia on fertility, looked at rats and found that large daily doses of stevia given to female rats resulted in severe and long-lasting reduction in fertility (read it here and here) and it had similar effects on male rats (read it here). Then again, other studies found that male rats weren't affected (read it here) and neither were hamsters (read it here). Of course, proponents of stevia are quick do downplay any hint of stevia's contraceptive effects (choice confirmation bias, anyone?)
Still want my take on stevia?
I don't use it. I don't care for it, and I generally avoid it. My choice, of course, has nothing to do with its potential (if debatable) affects on fertility and, rather, focuses wholly on its culinary use. Quite frankly, I'd rather have a little of the real thing than a little (or a lot) of a facsimile like stevia. I dislike the culinary properties of stevia. Where honey and cane sugar and maple syrup and other caloric sweeteners can give body to custards, or lemonades, stevia is thin and wan. Where caloric sweeteners provide a fullness of flavor to desserts, stevia leaves a bitter and unpleasant aftertaste even when used in small quantities.
I also think it's important to remember how stevia was traditionally used, as opposed to how it's used now. That is, it was traditionally used as a contraceptive (where it has a strong effect remains the subject of debate), and it was used in its whole form as tea; not as processed powders sweetening cakes, custards, ice creams, sodas and so on. Just because it contains a noncaloric sweetener doesn't excuse overindulging in junk.
How do I use stevia now? Occasionally I find myself served an herbal tea that has stevia leaves added to it. Meh. I finish the cup and don't ask for more.
So what if you still want to use stevia?
Well, first, you won't find any stevia recipes on Nourished Kitchen, though you will find an assortment of naturally sweetened recipes to serve for holidays, festive occasions and when you want something a little sweet.
If you have some sort of verifiable medical condition that necessitates the use of noncaloric sweeteners only, then stevia use occasionally isn't going to kill you (though it still won't taste as good as honey, maple syrup, jaggery or cane sugar). If that's the case, stick to the powdered green herb (available here), and avoid the highly processed stevias sold in grocery stores. And if you want to make your own stevia extract, here's a good recipe.
Got a question for Nourished Kitchen?
We have SO many new readers in any given week, so if you have a question for me, I'll be posting the answers here at least once a week. Email your question to [email protected]
Joan Oakland says
Good response. A little organic sugar, local honey or maple syrup is preferred. Everything in moderation!
Amanda says
Thanks for taking a leveled approach and look at Stevia. I've read some other blogger's articles on it and they can be sensational and overly dramatic. Sigh. They instantly lose me as a reader.
Question/Clarification though - you said that it was originally used as a contraceptive in South America, but you didn't mention how it has been used in Japan. Everyone always talks about how frequently it's used and consumed in modern Japan, but leaves the conversation there. Have there been any studies done correlating Japanese consumption and fertility problems? Would love more elaboration.
Jenny says
There's no research, to my knowledge, that has looked into fertility, stevia and the Japanese population.
Tina says
Sugar, whether from "natural sweetners" like maple sugar or honey is processed in the body the same as table sugar. Fact. Sugar, which is a major contributor to PCOS causes more infertility than stevia every could. When society is obese, diabetic, infertile from PCOS, and suffering, it seems unwise to recommend "natural sweetners" that illicit an insulin reaction (and hence fat storage and disease) over stevia. People can kid thmselves mentally over maple sugar and honey and convince themselves it is healthy, but you're not fooling your body and hurting yourself greatly.
Asok Asus says
Stevia gave both myself and my wife excruciating headaches immediately after consumption; we tried several forms: highly refined, natural, etc. They all caused the same horrible effect.
margaux Milchen says
I have used organic stevia for years. I pay extra for good organic drops and powder and get no weird aftertaste. It works very well with my organic diet and will continue to use it. I am very overweight..and have recently lost 22.5 lbs. I found this site looking for lower carb fall recipies.
Leslie says
Loved reading all the comments! I found this site because I was wondering if my current migraine might be caused by something I ate yesterday (I woke up with a migraine). My wonderful neighbor, whose husband is diabetic, bakes with a Stevia product all the time. I had given her a pineapple the other day and she made some delicious pineapple bread with it. I had 2 slices last night, developed a bit of a stomachache that evening, but woke with a splitting headache! Since I haven't had a migraine in many months, I wondered if the Stevia she baked with could have caused it. My internet searches led me here.
I can't say for certain that is what caused it, but it sure is suspicious.
On another note, I read with interest all the different comments regarding taste, and specifically a bitter taste. Didn't you all take biology or chemistry in high school? Do you realize that everyone "tastes" things differently? To demonstrate this fact, our teacher had us do blind taste tests, placing various flavors on different locations on our tongues. Where one person would taste sweet, another would taste bitter (me, for example). Some people's taste buds interpret salty as sweet, as well, and so on. So clearly, how the mouth perceives it is definitely a very personal thing. So as far as taste is concerned- you are ALL right! It is sweet to some, and bitter to others.
Martha says
The guy who originally published the 1968 study about the contraceptive properties of stevia now says the study has no meaning for normal human use of stevia. The rats in the study were given huge overdoses of stevia, equal to a 120 lb human taking in 7 lbs of stevia daily. The researcher who published the 1988 study of stevia has backed off his own findings, saying they are not really credible.
So unless you can point to studies done since those with actual results involving a normal amount of the herb, I am not sure you should be claiming a contraceptive property. If you overdose on just about anything, including water, it can harm you.
As for the sweetener itself, you don't like the taste. Okay. But for people who absolutely have to stay off of sugar for other health reasons (diabetes, candida, cancer), it is a real alternative. If you don't use too much you don't get a bad aftertaste. It did take me a bit to get used to the taste, but I am very happy to be off of the other sugars and stevia is part of how I got there.
ME says
What do you think of the coconut sweeteners. I really like it.Sugar causes diabetes so it is not an option ever,not even small amounts.
Lisa says
I switched to Stevia within the past year. I don't care for the taste at all but have kept using it because I thought it was a healthier alternative to Splenda. My migraines have gotten worse over the past year and I am now going to remove Stevia from my diet to see if it helps with my daily headaches. I will just go back to old fashioned sugar. I would rather be plump and in free then skinny and miserable.