Cutting down on the consumption of sugar is the first thing that comes to our mind when you think of boosting your overall health and reducing weight. Undoubtedly, reducing sugar intake is an excellent move to improve your health.
There are numerous methods we can try to substitute the consumption of sugar with, such as artificial and natural sweeteners available in the market but remember, not all of them are good.
A good alternative to sugar is stevia which everyone is not familiar with. You may have come across this name taking a stroll through the “healthy food section” of your grocery store.
10 years ago, stevia was comparatively hard to hit upon. However, today it is so famous and widespread that even the restaurants are using it.
Stevia 101
Stevia is basically a green leafy plant which is naturally sweet and is used as a natural sweetener with proven health benefits. Stevia mostly grows in South America. The plant is a zero-calorie and 100 percent organic sweetener and has two major compounds called Stevioside and Rebaudioside that make it sweet.
Stevia works as a natural, healthy alternative to sugar. There are several benefits that stevia has attached to its name and a few of those are given below.
1. Controls Blood Pressure
Increased blood pressure can pose you to major health risks and is the cause behind several fatal diseases. Heart diseases, strokes, and kidney failure are just some of the many health problems associated with high blood pressure. Research shows that with the use of stevioside (the sweetener), 174 Chinese patients were able to control their diastolic and systolic blood pressure. Those who were apart of this experiment also happened to have a reduced risk of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in which the heart enlarges due to elevated blood pressure.
2. Regulates Blood Sugar Levels (Diabetes)
Type II diabetes is a widespread disease today. It is mostly because of the increased use of sugar in everything we consume and the frequent desire to consume desserts/sweets. The level of sugar in your blood increases because of insulin resistance. Stevioside improves the functioning of the hormone insulin and results in lower blood sugar levels to prevent diabetes.
3. Decreases the Risk of Pancreatic Cancer
Science proves that the stevia plant has sterols and antioxidant particles such as kaempferol, quercetin, chlorogenic acid, isoquercitin and isosteviol which are all essential to decrease the risk of pancreatic cancer.
4. Improves Oral and Skin Health
Stevia has proven benefits for oral and skin health too. It prevents cavities and gingivitis and ultimately lowers down bacterial formation within the mouth. This is why numerous brands of toothpaste around the globe add stevia to their formulae.
5. Prevents Obesity and Helps Special Group of People
Since stevia is plant-based i.e. natural and zero-calorie, it is highly advised for a balanced diet to replace sugar or reduce the intake of it without having to forego sweet foods. Sugar or calories are the major cause of obesity and being overweight in addition to some other ones such as prolonged periods of sitting and physical inactivity.
As per Click Pharmacy, stevia leaf extract is recommended for safe use by several agencies around the world. Women who are either lactating or are pregnant and people/children with allergies or diabetes need stevia more than others do.
6. Fights Allergies
The European Food Safety Committee (EFSA) says that steviol glycosides don’t react and don’t even metabolize to other reactive substances. Thus, it is improbable for the steviol glycosides to cause allergic reactions themselves under evaluation when they are used in foods.
7. Prevents Cancer
Several compounds with antioxidantal properties including quercetin, kaempfrol, and other glycoside amalgams are present in stevia that aid in elimination of free radicals in your body and consequently prevent the production of cancer cells. These compounds also help prevent signs of premature aging and cognitive malfunction.
Spiritual Benefits of Stevia
While it may seem that the spiritual benefits of stevia have been lost to time because you don’t find much about it on the internet, but there are magical folks on it.
We wish we could travel to Paraguay to excavate more secrets that the locals know about stevia for spiritual uses ourselves.
Anyhow, legend has it that the olden people successfully used stevia in magical spells to improve health and well-being, and for lifting spirits.
Take dried stevia lives and dried thyme and try mixing them. Enthrall them by charging healing energies into them (look for you can charge herbs). Next, sew a green or blue colored small pillow and load the herbs in it. Sew up the open end too. People also tend to draw healing symbols on it or smear it with eucalyptus oils.
If you want to experience the magic and spiritual healing qualities of stevia, lie down and put the pillow on your forehead when you have a headache.
Conclusion
So, stevia does not only taste nice, it also has plenty of health benefits and some “spiritual benefits” too. If you are looking to reduce weight and give your health the boost it needs, try replacing sugar with this natural sweetener without giving up on your favorite sweets and desserts.
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