Why hasn't Stevia gotten much publicity as being a natural artificial sweetener?

Question

even raw foodists prefer it.

Answer 1

That is an oxymoron if I ever saw one!  80)

I've never actually had Stevia, and don't even know where to find it.

I know that's not an answer... sorry.

Answer 2

I've been using it for years too, and it has many benefits over most other sweeteners, both artificial and natural. BTW I think what you meant to say is "natural sugar-free sweetener." It is commonplace to assume any sweetener that is not sugar-based must by default be artificial, and because Stevia bucks this law it is suppressed by corporate public relations consultants under the direction of stakeholders who want to increase profits of products with a higher profit margin. Natural sweeteners are made with products that exist in the natural environment, which means by law Stevia cannot be patented (owned), thereby limiting profitability. Artificial sweeteners can be created in relatively infinite quantity to respond very quickly to changes in demand from consumers. One example of this resonsiveness is the rapid incline in the production and consumption of aspartame over the last 25 years, and the clear rise in stock value of the corporation conglomerate Monsanto who bought the medical research company who invented it as an anti-ulcer drug, G.D. Searle & Company. Therefore, for many years Monsanto (and it's subsidiaries) remained sole producers of aspartame, gradually establishing and securing clients who would add their product to millions of varying consumable foods and drinks globally.

Now while stevia to this day has not been approved as a food additive, and therefore cannot be added to mainstream foods in production lines, it is approved as a dietary supplement, so therefore can be sold on it's own. Conversely, Aspartame is an approved food additive, coded E951, and can therefore (and is to this day) be added to everything from coca cola to bolognaise sauce to prepackaged fruit salad.

HOWEVER, THERE IS HOPE. Truvia and Rebiana are derivitives of Stevia, and as such the process used to create these derivatives can be patented, and will (if not already) get approval as additives by the FDA to be used (at first) in a range of new low calorie drinks marketed by the coca cola company. If consumer demand for natural calorie-free sweeteners is high enough, it is expected that these derivatives will eventually replace artificial sweeteners in many popular foods around the world.

What concerns me most is not the widespread use of sweeteners that are artificial over those that are natural, but rather the use of sweeteners that are calorie free or low calorie over those that are loaded with energy. Recent scientific evidence shows that low calorie sweeteners are actually fuelling the obesity epidemic worldwide. When the human body consumes something sweet, the tounge sends nerve impulses to the brain telling it something sweet (and therefore by default containing calories) is being consumed, and in response the brain tells an organ near the gut to stop producing an enzyme that is used to burn fat energy, because fresh food energy is on the way. When the gut processes the food, and calories are not found to be turned into energy, the gut sends hunger signals to the brain screaming for calories. The process described above takes between 20 minutes and an hour, and results in the consumer craving sweet high-calorie foods. If more low calorie foods are consumed, it doesn't take away the craving completely, and about an hour later the craving is stronger than before, sometimes several fold. This process can be compounded all day (as shown in double blind studies), leading to people skipping breakfast and lunch by sucking down litres of sugarfree caffeinated drinks, for their work-related urgency addiction, then eating for 3 at dinner time, then sitting in front of the TV till bed time, meaning that only a small fraction of the calories actually consumed is exerted, the rest being stored as fat, and with the enzyme being suppressed all day the fat is not burned during the day and the person feels lethargic and drained.

Despite the dangers of this lifestyle, millions of people do it to spend as much time as humanly possible doing things that are either easy, profitable, or entertaining, preferably all three, like watching TV while watching the stock price on a laptop connected by WiFi to a broadband internet connection, Which is also used to order 2 large Pizzas delivered, and download a pirated film which is then WiFi'd to your TiVo for something fun to fall asleep to in your Lazboy chair surrounded by empty beer cans.

If you found this humerous and/or meaningful, I can recommend the viewing of 2 films with a similar message:

"Idiocracy" - by the creators of Beavis and Butthead

"WALL-E" - a newly released film worldwide, that will open your mind and touch your heart.

For those who like to check facts, please do, because I can verify everything above. For those looking for a healthier solution, go veg. On average, raw vegetables are very low calorie, and are very filling, but can also taste very sweet. The difference is that eating vegetables doesn't trigger the enzyme that stops the burning of fat cells, so you can literally have your cake and eat it too, if it's made from veges. Pure Stevia (not the derivative version) while it does trigger the enzyme, is far milder on the tounge's nerves than it's derivatives and other artificial sweeteners, thereby giving you the sweet taste you love without the very negative side effects, in the short or long term.

Even the American Dietic Association has been quoted by PETA as publicly announcing (wording here may not be exact, as recited from memory):

"For good health and vitality, it is recommended that people eat more vegetable based foods, and less animal based foods." In other words, go veg*n and go veg*n. They also mention that artificial foods very rarely contain anything the human body can use for correct function, and are often harmful. In large enough quantities, can even be fatal, as shown by medical records involving people who have consumed organochlorine compounds in volumes of a fraction of a microgram. Aspartame is one example of these carcinogenic and mutagenic (cancer and disfigurement causing) compounds.

The mountain of evidence on this subject is so large, please believe me when I say I have handed you barely a pebble in comparison to Mt Everest, and yet we continue to consume, and wonder why people who live as humans did before civilisation live happy and healthy lives of more than a century ON AVERAGE, yet the average lifetime of a person in the western world is less than 80 years, and the 3 leading causes of death are heart disease, stroke, and cancer.

WHY US?

Answer 3

I love it.. and yes I agree with the above person who says it has a funny taste.. when I first tried it.. It left a metalic aftertaste.. I didnt use it for a couple of years.. then our store came out with another manufactured brand.. I decided to retry it.. and this brand is wonderful.. its called Steviana brand.. I use it in everything and it has no aftertaste at all...  

Answer 4

Probably because large corporations haven't found a way to capitalize on it yet.

Answer 5

I don't mnd. I don't like it anyway

By the way "natural artifical sweetener" is an oxymoron

Answer 6

I've tried it and it has weird flavor to it.  

Answer 7

Probably because it has been around for awhile and no big corporations are going to be making any money off of the production of it.

If there isn't the possibility of making money off of it, tends to keep CEO's from wanting to go in that direction.

Answer 8

Good question, food for thought as they say. I have been using stevia for years, and yet many other health concious people have not even heard of it. I ve often wondered why also.   I know many people now feel more comfortable with splenda over nutrasweet, perhaps that part of the reason, along with limited availability and somewhat higher cost

Answer 9

It is not "artificial" it's a plant based sweetner with no freaked out man-made ingredients in it.

As for Publicity: It did back several years ago when it 1st came on the market. It does impart a flavor not everyone finds pleasant. I don't mind it.

I recently read a new study showing it was much higher in nutrients than 1st thought.. I bet that will renew their advertising.

I also use Raw Agave Nectar.

Answer 10

Because Splenda and all of the arsenic in it is taking over the world.  Ha, the government knows all about Stevia and its wonderful benefits but refuse to recognize it as an artificial sweetener.  :[  Sad, huh?