Stevia is an herb that has been used since the pre-Columbian era to sweeten food and drinks. Stevia is not known to have any side effects, has no calories and contains no sugar. Stevia can be especially helpful for diabetics or pre-diabetics, as it will not cause blood sugar spikes. In 2008, the Food and Drug Administration approved its use as a sweetener in food and drink products. Prior to this, it was approved for use as a dietary supplement.
Instructions
1. Understand the stevia-to-sugar ratio. If you are using stevia extract in a liquid form, then replace 2 teaspoons of sugar with 1/4 teaspoon of liquid or 1/16 teaspoon of powdered stevia. Instead of 1/2 cup of sugar, use either 3/4 teaspoon of powdered stevia or 1 1/4 teaspoons of liquid stevia. One cup of sugar can be replaced by 2 1/2 teaspoons of liquid stevia or 1 1/2 teaspoons of powdered extract.
2. Sweeten coffee or tea with stevia instead of sugar. Because stevia is so much sweeter than sugar, try adding just a pinch of stevia at a time, then test the taste.
3. Experiment with using stevia for baking needs. Substitute stevia instead of sugar when baking muffins, cakes, cookies, breads, and other treats. If you're concerned about losing bulk in your recipes because you need so much less stevia than sugar, consider the Truvia brand, which cuts its stevia extract so that you can use more of it. One cup of sugar equals 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon of Truvia extract.
4. Use stevia instead of sugar or other sugar substitutes to sweeten homemade salad dressings, jams, snack dips and fruit smoothies.
5. Turn bland cereals into a meal that satisfies sugar cravings by sprinkling a pinch of stevia on top. Use stevia in other breakfast foods, substituting it instead of sugar in pancakes and waffles, or sprinkling a pinch on a bowl of berries.
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