Did you know that there is a natural alternative to sugar which:-
- is 250-300 times as sweet as sucrose (ordinary table sugar);
- is good for your health; and
- despite being cleared by the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) in the United States, remains banned in the European Union (except for France and Belgium)?
Stevia is the name of a plant that grows in Paraguay and elsewhere. The leaves are used to make a powder which is 30–45 times the sweetness of sucrose, and to make a liquid that is 250-300 times as sweet.
After the United States imposed a ban in the 1990’s (on extremely questionable grounds), the European Union imposed a similar ban. But the FDA has now approved a Stevia liquid as a food additive.
Compare Xylitol, which is made by chlorinating sugar.