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.

References: Stevia; Xylitol.