Straight Up Sweetness
Not long ago, getting stevia bulk style was perhaps the easiest way to incorporate the amazing and sweet plant into ones diet and lifestyle. Still classified as an herbal supplement rather than a sweetener in the United States, it has found popularity amongst those who wish to reduce sugar in their diet but arent comfortable using artificial sweeteners like aspartame or saccharine. It starts out as a plant (a member of the daisy family) but once processed, it is sold in powdered and liquid forms and used to flavor beverages and in baking.
While used in prepared foods in Japan and other countries for some time, there has been little interest in selling products containing the supplement in the United States. Stevia bulk packaged or single serving packets were available, but it is only within the past couple of years that were starting to see this little herbal wonder listed as an ingredient. Mostly, what were seeing is it combined with other alternative sweeteners, like xylitol, or even with regular sugar to make products that can harness the taste of the herb and be labeled as a sweetener. Also, soda bottlers and makers of energy drinks have either announced plans or begun producing beverages that contain the new sweeteners as new diet alternatives to their usual flavors.
The upside of these new products is that they are bringing new attention to the ages old herb. The downside is that they do add carbohydrates, though minimally, to the product. Also, some people who have used stevia bulk packaged find that even the minimal processing used to make the plant into a supplement is too much, preferring to have the herb in the least refined form they can acquire.
Whether you prefer to take the herb on its own or as part of one of the new and complex sugar alternatives, the attention being generated is refreshing for those who have already found what sweet joy can be gotten out of the leaves of this amazing plant. Perhaps soon it wont be only those who frequent their local health food stores who keep a little container of stevia right next to or instead of the sugar bowl.
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Whatever your business - dietary supplements, functional foods, OTC, cosmetics, beverages or pet and livestock ingredients - AHD has the ingredients to meet your needs. For information on the chia products, contact AHD via our website at www.ahdintl.com/Products_Stevia.html or telephone our sales department at 404-233-4022.