Q: How would you rate the natural sweetener Stevia? Is it better than aspartame?
A: Stevia is a natural, non-caloric sweetener that can be used as a replacement for sugar in food and drinks. Stevia extracts,called steviosides, can be up to 300 times sweeter than table sugar. Almost 100 nutrients have been identified in stevia, so it’s considered a ‘healthy’ alternative sweetener. Stevia can be used for coffee, tea, smoothies, and desserts, and is available in both powder and liquid form.
The artificial sweetener aspartame (also known as NutraSweet [i] and Equal) has been implicated in producing a wide variety of symptoms mostly related to the nervous system, such asheadaches, dizziness, mood changes,convulsions, diarrhea, and memory loss. Before the body can eliminateaspartame, it’s converted to formaldehyde. Replace your sweetener with stevia (a natural, healthy alternative) or real sugar.
[i]www.nutrasweet.com/