Tag: Stevia processing

Stevia has been used as a sweetener for hundreds of years, but the powder you buy in stores is a highly-purified extract from the stevia plant. This leads many to ask: is stevia powder natural?

According to the International Stevia Council, purified stevia extracts are made from steviol glycosides extracted from the stevia leaf. This process leads to the white powder consumers recognize, but many people question if stevia powder is bleached during this refinement.

Truly Hard Seltzer products list "stevia sweetener" on their ingredients label. But what does this zero-calorie component mean for a beverage marketed as a lighter, flavorful option? Understanding the full picture of stevia's presence requires a look at its source, processing, and how it interacts with other ingredients.

In South America, people have used the stevia plant as a sweetener for centuries, long before it became a popular commercial product. A key question that often arises is: is stevia green or white? The simple answer is that it can be either, with the color and flavor depending entirely on its level of refinement and processing.

Native to South America, the stevia plant's leaves were used for centuries by indigenous populations for their sweet properties. This leads many to wonder: Is stevia supposed to be green, or is white powder the form we should expect?

The FDA recognizes only high-purity steviol glycoside extracts as “generally recognized as safe,” not raw stevia leaves, which is a crucial distinction for understanding whether **stevia needs to be organic**. Deciding between organic and conventional stevia depends on several factors, including how the sweetener is processed and your personal preferences for chemical-free products.

Stevia is a zero-calorie, plant-based sweetener that has been used for centuries by indigenous people in South America. Today, while the core sweetening compounds come from the *Stevia rebaudiana* plant, the final products on store shelves are not always 100% plant-based due to modern manufacturing and formulation.

While the paleo diet emphasizes whole, unprocessed foods, the debate over sweeteners can be confusing for many followers. The question of whether *is stevia allowed on paleo* has a nuanced answer that is centered on how the product is prepared and the overall principles of the eating plan.

Over 79 million people globally identify as vegan, and a key consideration for many is sourcing vegan-friendly alternatives for staples like sugar. While stevia is a sweetener derived from the leaves of the *Stevia rebaudiana* plant, its vegan status is not always guaranteed, making it essential to scrutinize the final product.