Stevia

A small herb from Paraguay whose leaves are far sweeter than sugar; its steviol glycosides sweeten food and drinks with no sugar and almost no calories.

Stevia rebaudiana is a small herb of the sunflower family native to Paraguay and Brazil, where the Guarani people have long used its leaves to sweeten their tea. It is now grown in India too. Its sweetness comes from steviol glycosides, such as stevioside and rebaudioside A, which are 200 to 300 times sweeter than sugar.

Because so little is needed, stevia adds sweetness with almost no calories and does not raise blood sugar the way sugar does. Purified steviol glycosides are permitted as sweeteners by food regulators worldwide, including in India, within an acceptable daily intake. Some people notice a light, liquorice-like aftertaste.

• Sugar replacement
• Zero-calorie sweetness
• Lower-sugar diets
• Tea and coffee