By Keith Ayoob, EdD, RD
The overconsumption of added sugar by kids is debated by everyone from parents to policymakers around the world. Further fueling the debate, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a report on the consumption of added sugars by children and adolescents in the U.S.
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By Margaret Ashwell, PhD OBE
This feature article is an excerpt from a recent Continuing Professional Development article written by Advisory Board Member, Margaret Ashwell, PhD OBE, and published by the British Dietetics Association in the December 2011 edition of Dietetics Today.
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By Dr. Keith Ayoob, EdD, RD
The majority of our Global Stevia Institute® newsletter subscribers are health professionals and food and beverage manufacturers. And on a regular basis, the GSI receives questions like "how much stevia is safe for my patients?" and "how much stevia can I add to my yogurt formulation?” Although these questions are different, the answers focus on the same main theme – the Acceptable Daily Intake of stevia.
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By Marilyn Schorin, PhD, MPH, RD, FADA
Stevia is the only commercially viable, naturally-derived, no-calorie sweetener for global food and beverage applications and global acceptance is indeed widening. Now with a rare and promising fast-track through the eight Codex stages of evaluation, approval throughout the European Union is expected this summer (2011).
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By Anne-Marie Nichols, Professional blogger on healthy lifestyle and cooking topics.
You don’t have to spend all day in the kitchen to enjoy the benefits of stevia. Check the back of many reduced or no sugar items like yogurts, natural sodas and juices and you just might find stevia on the label.
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By By Keith Ayoob, EdD, RD, Scientific Advisory Board Member, Global Stevia Institute
Obesity continues to be a major health concern around the globe. Consumers and health professionals alike are seeking solutions to reduce calories to aid in weight control. While many have argued that food and beverages with caloric sweeteners are a source of excess calories, the reality is that humans are born with a sweet tooth. It is unrealistic to think that we will forgo the pleasures of sweet tastes. I see this repeatedly in my practice, helping families deal with issues around overweight and obesity. They, and I, struggle to find those first baby steps on the road to better nutrition.
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By By Mauro Fisberg, MD, PHD
Stevia’s sweet compounds, including stevioside and rebaudioside A (common name Reb A), are diterpene glycosides (ent-13-hydroxykaur-16-en-19-oic acid) extracted from the plant Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni native to Paraguay and Brazil. Due to its intense sweetening capacity (up to 400 times sweeter than sugar) and the fact that is it a non-caloric ingredient with superior solubility in water and a positive taste profile, stevia sweeteners have been used for more than 40 years in Japan and are now becoming more widely used in the food and beverage industry in Asian countries as well as in North and South America.
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By Jean-Michel Cohen, PhD, MD
In addition to reducing calorie intake, stevia contributes no carbohydrate or glycemic load (a measure of carbohydrate’s effect on blood sugar) and can thereby help a diabetic moderate their postprandial blood glucose and insulin levels. With lower blood sugar levels and insulin response, people may have more metabolic and hormonal control of hunger, promotion of fat deposition, and a reduced risk of obesity and chronic disease.
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By Alan D Rogol, MD, PhD
Stevia can be used by adults and children with diabetes mellitus as part of a general diet (and exercise) program for a healthy lifestyle. Stevia is natural, has zero calories, has no affect on blood sugar and can replace sweet carbohydrate calories in the diet of adults and children with diabetes.
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By Robyn Webb, MS
Eating for diabetes can include a wide variety of foods all put together into a plan, and when practiced consistently, can give you the results you need. And here is where the natural, no calorie, no carbohydrate, sweetener stevia can play a role in your daily food plan.
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