Informed about Stevia

I recently took my Granola Mama-ish-ness to a new level and bought some Stevia powder. Stevia is from a plant, commonly known as sweetleaf, sweet leaf, sugarleaf, or simply stevia, is widely grown for its sweet leaves. As a sweetener and and sugar substitute, stevia's taste has a slower onset and longer duration than that of sugar, although some of its extracts may have a bitter aftertaste at high concentrations.

With its extracts having up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar, stevia has garnered attention with the rise in demand for low-sugar food alternatives. Medical research has also shown possible benefits of stevia in treating obesity and high blood pressure. Because stevia has a negligible effect on blood glucose, it is attractive as a natural sweetener to people on carbohydrate controlled diets. (Wikipedia)

I bought a 16oz. container of  Stevita spoonable powder from Puritan's Pride. I read tons of reviews and finding just the right blend of Stevia is essential or there is a bitter aftertaste to it. You can use it to sweeten anything. I was mainly interested in it for baking since I have been deprived of sweets for 5 long months. Most reviewers suggest using the Stevia powder along with a reduced amount of regular sugar to get the flavor we expect in a dessert. I adapted a recipe for a berry crumble and it turned out divine -- divine I tell you! Or perhaps I haven't had sugar in 5 months I am no judge, but in any respect, my family ate it and didn't know the difference with a whole cup of sugar missing from the recipe.

Topping, mix together and refrigerate:
6 TBS melted butter
1 cup flour (half whole wheat and half white)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt

Cake:
3/4 cup flour (half whole wheat and half white)
1 TBS wheat germ
1 TBS flax meal
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. Stevia or Stevita powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup butter, softened or apple sauce to reduce fat
Enough black berries (frozen okay) to cover top

Mix filling and spread into a 9x9 greased baking dish. Top with berries and crumb topping. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Cut into 16 squares.

The above recipe has 6 grams of sugar per serving, down from 14. I try to stay below 10 grams per day, including fruit sugars, to feel good. The average American consumes about 20 tsp. of sugar per day, or 80 grams of sugar. It isn't hard to do when you realize a can of pop can have as many as 40 grams of sugar and a little container of fruity yogurt has almost 30 grams.

You can find lots and lots of information about Stevia with a google search. There is even a Stevia.com website. If you use Stevia, I would love to hear your tips and tricks. It seems like such a great alternative to refined sugar.