Stevia: how to make liquid extract and syrup from sweet grass - secrets of preparing a natural sweetener. Liquid Stevia Extract Use for Diabetes Patients

The rapidly developing market of food additives is demanding in terms of product safety for human health. A safe and high-quality raw material is liquid stevia extract, used in dietary nutrition and the production of cosmetics. Initially, this perennial plant grew only in the subtropics of Paraguay and Brazil, but gradually spread to areas of eastern Asia, Georgia, Moldova, and southern Russia. In the northern Russian regions, amateurs grow stevia on windowsills.

First about the disadvantages

The plant has been studied by scientists for several decades. The only drawback of using the herb for food is its specific, slightly bitter aftertaste. To get around this unpleasant consequence, it is enough to buy liquid stevia extract in any flavor: chocolate, raspberry, grape, strawberry, lemon, vanilla. In its production, in addition to flavoring additives, other methods are used to eliminate the “grassy” taste.

The optimal approach is to increase the purity of the product and regulate its quantity when using a sweetener in dietary nutrition and food production. Because of this, the price of liquid stevia extract increases, but at the same time the concentration of “sweetness” of the finished product increases. To sweeten tea, coffee, pastries, desserts, just drop 3-5 drops of 30 ml of liquid stevia extract onto a glass of liquid. The extract is not afraid of high temperatures and does not lose its properties during heat treatment.

The main benefits of the popular dietary supplement:

• 0 calories;
• 0 fat;
• 0 carbohydrates;
• zero glycemic index.

It has no effect on glucose levels. But it’s better to buy liquid stevia in Moscow with 97% content of rebaudioside (Reb A) - a guarantee of the absence of a bitter aftertaste. A food additive with a purity of 20-40% is slightly inferior in taste. The aftertaste can be called a conditional disadvantage of stevia extract, which is eliminated by the technology of its production. Some consumers successfully consume live leaves of the plant.

The use of a dietary supplement can cause an allergic reaction if the body is hypersensitive to chamomile, dandelion, and other asteraceae.

Advantages of a sweetener

American biologist R. Lustig and his colleagues published a work comparing sugar in its effect on the human body with tobacco and alcohol. They are calling for restrictions on its sale. Due to the abuse of fructose and glucose, fatty liver disease, diabetes, hypertension and other diseases develop.

It is sugar that suppresses leptin and ghrelin - satiety hormones, ensuring systematic overeating. According to other researchers, liquid sweetener stevia is currently the No. 1 sweetener. “Honey grass” allows diabetics and those who simply love sweets to maintain a normal lifestyle without harming their health.

In addition to the hypoglycemic effect, the liquid sweetener stevia:

• has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system;
• normalizes intestinal microflora;
• eliminates inflammatory processes in the gastrointestinal tract;
• prevents the development of caries;
• reduces appetite;
• strengthens the immune system.

Some brands already use sweetener in the production of food and drinks, for example, the Coca Cola company.

A dietary supplement is not a drug, so when finding out where to buy liquid stevia, you should be aware of this. But it can be included in treatment complexes for diabetes, obesity, and gastrointestinal diseases. Before use, it is recommended to consult with your doctor and carefully study the manufacturer's instructions. Monitoring the dynamics of changes occurring in the body will help ensure maximum effectiveness of the product.

Stevia (“honey grass”) is a rare sweetener that can be used to safely replace sugar if you decide to lose weight or simply lead a healthy lifestyle.

Stevia has zero calories and a very low glycemic index (a measure of the effect on blood glucose levels).

Stevia is not only safe (this was confirmed by the World Health Organization in 2006), but also healthy.

Stevia slows down the aging process in cells, has an antiseptic and antifungal effect on the body, and normalizes the functioning of the nervous, cardiovascular and digestive systems.

NOW produces 6 varieties of stevia. They differ in release form, additional ingredients and, of course, price. In brackets I indicated the price based on 30 servings.

LIQUID WITH GLYCERIN

60 ml - 375 servings - $6.06 (0.48)
237 ml - 1,481 servings - $17.54 (0.36)

BACKED WITH MALTODEXTRIN

Externally, this option can be distinguished by the beige/yellow-orange design of the box

45 bags/servings - $3.23 (2.15)
75 packets/servings of French Vanilla flavor - $6.74 (2.70)
100 sachets/servings - $6.06 (1.82)

What can be confusing about glycerin, alcohol, maltodextrin? These components do not pose any danger to a healthy person.

But for patients with diabetes mellitus - theoretically they can. Because they have a high glycemic index. But the amount of these substances in a serving is so negligible that, it seems to me, their presence can be safely neglected.

This idea is confirmed by the fact that Iherb has special dietary supplements for diabetics, where glycerin and maltodextrin, as in stevia, are additional ingredients of the drugs. But if you still don’t like their presence, pay attention to three other stevia options.

BACKED WITH INULIN

Boxes with this stevia are decorated in a turquoise/blue design.

35 bags/servings - $3.23 (2.77)
75 bags/servings - $6.06 (2.42)
100 sachets/servings (an interesting variety with chromium and inulin - Better Stevia balance) -$7.41 (2.22)

POWDER IN A JAR

28 g - 622 servings - $6.06 (0.29)
113 g - 2,511 servings - $20.24 (0.24)
454 g - 10,088 servings - $68.39 (0.20)

This is the purest (contains no other ingredients) and most economical stevia.

STEVIA TABLETS

THUS, THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION WHICH STEVIA IS THE MOST BENEFITABLE SHOULD BE:

1st place (the most profitable) - powdered stevia in a jar. The larger the jar, the more profitable it is.

2nd place - liquid stevia (alcohol is cheaper than glycerin).

3rd place - stevia tablets.

4th place - packaged stevia.

WHICH STEVIA IS THE MOST CONVENIENT TO USE?

I like liquid stevia best. Before use, shake the bottle and - by pressing on the soft plastic walls -squeeze out a few drops. It is the liquid version that is most convenient to take on the road. Because in the bags - which seem to be intended for travel - there is too much stevia for me at one time. Half of it remains; you have to wrap the edge of the bag and make sure that the powder does not spill out of it. In addition, liquid stevia is more convenient to add to cold food - it dissolves best.

WHICH STEVIA IS THE TASTEST?

It is clear that a matter of taste is an individual matter. All options seem about the same to me. In any case, you will have to get used to stevia at first. At first, its sweetness may seem as if separated from the taste of the drink itself.

Just in case, I remind you that the benefits of fructose, honey, cane sugar and other supposedly safe alternatives to sugar are actually nothing more than a myth.

Stevia herb is also called “honey grass”. Both the leaves and stems of the plant have a pronounced sweetness. A natural sweetener is prepared from stevia, given that the green mass is 300 times sweeter than regular sugar.

Under production conditions, the sugar substitute is prepared in the form of dried leaves powder, bleached granular preparation “Stevioside” or liquid extract. To know exactly how much stevia to use instead of sugar in regular recipes, we suggest you familiarize yourself with the table.

Syrup and liquid extract can be prepared from both fresh leaves and dried raw materials.

Stevia is a very heat-loving perennial plant. It can be grown in your own area using seedlings. In this case, for the winter, stevia must be dug up and placed in a cool place indoors. It is advisable to collect fresh herbs during the flowering period. At this time, the foliage synthesizes sweet glycosides such as stevioside and rebaudioside with maximum power. Before use, stevia is washed, dried on napkins, and then cut into arbitrary shapes.

If it is not possible to grow stevia yourself, then dried raw materials can be used to prepare a natural sweetener. Dried stevia herb or powder made from it can be purchased at pharmacy chains or stores that specialize in selling herbs.

Preparing liquid stevia extract

On vodka

The most popular method of preparing stevia extract is using ethyl alcohol. This is due to the fact that alcohol draws out the sweetness from the leaves better than water, and the finished product can be stored longer.

To prepare the extract, take one liter of vodka and herbs. If fresh grass is used, then you will need one bunch, weighing approximately 300 grams. For a given volume of liquid, 150 grams of dried product is required.

Place stevia in a clean glass container and fill it with vodka. To ensure that the herb is evenly distributed in the liquid, shake the jar several times. The top of the container is tightly closed with a lid and put away in a dark place for two days. Exceeding the infusion time may make the extract bitter. After the allotted time, the infusion is filtered through several layers of gauze.

All that's left is to get rid of alcohol. To do this, the finished extract is poured into a saucepan and heated over low heat for a quarter of an hour. Important condition: the mass should not boil!

During the “evaporation” procedure, the extract may slightly change color and thicken. It is also quite normal for sediment to form. Before packing the liquid into bottles, it is filtered again.

Store the finished product in the refrigerator for six months.

On the water

This option is less popular, but also has a right to exist. To prepare an aqueous extract, you can also use dry herbs or crushed fresh leaves.

For 1 liter of liquid you need 100 grams of dry leaves or 250 grams of fresh stevia. The raw materials are poured with boiling water, covered loosely with a lid and left to infuse at room temperature for 24 hours.

The finished extract is filtered and poured into clean storage containers. This extract is stored for a relatively short time. It must be used within 10 days.

Halle Cottis in his video will show you in detail how to make your own liquid extract from stevia.

How to make stevia syrup

The syrup, in comparison with the liquid extract, can be stored for as long as possible – up to 1.5 years. No special conditions are required: even at room temperature, stevia syrup retains all its properties.

Any liquid extract is used to prepare syrup. It does not matter how the glycosides were extracted, alcoholic or aqueous.

The sweet extract is poured into an enamel pan and placed on low heat. The main goal: to evaporate the liquid without letting it boil. To do this, the food container must be constantly monitored. The total evaporation time is from 4 to 6 hours. As soon as the syrup begins to flow smoothly from the spoon in a thin stream, the fire is turned off, and the finished product is packaged in bottles.

There are several stages that we all go through when trying to give up sweets, when we realize all the destructive consequences of carbohydrates in excess - or when we simply come to the understanding that any rational diet is based on limiting sugars, and even more so concentrated and concentrated sugars. refined.

At first it seems like a good idea to replace sugar with fructose. (in fact, it’s terrible, see the tag “harms of fructose”).
Then it seems that there is a whole range of natural syrups and nectars that are healthier than sugar - agave, Jerusalem artichoke, maple syrup. A little later it becomes clear that these liquid sweeteners are also, in fact, “fructose” and, therefore, among other things, put a heavy load on the liver and continue to feed sugar addiction - in any case, these are concentrated sugars...

Then, at some point, we all learn about the wonderful no-carb sweetener, the herb stevia.

It turns out that stevia has its own slight taste, but it contains no carbohydrates at all (and in addition, it has some suppressive effect on fungi of the genus Candida, and the growth of this culture is most ensured by carbohydrates - flour and sugar-containing. And on the other hand, the more this culture grows in the tissues of the body, the more we feel the need for sweet).

So, there is only one natural and carbohydrate-free option available in stores: stevia. But it turns out that this knowledge is still not enough, and I would like to say a few words about the nuances of producing sweeteners from stevia.

Stevia is now sold in most stores, and even more so in health food stores - in the form of crushed leaves, white extract powder, or the same powder in tablets, or in the form of a liquid tincture.
Some manufacturers are disingenuous: on the cover it says “natural stevia” - but in the composition on the back you can also find highly industrially processed ingredients, such as maltodextrin (this is a sugar that softens the taste of the extract and prevents the powders from clumping). The white stevia powder itself is a product of complex processing, and in addition, it is bleached using chemicals.

The liquid extract is most convenient: it is sweeter than the leaves (more concentrated), and is convenient to use in baked goods and drinks, for other needs. But we honestly don’t know how it is produced in the purchased version - the shelf life is so long that it raises questions.

Because we know how easy it is to make a similar one at home!

So, liquid stevia extract:

1) dry stevia leaves in an oven or dehydrator (or use dried store-bought raw materials)
2) it is advisable to use a jar with a tight lid, 250-300 ml in volume: fill it with leaves, pour good vodka
3) leave for a day, drain the leaves
4) evaporate the alcohol by heating: 20-30 minutes over low heat, without bringing to a boil
5) it’s more convenient to pour the infusion into a bottle with a pipette - and you can store it in the refrigerator for up to three months

PS If you don’t have stevia on hand and you have to choose between honey and different types of sugar, you’ll probably want to try using “coconut palm sugar” - its processing comes down to evaporating the sap of coconut palms. They write that this sugar is rich in amino acids, and it contains 30 times more phosphorus, 20 times more potassium, magnesium and iron, 10 times more zinc than brown sugar.

However, similar figures can often be found in relation to honey, Jerusalem artichoke syrup, maple syrup, agave nectar... It is important to understand that for any reasonable volume of consumption of sweetened products, in terms of the amount of sweetener and, accordingly, nutrients, the share of the latter from the sweetener is very insignificant.


Stevia is made from a medicinal plant of the same name, which has numerous beneficial properties and is considered the sweetest plant in the whole world. It contains a unique molecular component called stevioside, which gives the plant its extraordinary sweetness.

Stevia is also popularly called honey herb. All this time, the medicinal herb was used to normalize glucose levels in human blood and prevent diabetes. Today, stevia has gained not only popularity, but also widespread use in the food industry.

Features of Stevia sweetener

Stevia is fifteen times sweeter than regular refined sugar, and the extract itself, which contains stevioside, can be 100-300 times sweeter. This feature is used by science to create a natural sweetener.

However, this is not the only thing that makes natural sweetener an ideal option for diabetics. Most sweeteners made from natural and synthetic ingredients have significant disadvantages.

• The main disadvantage of many sweeteners is the high calorie content of the product, which is harmful to health. Stevia, having stevioside in its composition, is considered a non-calorie sweetener.
• Many low-calorie synthetic sweeteners have an unpleasant feature. By changing the metabolism of blood sugar, a significant increase in body weight occurs. The natural substitute Stevia does not have such disadvantages, unlike its analogues. Studies have shown that stevioside does not affect glucose metabolism, and even, on the contrary, reduces sugar levels in human blood.

The sweetener in some cases has a pronounced taste of leech grass. However, today there are sweeteners that use stevioside extract.

Stevioside has no taste, is widely used in the food industry, is available as a food additive and is referred to as E960. At the pharmacy, a similar sweetener can be purchased in the form of small brown tablets.

The benefits and harms of the sweetener Stevia

The natural substitute Stevia is now widely used in most countries and has excellent reviews. The sweetener has become especially popular in Japan, where Stevia has been used for more than thirty years, and during all this time no side effects have been identified. Scientists from a sunny country have proven that sweetener does not harm human health. At the same time, Stevia is used here not only as a food additive, but is also added instead of sugar to diet drinks.

Meanwhile, in such countries the USA, Canada and the EU do not officially recognize the sweetener as a sweetener. Here Stevia is sold in the form of dietary supplements. The sweetener is not used in the food industry, despite the fact that it is not harmful to human health. The main reason for this is the lack of research that confirms the safety of Stevia as a natural sweetener. At the same time, these countries are primarily interested in selling synthetic low-calorie substitutes, around which, despite the proven harm of these products, a lot of money is circulating.

The Japanese, in turn, have proven through their research that Stevia does not harm human health. Experts say that today there are few sweeteners with such low toxicity levels. Stevioside extract has undergone numerous toxicity tests, and all studies have shown no adverse effects on the body. As reviews show, the drug does not harm the digestive system, does not increase body weight, and does not change cells and chromosomes.

Stevioside has antibacterial functions, so it can be used to treat small wounds in the form of burns, scratches and bruises. It promotes rapid healing of wounds, rapid blood clotting and getting rid of infection. Stevioside extract is often used in the treatment of acne and fungal infections. Stevioside helps babies get rid of pain when their first teeth erupt, which is confirmed by numerous reviews.

Stevia is used to prevent colds, strengthens the immune system, and serves as an excellent remedy for treating diseased teeth. Stevioside extract is used to prepare Stevia tincture, which is mixed with an antiseptic decoction of calendula and horseradish tincture in a ratio of 1 to 1. The resulting drug is used to rinse the mouth to relieve pain and possible suppuration.

Also, Stevia, in addition to stevioside extract, contains useful minerals, antioxidants, vitamins A, E and C, and essential oils.

With long-term use of dietary supplements, vitamin complexes, or significant consumption of fruits and vegetables, hypervitaminosis or an excess of vitamins in the body can be observed. If a rash develops on the skin or peeling begins, you should consult a doctor.

Sometimes Stevia may not be tolerated by some people due to the individual characteristics of the body. In particular, the sweetener is not recommended for use during pregnancy and breastfeeding. And yet, there is simply the most real and natural one, which is considered the best sugar substitute.

Healthy people do not need to use Stevia as a primary dietary supplement. Due to the abundance of sweets in the body, insulin is released. If this condition is maintained continuously, the sensitivity to increases in sugar in the body may decrease. The main thing in this case is to adhere to the norm and not to overdo it with a sweetener.

Use of Stevia in food

The natural sweetener has positive reviews and is widely used in the preparation of drinks and fruit salads where sweetening of the taste is required. Stevia is added to brews instead of sugar and used in baked goods.

In some cases, stevioside may taste bitter. This reason is primarily due to the excess of Stevia, which was added to the product. To get rid of the bitter taste, you need to use less sweetener when cooking. Some types of the stevia plant also have a bitter taste.

To reduce body weight, drinks with the addition of stevioside extract are used, which are drunk on the eve of lunch and dinner in order to reduce appetite and eat less food. Also, drinks with sweetener can be consumed after meals, half an hour after eating.

When losing weight, many people use the following recipe. In the morning, you need to drink a portion of mate tea with the addition of Stevia on an empty stomach, after which you should not eat for about four hours. During lunch and dinner, you must eat exclusively healthy and natural food without flavorings, preservatives or white flour.

Stevia and diabetes

Ten years ago, the sweetener Stevia was recognized as safe for human health and health care allowed the use of the sweetener in food. Stevioside extract has also been recommended as a sugar substitute for people suffering from type 2 diabetes. Including the sweetener is very useful for hypertensive patients.

Studies have shown that Stevia improves the effects of insulin and affects the metabolism of lipids and carbohydrates. In this regard, the sweetener is an excellent sugar replacement option for diabetics, as well as.

When using Stevia, it is important to ensure that the product you purchase does not contain sugar or fructose. It is necessary to use bread units to accurately calculate the required dose of sweets. It must be remembered that even a natural sugar substitute, if used in excess and improperly, can harm human health and increase blood glucose levels.

Purchasing a sweetener

Today you can purchase a natural substitute for Stevia at any pharmacy or online store. The sweetener is sold as stevioside extract in powder, liquid or dried leaves of the medicinal plant.

White powder is added to tea and other types of liquid. However, some disadvantage is that it takes a long time to dissolve in water, so you need to constantly stir the drink.