Trick Your Taste Buds
Stevia rebaudiana (Robert Lynch, Melbourne/Australia) CC0 Stevia is a plant that tastes like sugar, but does not give you the calories of sugar. It fools your tongue into thinking you are consuming food energy, but you are not. Any time you experience a sweet taste, it is the result of molecules binding onto specific receptor proteins in your taste buds. Why is this plant important? Stevia is a natural source of sweetness without making you gain weight or, for diabetics, raising your blood glucose level. Many people are looking for a natural alternative to artificial sweeteners created in a laboratory, like Aspartame and Sucralose. Research has shown that Aspartame and Sucralose have many health risks associated with their consumption. Stevia is one natural alternative to artificial sweeteners. The leaves of Stevia are 20 to 30 times sweeter than table sugar. It has been consumed in South America for hundreds of years. Stevia was introduced to the re