More Info. on Stevia

Stevia can't be referred to as "sweetener," instead it is considered a dietary supplement.

This ingredient is not on supermarket shelves next to sweet n' low, but can be found in health food stores as a dietary supplement. FDA has little control over supplements. But as a sweetener, commonly used, "We don't have enough data to conclude that the use [in foods] would be safe." Canada or the European Union do not let companies add stevia to their products.

Though Stevia is known to help stabilize blood sugar levels and previously used to help with heartburn.. There are still concerns about this ingredient and not enough information is known. Large amounts consumed... toxicity?? Seizures?? Can cause dizziness, muscle weakness, nausea. Too much contained could be dangerous. It is NOT recommended for pregnant woman and children should NOT consume stevia.

Not sure if this is all old news, maybe they've done more research and found differently. I'll have to research more. But I found it interesting that I found negative information about this natural sweetener. I did just browse the natural section at HyVee and found Stevia in the form of a powder and a liquid. Each package had a note saying that all the information on the package was not approved by the FDA. It definitely doesn't sound like an ingredient that is certain to be good for one's health. It has a lot of negative concerns aside from the good, therefor using it as a sweetener definitely does not sound like a good idea to me.

http://www.healthline.com/natstandardcontent/stevia?brand=
http://www.usnews.com/health/family-health/articles/2008/07/28/the-zero-calorie-sweetener-stevia-arrives.html
www.cspinet.org/nah/4_00/stevia.htm
http://www.stevia.net