A healthy lifestyle is, first of all, proper nutrition, and only then physical activity. And in order for the diet to have a positive effect on life and health, it is recommended to exclude all products that do not differ in useful value. And not the last role in this is played by the exclusion of refined sugar from absolutely all dishes and diet drinks.
At the same time, no one forces himself to limit himself in sweet after all, there is stevia! The saturated taste of sweet and at the same time, at least calories all this is the main reasons to pay attention to Stevia and enrich your menu with a natural product. It’s nice that it will not need to be followed by a hard diet without his favorite confectionery after all, any dessert with Stevia will be more useful.
Description
Stevia is a unique food product its value is precisely what this plant does not make: this grass does not add calories, does not contain sugar and other harmful substances.
Stevia as a plant also relates to the same family as the healing chamomile, or ambrosii familiar to many astro. This invaluable appearance grows in South America (Paraguay, Brazil), and there it has been used for millennia (mainly leaves) in order to sweeten food.
In its homeland, Stevia is called KAA-ON, which is translated “sweet grass”, or honey grass, due to the fact that the indigenous population habitually used it not only as the sweetener, but also taking into account its beneficial properties: treatment of burns, gastric problems and colic, and even in as a contraceptive. The traditional medicine of these countries appreciated this grass.
The herbaceous plant Stevy is a perennial shrub that has been very popular in its homeland since ancient times.
The leaves of this grass are used there as healing tea for various purposes:
But modern medicine (first of all-dietetics) priority considers Stevia as a unique sugar-replacement. Its uniqueness is that the properties of the extract of this plant are hundreds of times higher than the sweetness of the refinade, and with such significant characteristics, this does not affect the amount of glucose in the blood.
Do not forget about the taste of this miracle rescue. Stevia is consumed in many dishes from drinks to a wide variety of desserts and even jam. The natural sweetness of this grass allows you to consume all these dishes even to patients with diabetes mellitus.
Appearance
In appearance, this grass is a halfbrush, which is distinguished by medium sizes and quite long branches (almost up to a long meter). Young shoots are quite fragile, but adult branches are characterized by possession, and far from so gentle. The leaves are usually lanceolate, small (about 7 cm long), without a petiole, are located in pairs on the stem, and are equipped with 6-8 vapors of cloves.
In its natural conditions, Stevy blooms without stopping but most abundantly this process takes place during the period of the active phase of growth. Like all astose, this grass is equipped with small flowers collected in tiny baskets. The seeds of this plant are so small that they resemble large dust (1000 pieces of seeds weigh about 0.4 g).
Where it grows
The Astrov family includes almost about three hundred species of various herbs and shrubs, most of which grow in South America and in its central part.
Stevia in wild can be found in semidodgy territories usually in mountainous areas. This plant is propagated by seeds, but many of them simply do not germinate. Therefore, after Stevia began to cultivate, it was found that vegetative propagation can be called much more effective for this grass.
Benefit
By studying the properties of this grass, scientists have established that, in addition to natural sweetness, regular intake of Stevia can provide:
Stevia as a natural sweetener is produced in several forms in dry extract or in the form of syrup. Therefore, with this grass, you can cook any dishes without problems from baking to sauces. And thanks to this, you can achieve not only improvement of health (if we are talking about diabetes), but also lose weight without cutting yourself in nutrition.
Contraindication
The beneficial properties of Stevia do not mean that this plant is absolutely devoid of side effects. It is especially important to consult a doctor about the usefulness of this plant to those who have the following problems:
Carefully handle Stevia for those who have chronic problems with allergies, especially on flowering of such shrubs.
Growing
Growing honey grass is possible on plantations with a hot climate in tropical countries (the same Vietnam, for example). The main thing is that the conditions differ from the temperate climate and those who want to try to grow stevia at home will have to take care of creating special conditions.
This plant loves the bright sun and warm, but negatively perceives drafts and wind. The soil for Stevia is not crucial the main thing is that the soil does not differ in a high level of salinity.
Stevia was born in wet tropics therefore, the optimal environment for her is very reminiscent of a sauna flooded by the sun. Humidity and humidity soil and air which is a prerequisite for the normal growth and development of this grass. Stevy’s drought will survive with difficulty. And the soil, rich in organic substances and elements, with the content of sand will help in this.
