Stevia is a plant, and its natural color is green (primarily due to the presence of chlorophyll). So why, then, is the “stevia” you commonly find in stores stark white? What processes were performed to transform this green plant into a pale powder? These, I reckon, are important questions to ponder before putting it in your body.

Stevia grows natively in the rainforests of Brazil and Paraguay. It is locally known as “sweet leaf” or “sweet grass.” The Guarani, the indigenous people of the region, have chewed the fresh leaves of the plant and used them as a natural sweetener for centuries to attenuate the bitterness of the herbal beverages they consume (just a few stevia leaves are sufficient to sweeten a strong cup of herbal infusion or decoction). They also used the plant therapeutically to improve digestion, stabilize blood sugar and blood pressure levels, and alleviate skin conditions. However, Guaranis exclusively used the whole leaf (either fresh or dried). What they did not do was take the plant to a lab, subject it to synthetic chemical processes, strip it of its natural compounds, and turn it into a stark white powder—which is precisely what modern scientists have done.

The “stevia” seen in supermarkets today is heavily processed using synthetic solvents and filtration agents designed to isolate/extract the constituents responsible for the plant’s sweetness, known as “steviol glycosides” (primarily stevioside and rebaudioside A, which can be up to 300 times sweeter than sugar). The product is then exposed to synthetic bleaching agents and pH adjustment chemicals to refine it further.

In its natural form, stevia is a nutrient-dense plant that possesses a plethora of medicinal properties, including anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-diabetic, anti-hypertensive, and anti-bacterial. However, the refining process removes all of the naturally occurring beneficial compounds that render the herb therapeutic, such as organic minerals (calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, potassium, manganese, etc.), vitamins (vitamin C, B vitamins, etc.), antioxidants (phenols, flavonoids, tannins), fiber, fatty acids, and chlorophyll. What remains is a structurally unstable, man-made substance.

This white, powdery substance is not truly stevia but rather a highly refined form of steviol glycosides.

When natural compounds undergo extensive refinement, they become white—much like table sugar derived from sugar cane (which is not naturally white) turns white after it is processed. The same applies to white flour/bread, white rice, pasta, cereal, crackers, high-fructose corn syrup, and other refined foodstuffs—all of which are stripped of nearly all nutritional value. In fact, these so-called “foods” tend to be greatly detrimental to our health.

I strongly recommend avoiding all man-made sugar substitutes—both those synthetically created in a lab (e.g., aspartame, sucralose, saccharin, erythritol, xylitol, advantame, acesulfame potassium, sorbitol, etc.) and those derived from natural sources (such as stevia, monk fruit, etc.).

Healthy, natural sweeteners include dates, whole-leaf stevia, and date sugar (made from dried, ground dates). I consider date syrup acceptable as well, however, it is heat-processed (cooked) and thus most of its nutrients have been denatured or altered. Raw honey can also be a decent option for some folks.

Remember, when you consume whole stevia leaf / use it to sweeten your food, you are ingesting a chemically/structurally stable, highly nutritious herb made by nature—an herb that combats free radicals in the body, inhibits inflammation and harmful microorganisms, and nourishes the cells. Conversely, when you regularly consume man-made or synthetic products, you introduce substances that can—and likely will—contribute to potential health problems over time.