Food Finds Asia | Cooking With Sweet And Fit Stevia | Cooks and bakers who are looking to use healthier ingredients in their recipes often look for substitutes that can provide the same flavor profile as the ingredient they are looking to replace. One of the most common yet least healthy ingredients is sugar. Sugar has a lot of calories that can contribute to unwanted weight gain. It also displaces complex carbohydrates from nutritious food that provide vitamins and minerals in exchange for simple carbohydrates that have little to no nutritional value. As such, sugar is often one of the first ingredients to be replaced.
There are several sugar substitutes available out there, but most are generated artificially. Luckily, there is an organic and natural option that can provide the same sweetness that is sought after in sugar but without its unhealthy characteristics: Stevia.
Stevia comes from the Stevia plant, a small bush from the sunflower family native to South America. In the Philippines, the first Stevia herbal dietary supplement that was launched is Sweet and Fit Stevia.
Sweet and Fit Stevia
Sweet and Fit Stevia is grown and harvested locally at the Sweet and Fit Stevia Farm in Brgy. Tambobong, Bocaue, Bulacan. According to the Food and Drug Administration of the Philippines, it was the first registered stevia powder. It has no cholesterol, no calories, no carbs, and is 100% natural. Most importantly, Sweet and Fit Stevia has no bitter taste, making it the perfect substitute for sugar in your favorite recipes.
It can be used for a multitude of recipes. A few examples of where it can be utilized are for baking, preparing hot or cold beverages, meat, and food preparations, and making desserts. Stevia is said to bring out the true flavors of other ingredients, so Sweet and Fit Stevia might actually make your recipes taste better than it ever did with sugar.
Cooking and Baking with Sweet and Fit Stevia
For simple applications like sweetening your coffee, you can use a sachet of Sweet and Fit Stevia and you should be ready to go. However, there are few more things to consider when cooking or baking with Sweet and Fit Stevia as an ingredient. It may seem intimidating, but it is actually quite simple to make the transition. Also, when all is said and done, the benefits you gain from making the change far outweigh the initial phase of figuring out how to cook with Stevia.
As an initial guide and reference, you can generally use 1 cup of Stevia for every 3-5 cups of sugar a recipe calls for. Give it a try and just adjust the amount according to your preference.
When baking, just remember that different ingredients serve multiple purposes. For example, sugar plays a substantial role as being a bulking agent in baked goods. You may also stir in your yogurt starter as a bulking agent. Therefore, you might have to include your own bulking agent to the recipe to get the texture you desire. For example, cake recipes that substitute a cup of sugar with Stevia may need a 1/3 cup of a bulking agent. If you are looking to stick with healthy options, you may use fruit puree or yogurt as a bulking agent. Egg whites will also suffice.
It is also important to take into account that baking with Stevia may lead to a denser baked product since sugar helps make cakes lighter. It is easy to counter this however by simply adding a bit more baking powder than what is stated in the recipe. Finally, it should be noted that Stevia does not caramelize or crystalize like sugar, so you might have to consider other options if those are techniques that the recipe calls for.
Though at first, it may seem that replacing the sugar component in recipes with Stevia takes a lot of experimenting and trial and error, there are already numerous resources and recipes out there that will help guide you through the transition easily.
Sweet and Fit Stevia: The Healthy Sugar Substitute
Stevia is versatile and has diverse functionality, and that is why it is growing in popularity. It is intensely sweet but without any bitter aftertaste. Apart from the taste though, Sweet and Fit Stevia is great because of its positive health impact.
Since it has no glycemic impact and provides zero calories per serving, it is suitable of diabetics and anyone looking for a sugar substitute. Science has also proven that Stevia helps lower blood pressure and blood sugar. Sweet and Fit Stevia truly is the healthy sweet alternative.
Where can I buy Sweet and Fit Stevia in the Philippines?
It can be purchased online at the official GIDC website and can be found at your local Mercury Drug Store, Generika, South Star Drug, and other leading drugstores. It can also be bought at Robinsons Supermarket, Waltermart, Ever Gotesco, Landmark, and other supermarkets nationwide. It is also available on popular online marketplaces.
Glorious Industrial and Development Corporation
Address:
72 Nuestra Señora St. 6th Ave.
Caloocan City
1400 Metro Manila
Philippines
Contact Number:
(02) 8285-2373