SweetLeaf® Sweetener™

SweetLeaf® is the brand name for the first and only great-tasting, natural, zero-calorie, Stevia-based sweetener offered in America. It was first introduced in 1996 as a dietary supplement. Then, after some of the most stringent scientific research on its safety and its unique, ultra-pure formulation, SweetLeaf® Sweetener™ became the very first Stevia-based product to achieve GRAS status. It remains the only Stevia-based product with zero calories, zero carbs and zero glycemic index.

SweetLeaf® Sweetener™ employs a process of extraction that uses only pure water to collect the finest, sweet parts of the Stevia plant. Other companies use chemicals, alcohols or even enzymes that actually change the make-up of the naturally occurring substances. SweetLeaf® Sweetener has a fresh, clean sweet taste without a bitter after-taste, which is often found in other brands. Finally, the makers of SweetLeaf® Sweetener™ have been working with the Stevia plant for 25 years, so they have decades of experience and a brand name you can trust.

SweetLeaf® Sweetener™ has a delicious sweet flavor and is the only sweetener in the world that is 100% natural, with zero calories, zero carbs and a zero glycemic index.

Stevia Rebaudiana is an herb in the Compositae family that grows as a small shrub in parts of Paraguay and Brazil. The glycosides in its leaves make it incredibly sweet, a property that is unique among the nearly 300 species of stevia plants. Stevia has been used to sweeten beverages and medicines since Pre-Columbian times. A scientist named Antonio Bertoni first recorded its usage by native tribes in 1887.

Results of extensive scientific research and tests in the US and around the world made it possible for SweetLeaf® Sweetener™ to obtain GRAS status, the FDA classification of foods that are safe. It is the first Stevia-based product to achieve this designation.

Mainly in Paraguay, Brazil, Japan, China and Colombia. There are other growers scattered across the Pacific Rim. Stevia is also being cultivated in Southern Ontario, Mexico, India and other countries.

Absolutely. SweetLeaf® Sweetener™ only uses the highest-grade Stevia plants with high concentrations of the best tasting sweetening compounds. Leaves from these plants are then dried and concentrated using purified water – and nothing more. The result is a fresh, clean sweet taste without the bitter aftertaste found in inferior products. The makers of SweetLeaf® Sweetener™ have been working with Stevia longer than anyone else in America so they truly understand the plant and its sweetening properties.

First, it has been used as a prepackaged replacement for sugar and artificial sweeteners. Second, it has been used in various food products, including sugar-free versions of Wrigley’s gums, Beatrice Foods yogurts and even Diet Coke. It has also been used in pickles, dried seafoods, fish & meat products, vegetables, condiments, frozen foods, beverages of all kinds, confectionaries and a host of other products.

Yes. Scientific research from around the world was exhaustively reviewed when the makers of SweetLeaf® Sweetener™ presented their case for GRAS status (a rigorous FDA designation of food safety). An independent group of outside scientists concluded that SweetLeaf® Sweetener™ met FDA standards for safety. In an unprecedented move to ensure the product’s safety, the makers of SweetLeaf® Sweetener™ consulted with a second set of independent experts. These scientists confirmed that SweetLeaf® Sweetener™ met FDA standards for safety. The comprehensive review included studies on toxicity, cancer, reproductive health, long-term use, use at high-volumes, the effects on blood-sugar levels and more. Furthermore, after more than 30 years of high volume use in Japan and other countries, as well as more than a decade of use in America as a dietary supplement, there have been no reported cases of ill-effects. Recent scientific reviews by the World Health Organization (2003 and 2007) support these findings.

High quality Stevia leaves are up to 30 times sweeter than table sugar. The purified extracts of Stevia (called Steviosides) can be 250–300 times sweeter than table sugar.

Yes! For the past 30 years other countries have approved the use of Stevia as a sweetener and their populations have integrated Stevia into their diet. Stevia-based sweeteners have a nearly 40% market share in some of these countries.

None. And it is also the only Stevia-based sweetener with no carbs and no glycemic index.

Not at all.

Yes. SweetLeaf® Sweetener™ can be a part of a healthy diet for anyone with blood sugar problems since it does not raise blood sugar levels. If in doubt, ask your doctor.

Absolutely! Research shows that Stevia and Stevioside extracts are extremely heat stable in a variety of everyday cooking and baking situations. Look for the SweetLeaf® Sweetener™ baking formulation soon!

Extracts of Stevia leaves can be prepared by a number of methods, some of which are patented. Most companies use alcohols or other chemical means to attempt to obtain the sweet flavored extracts. The makers of SweetLeaf® Sweetener™ use only purified water to extract the wonderful tasting, sweetening agents from the plant. So it’s pure from the beginning right to your table.

SweetLeaf® Sweetener™ is available at thousands of stores across the country, and more and more stores carry it every day. If your favorite retailers does not stock it yet, you can buy it online at www.sweetleaf.com.

Very bright. As Jim May predicted in 1983, Stevia will become America’s premier sweetener, and have a significant impact on general health and wellness.

No. It all began with stories that ancient Paraguay tribes used Stevia for birth control. However, to this day, not a single person has ever been able to document this rumor. But the rumor has been so persistent, numerous scientific studies have been done to put an end to this unfounded falsehood. Here are just a few of the most current studies that refute concerns about Stevia and its relationship to reproduction problems or cancer:

Roberts, A., Renwick, A.G., Comparative toxicokinetics and metabolism of rebaudioside A, stevioside, and steviol in rats, Food and Chemical Toxicology (2008)

Brusick, D.J., A critical review of the genetic toxicity of steviol and steviol glycosides, Food and Chemical Toxicology (2008)

Wheeler, A., Boileau, A.C., Winkler, P.C., Compton, J.C., Prakash, I., Jiang, X., Mandarino, D.A., Pharmacokinetics of rebaudioside A and stevioside after single oral doses in healthy men, Food and Chemical Toxicology (2008)

Geuns, Jan M.C. , Safety Evaluation of Stevia and Stevioside, Studies in Natural Products Chemistry, Vol. 27 (2002)