Is Stevia Bad for You?

Short answer: no. Slightly longer answer: let’s unpack it.

Stevia is everywhere right now — in drinks, in snack bars, in influencer wellness routines. But with all that popularity comes one big question:

Is stevia actually good for you… or just the lesser evil?

If you’ve ever googled it, you’ve probably seen both sides: Some claim it’s the perfect zero-calorie sweetener. Others say it’s bitter, weird, or “unnatural.” So let’s clear it up.

🍃 First things first: what is stevia?

Stevia is a natural sweetener derived from the Stevia rebaudiana plant. It’s native to South America, where it’s been used for centuries to sweeten drinks and food.

The sweetness comes from compounds called steviol glycosides, which are extracted from the leaves. These compounds are about 200–300 times sweeter than sugar — meaning you only need a tiny amount to get full sweetness, with zero sugar and zero calories.

At Sero, we use purified stevia extract (not raw leaves), which allows us to hit the perfect balance of flavor without the bitter aftertaste.

🤔 So why do people think stevia is “bad”?

Most concerns fall into one of three categories:

1. “It tastes weird.”
   → Fair… if it’s done wrong. Some brands overload on stevia or don’t blend it well with other ingredients. At Sero, we obsess over the balance — so the flavor hits, not haunts.

2. “It’s not natural.”
   → Totally false. Stevia is plant-derived. In fact, it’s one of the only zero-calorie sweeteners that’s both natural and non-artificial. It’s not synthetic, not processed with weird chemicals, and not made in a lab.

3. “It messes with your gut.”
   → Unlike sugar alcohols (like erythritol or xylitol), stevia doesn’t cause bloating or GI issues for most people. It’s well tolerated and generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the FDA.

✅ The health benefits of stevia

Stevia isn’t just not bad — it actually has a few things going for it:

• Zero glycemic impact – Stevia won’t spike your blood sugar, making it great for low-carb or diabetic diets.

• No calories – Helps support weight management and fat loss goals without compromising taste.

• Natural source – Extracted from a leaf, not a lab.

🚫 What we don’t use:

At Sero, we made the decision early on: No sugar. No artificial sweeteners. Ever. That means no sucralose, no aspartame, and no synthetic substitutes hiding behind fancy names. Just flavor-forward soda, sweetened clean.

TL;DR:

Is stevia bad for you? Nope. It’s plant-based, calorie-free, and doesn’t come with the weird side effects of artificial sweeteners. 

Just make sure you’re getting it from a source that cares about taste and quality — like, say, the cans right below.👇