Stevia?

[Guest BERNESES]

A naturopath who is well-known in the area recommends Stevia as a sweetener. I bought some to use in my iced tea rather than Equal. I like the taste, it has fiber in it but I'm wondering if there is anything BAD (or really good) I should know about it.

I know it's not approved by the FDA but then again, ?????????

[Canadian Karen]

I use it and love it......

Medicinal Ingredients:

One serving (packet) = 1/4 teaspoon (0.4 g) contains

Stevia Leaf Extract (Stevia rebaudiana)

Ingredients: Maltodextrin, Stevia, Inulin (natural extract of chicory root), calcium citrate, Vitamin C and Silica

Risk Information: Use with caution if you have known allergies to plants in the Aseteraceae/Compositae family (ragweed).

Karen

[Guest Robbin]

I use it too and love it. Interestingly I saw an add in one of my garden catalogs for stevia plants. I just might order one and dry the leaves. I'll let you know how that experiment works out, lol. Some of my lame-brained ideas do not turn out great - I think it is safe and certainly better than the "other stuff" out there. There is the fiber kind and regular. I have used both, but the fiber stevia dissolves slower, I have found. Hope it works out for you.

[ArtGirl]

I use stevia all the time. It does have a distinct taste and some people don't like it all that well. To me it's a sort of bitter after taste. BUT, if I use it in anything that has a strong flavor of its own, I can't detect the stevia - just the sweetness. I use it in lemon and mint flavored teas, in my butternut squash soup that also has pumpkin spice in it, and in anything that contains vinegar.

I have grown stevia and dried the leaves. I crush the dried leaves and add to the water when brewing tea and it works well. Not as strong as using the extract, but then I don't like my tea super sweet anyway.

[Lymetoo]

Equal can fry your brain....ditto for Splenda.

I have some liquid stevia with vanilla flavoring. It's AWESOME. Does anyone know if it's OK? I haven't had time to call on that one yet.

Don't worry about the FDA. Stevia is not a drug.

All the FDA does is funnel money to the drug companies....just my BIASED opinion!!

[lorka150]

i also use stevia, but the liquid form.

it is chemical free, which is why i opt for it for over artificial sweeteners, and i enjoy the taste. i use it in coffee.

[tarnalberry]

there haven't been as many studies on stevia as on splenda/aspartame/etc., but you can look them up on pubmed. one study showed reduced sperm producting in the testes of mice. another couldn't find the same results. that's the most controversial thing I could find. the europeans have listed it as 'believed to be safe' for a while, I believe. I use it, in small quantities, in beverages, myself.

[lorka150]

just to add - artificial sweeteners aren't as bad as all these tests claim them to be... whenenever there are these cancerous links, these poor rats are pumped with the equivalent to (something similar to) ten diet colas. everything in moderation, really.

[BRUMI1968]

I use liquid stevia from planetary something or else. I think it's interesting - it imparts sweet but without you being able to tell what kind of sweet - not like honey or maple or even cane sugar.

However, if you use too much, you can taste it and it tastes a bit odd. I've used it in tea, in almond butter for a dessert, and even in vineagrette (not doing sugar at all anymore). I like it.

-Sherri

[Lymetoo]

At least stevia is from a PLANT, not just a chemical.

[tarnalberry]

  Lymetoo said:

At least stevia is from a PLANT, not just a chemical.

it's just a chemical from a plant, though. as is sugar. :-P

[Ursa Major]

  tarnalberry said:

it's just a chemical from a plant, though. as is sugar. :-P

Well, in a way that is true. Even though sugar (even brown sugar) has been highly refined, and all the vitamins and other good things have been taken out of it, leaving only the bad stuff.

Stevia is really just a herbal extract, and is considered a supplement. And really, from everything I have read (other than the bad-mouthing of companies that have a vested interest in people using their own products) I have read absolutely nothing bad about it. It appears to be perfectly safe for everybody, even diabetics.

The FDA hasn't been able to get it's dirty paws on it yet, because they aren't able to (fortunately) regulate all supplements yet. Otherwise it would likely be banned soon, as they seem to ban anything that doesn't benefit drug companies.

[Guest Robbin]

  ArtGirl said:

I use stevia all the time. It does have a distinct taste and some people don't like it all that well. To me it's a sort of bitter after taste. BUT, if I use it in anything that has a strong flavor of its own, I can't detect the stevia - just the sweetness. I use it in lemon and mint flavored teas, in my butternut squash soup that also has pumpkin spice in it, and in anything that contains vinegar.

I have grown stevia and dried the leaves. I crush the dried leaves and add to the water when brewing tea and it works well. Not as strong as using the extract, but then I don't like my tea super sweet anyway.

Thank you so much for the plant info! No one I know around here has grown it, so I am glad to hear drying the leaves would work. I plan on using it in tea or coffee with a tea ball or a filter. I am always excited to get a new plant

[VydorScope]

  Quote

ugar (even brown sugar) has been highly refined, and all the vitamins and other good things have been taken out of it, leaving only the bad stuff.

yea but is all nautral , just like Cocain, arsenic, tabacco, and etc, so it has to be good for you !

As for Stevia, time will tell. Presently its 2.5x the cost of splenda (based on the prices that I just checked last week or so at my local food store, per serving) which puts it out of reach for me.

As for the FDA, Stevia is not under thier authority as it is classified as an herbal suppliment, so any comments about the FDA aprove/not approve does not realy apply.

[Lymetoo]

  Ursula said:

The FDA hasn't been able to get it's dirty paws on it yet, because they aren't able to (fortunately) regulate all supplements yet. Otherwise it would likely be banned soon, as they seem to ban anything that doesn't benefit drug companies.

They TRY all the time, don't they!! We all have to be vigilant to keep our supplements and natural food products out of their paws. They are all about MONEY, NOT the safety of the public.

[Guest BERNESES]

  VydorScope said:

yea but is all nautral , just like Cocain, arsenic, tabacco, and etc, so it has to be good for you !

Vincent- You CRACK me up!!!!!!!!!!!! Always the voice of reason

Thanks everyone for your feedback.

[ArtGirl]

  VydorScope said:

Presently its 2.5x the cost of splenda (based on the prices that I just checked last week or so at my local food store, per serving) which puts it out of reach for me.

I bought two 1-oz. bottles of NOW Stevia Extract from an internet site over two years ago and I have about 1/3 of the second bottle left. A little goes a very long way.

I often mix the powder in a small amount of water to dissolve it and then add it to my drink or salad or whatever in the liquid form. It is difficult to get the powder to dissolve in an acid liquid such as lemon or vinegar, so dissolving it in water first solves the problem. It is also easier to add a small amount in the liquid form. The water/stevia mixture will keep several days – I store it in a baby food jar.

I did a google search for NOW brand stevia and came up with many sites. allstarhealth.com seems to have a good price. Open Original Shared Link

A quote from this page:

NOW Stevia Extract is hypoallergenic and contains no sugar, salt, starch, yeast, wheat, gluten, corn, soy, milk, egg or preservatives

regular price/their price…

1 oz. $8.95/$4.49 servings per container: 1000

1 lb. $65.99/$39.49 servings per container: 16214

[ravenwoodglass]

I use Stevia and Agave Syrup for sweetening and in my baking. After my diabetes diagnosis I tried some of the artifical sugars and they caused some pain under my ribs on the right. It went away when I stopped eating or drinking stuff that had them. The sugar alcohols are nasty, who needs D, but I haven't had any problems with either the stevia or the agave.

[Aerin328]

STEVIA IS AWESOME!

I read that they injected mice with 800 times the daily dose a human would consume and they had no health problems (for what that's worth).

I spent $8 on one bottle of the powdered variety and I use it on everything... it's lasted over three months!

And we can all use more fibre!

The gluten-free and I are praying that a major food manfuacturer will start actually using Stevia to mfg baked goods. Unfortunately there is some legal reason in the US Stevia is not yet allowed to be sold as a formal "sweetener" (just as a supplement).

[Guest BERNESES]

So far so good. Now if they would only put it in diet Coke... I'd be all set!

[ArtGirl]

  BERNESES said:

So far so good. Now if they would only put it in diet Coke... I'd be all set!

I read someplace that the Japanese use stevia in their diet sodas - they never used aspertame and it's outlawed. They are smarter than us in that me thinks.

[happyhealthy1]

  Lymetoo said:

They TRY all the time, don't they!! We all have to be vigilant to keep our supplements and natural food products out of their paws. They are all about MONEY, NOT the safety of the public.

I agree IMO they don't have our best interests at heart, just because the FDA approves something doesn't mean it is safe or good for us it just means that someone had a lot of money and got the right people to lobby for them, look at all the prescriptions that they approved that caused liver damage and eventually death, so as far as the opinions on health, wellness and herbs I will stick with advice of my friend and Naturpathic Doctor and let the FDA do whatever they do without my support. I try to do everything herbally and naturally, afterall a life w/o meds is the life for me! I do like sweetleaf stevia and cactus agave nectar for sweetening they are the best around IMO!

[lindalee]

It's the only sweetner allowed on the healing diet I am on-haven't bought any yet. LL

[au natural]

  Lymetoo said:

They TRY all the time, don't they!! We all have to be vigilant to keep our supplements and natural food products out of their paws. They are all about MONEY, NOT the safety of the public.

In case anyone is still interested: Stevia is 100 times more sweet that table sugar.

Depending upon the brand of stevia it can contain maltdextrose or lactose.

here is a *portion guide.*--2 tsp of Regular sugar is equal to 2 tsp of granulated sucralose ( granulated splenda) or 1 packet of spoonable stevia or 1/2 tsp of spoonable stevia in bulk form or 1/4 tsp of liquid stevia or 1/16 tsp of pure stevioside.

The strength of stevia will vary from one brand to the next. The brand that is the highest in pure steviosides will give you a sweet taste without bitterness.

The above portions is based on an extract with over 90% steviosides. If using stevia with less than 90% reduce the portions by 30%. This will avoid the bitter taste while not being as sweet. In using stevia in baking I have portioned out what the recipie would call for sugar - used the stevian equivelant and then gradually added it to the recipie. I sometimes dont use all the portioned out stevia. There are cookbooks just for stevia at your local natural food store.

[terri]

I bought NuStevia at Whole Foods. It's in a purple box and says on the back that it contains no gluten, wheat, soy, yeast, milk synthetics, artificial colors or flavors, preservatives, saccharin, aspartame, sucralose or artificial sweetners. I also buy the Stevia Plus brand as it has inulin in it and try to use 2 packs of that a day and the rest I use the nu-tone. It dissolves really well. The Whole Foods brand of Stevia doesn't really dissolve and makes your beverage cloudy. Even Trader Joe now has their own brand of Stevia.