Stevia?

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annieboo34
annieboo34 Posts: 12
in Food and Nutrition
Anyone using it for a sweetener? Positive, negative ideas about it? Thanks:)

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  • islandnutshel
    islandnutshel Posts: 1,143 Member
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    I like stevia, but my husband thinks it has after-taste. He doesn't mind it in cooking but to add to tea he objects. Agave syrup I hear is good, I will try that next. Those are the only natural ones I know.
  • mizfit
    mizfit Posts: 118
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    Hello,

    I have also used stevia and it can have a bit of an after taste. Agave nectar is good and there is also xylitol which is another natural sweetener.
  • VCStarr
    VCStarr Posts: 155
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    I think it tastes funny
  • snookeroo
    snookeroo Posts: 1,992 Member
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    I use "Ideal No Calorie Sweetener". It has no after taste. It is made from xylitol and is 99% natural.
    I have tried stevia but I did not like the after taste. I am very happy with IDEAL NO CALORIE SWEETENER. I use it in coffee and iced tea. Here is a link to their web site:
    http://www.idealsweet.com/
  • cassandra67
    cassandra67 Posts: 10
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    I love Stevia! I use the SweetLeaf Stevia Extract, no the Stevia Plus. I personally like the taste, but my family thinks it has an aftertaste.
  • KeriA
    KeriA Posts: 3,276 Member
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    I did a little on line research about problems and it seems if not overused it can be ok for most. Some/few people have problems especially if used regularly. The natural ones seem better to me. I do not mind the taste but it is too sweet so I use very little the times I tried it.
  • totalimageguy
    totalimageguy Posts: 62 Member
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    I use the Truvia brand of Stevia, its the only one I have found with no aftertaste. Good review of sweeteners here:

    http://www.meandjorge.com/2010/08/sugar-substitutes-allowed-on-belly-fat.html
  • natashaaevans
    natashaaevans Posts: 33 Member
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    I love Stevia! I carry a little bottle around in my handbag for when I'm having coffee out. You get used to the aftertaste - I drink a lot of coffee and tea so I don't want to have to worry about the calories! Stevia has none! Plus it's one of the few sweeteners that seems to be all natural (it might have an after-taste but it doesn't have nasty after-affects, if you know what I mean!)
  • islandnutshel
    islandnutshel Posts: 1,143 Member
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    I did a little on line research about problems and it seems if not overused it can be ok for most. Some/few people have problems especially if used regularly. The natural ones seem better to me. I do not mind the taste but it is too sweet so I use very little the times I tried it.

    Curious what sweetener are you reffering too?
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
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    I've done a ton of research on stevia after deciding to quit eating all processed sugars (at least as much as I can - I don't refuse food at other people's homes because it has sugar in it, or anything like that). I'll use honey, agave, pure maple syrup and Stevia for sweeteners, though I don't add sweetener to too many foods anymore.

    I'm convinced that Stevia is the best sugar substitute available, and have bought my own plants - they're growing in my dining room right now. Stevia has zero calories and no impact on blood sugar levels. It is made from a South American plant that the natives there have been using for hundreds of years. You may find some people who say Stevia is bad for you, but if you do your research, you'll find that those older studies were flawed and recent studies (including one by the World Health Organization) show that Stevioside (what makes stevia sweet) is perfectly safe.

    A few notes on buying Stevia: try to buy pure stevia/stevioside - I'm weary of all the added ingredients some companies put in the manufactured products. Unfortunately, it's hard to find and when you do find it, it's expensive. Try to buy Stevia that is processed only with water - some companies extract the stevioside with chemicals rather than water; also, some companies bleach the extract to make it perfectly white. I'm not interested in bleached foods! :tongue:

    I'm currently using SweetLeaf, though I ordered another brand online that has no additional ingredients at all and was really reasonably priced. Although SweetLeaf has inulin added, I bought it because it's processed only with water, according to their website. It does have a slight taste, but I've gotten used to it, and I'd rather adjust my taste buds than keep ingesting regular sugar/splenda/aspartame/all of the other processed sugars.

    In general, I feel SO MUCH better after giving up processed sugars. :drinker:
  • annieboo34
    annieboo34 Posts: 12
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    Thanks for all your feedback everyone!:smile:

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