Stevia - I need advice

Guinivere

Hi folks, I've done my research and it appears to me that Stevia is the safest low-cal sweetener out there. My problem is how to get my hands on some. I've googled it but it all seems to be in the USA and takes months to be delivered.

Has anyone else in the UK been able to get hold of some over here? - and what was your experience? - and of course the big question - what is it like and is it the great substitute it purports to be?

For those who don't know anything about it I found this information useful : "A perennial shrub of the aster family; available in whole or broken leaves, coarse ground, powder extract, or liquid extract; 8-300 times sweeter than table sugar (depending on quality and whether it is leaf or extract) but with 0 calories; sweetening attributes are the glycosides (Steviosides, Rebaudiosides and a Dulcoside). Grade A Paraguayan Stevia is the best, but hard to locate in the United States. Chinese and other non-Paraguayan Stevia may have an unpleasant aftertaste (bitter or grassy-tasting). (Emperor's Herbologist Stevioside is exceptional and has no unpleasant aftertaste.) For use in baking, the leaves are best dried and finely ground with a mortar and pestle. Dried stevia keeps its flavor for months. Use one teaspoon in place of one cup of sugar. Another source says to use 1-1.5 T. of green Stevia powder to replace 1 cup of sugar, or 1/4 tsp. white Stevia extract powder to replace 1 cup sugar. To make your own liquid solution, dissolve 1 tsp. white Stevia powder in 3 T. pure water and pour concentrate into a small bottle with a dropper; store in fridge. Approximately 1 tsp. of concentrate equals 1 cup of sugar. You will have to experiment in converting recipes, adjusting liquid and dry ingredients to make up for the lack of bulk that Stevia provides. Ground Stevia may be sprinkled lightly over cooking vegetables and meats, cereals and salads; significantly enhances the flavor and nutritional value of the food."

Any and all advice welcomed. I'm only interested in knowing about Stevia at this point. Cheers !

sunnie_skyes

Can't anyone from here the US send it to you. I've seen it in almost every grocery store I go to.

GalaxyDuck

I'm not sure about the UK, but in Canada I've only ever seen Stevia in the Organics sections. From what I've read, you need to be careful that you're getting actual Stevia and not the brands created by big food companies that have none of the actual benefits of Stevia, while being branded as Stevia products, such as Truvia.

Hope that helps!

sandislim

I used stevia, but I can't remember where I bought it from, probably ebay here's a link to the one that I've got

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Superior-Source-Sweet-n-Natural-Pure-Stevia-1-oz-28g-/130554682912

I bought 2, last year and I still have them. Stevia isn't very nice tasting - it has a sweet taste that comes across slower than sugar and has a really bitter aftertaste. Its best to use it alongside another natural sweeteners like honey/syrup/fruit/sugar. I mix a little with fruit or syrup - it makes it very sweet without too much after taste. The other natural sweeteners help mask the aftertaste without adding too many carbs or calories. I much prefer it over other sweeteners as I can't justify using artificial, having said that I only use it sparingly because I don't really cook sweet foods that much anymore and a lot of my primal recipes taste great without the need of any sweeteners.

klmdvm

search for a website called netrition - we get ours there. You can also find it at the Vitamin Shoppe but don't think it tastes as good. Pure stevia can be a little bitter tasting so you may want to try something like truvia which is easy to find

wickedcricket

Stevia is a plant. Perhaps you could grow some? At least one of my MFP pals has a stevia plant she uses for sweetner

sandislim

Truvia contains eurythritol and stevia so it might not be suitable if you want to avoid artificial

jfinnivan

Check Amazon.

Guinivere

Yeah, I checked Amazon - all USA shippers. Feedback says it takes months to get here.

I don't know anyone in the states but thanks for the wide variety of suggestions - that's brill, I'll get back on the research path with renewed gusto.

It is the actual Paraguayan Stevia I'm after which is not supposed to be bitter like the Chinese version. ......I know ............I'm a fussy begger!!

I love the idea of growing it myself - I'm a keen gardener - I've just bought the seeds from ebay!! Thanks peeps!

:-)

sunkisses

Stevia is a plant. Perhaps you could grow some? At least one of my MFP pals has a stevia plant she uses for sweetner

This.