Artifical sweetener (Stevia)

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wildcata77
wildcata77 Posts: 660
in Food and Nutrition
If you are a diet soda hater, but are still having trouble breaking the regular soda habit, what do you sub with?

I hated the taste of sucralose, so the drinks with Splenda are out. I'm trying one today made with Stevia to see if the more "natural" substitute leaves the same aftertaste, but I think it's going to be like everything else: I can "stomach" it, but after a while I will end up switching back to regular soda.

I know in moderation having one a day or every other day won't break me, and I do drink my water (I have to drink at least half my 8 servings before having a soda) but I'd really like to kick this habit for good.

Replies

  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    Honestly coke zero cherry is delicious. Blue sky stevia soda is pretty good too. If you're that concerned with soda start drinking sparkling soda with a touch of orange/lemon/crystal light?
  • wildcata77
    wildcata77 Posts: 660
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    Honestly coke zero cherry is delicious. Blue sky stevia soda is pretty good too. If you're that concerned with soda start drinking sparkling soda with a touch of orange/lemon/crystal light?

    I might have to try Cherry Coke Zero again...I always forget about that one but I might actually like it.
  • msarro
    msarro Posts: 2,748 Member
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    Honestly my feelings on Stevia are that its pretty "meh." I grew it in my garden last year, and also have had it in packet form. The herbal flavor that goes along with the sweetness is really only good in tea IMO. It is too distracting in pretty much anything else.
  • QueenStromba
    QueenStromba Posts: 57 Member
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    I can't stand artificial sweeteners because they all have a horrible aftertaste to me but I like stevia.
  • mjbrenner
    mjbrenner Posts: 222 Member
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    If you want to break the soda habit, you could try moving to flavored seltzers. There is a specific base flavor that is unique to seltzer, but once you adjust to that, you are getting lots of flavor with no calories or artificial sweeteners of any kind. If it's available near you, Polar's vanilla seltzer tastes positively luxurious, like a nice cream soda.
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,550 Member
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    Stevia is not artificial, it's from the Stevia plant. That said, a lot of people complain about the aftertaste or "off" taste of it. THAT said, my extremely picky teenage daughter LOVES it and uses it instead of real sugar on everything (she's a sugar phreak which concerns me).
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    Stevia is not artificial, it's from the Stevia plant. That said, a lot of people complain about the aftertaste or "off" taste of it. THAT said, my extremely picky teenage daughter LOVES it and uses it instead of real sugar on everything (she's a sugar phreak which concerns me).

    FYI

    Stevia IS and artificial sweetener. Check your Truvia, etc. The ingredients are rebiana(stevia extract) and erythritol. (sugar treated with alchohol) 99.1 percent is erythritol.

    Stevia is sooo much sweeter than sugar it has to be used with a bulking agent like this.

    Rebiana is not a natural ingredient within the stevia plant, but is formed by the action of chemicals and stringent alcohols on the leaves. It does not exist in nature as claimed. Reb A, or rebaudioside A is produced by the action sunlight on the leaves, and therefore, is not the same as Rebiana as many people assume. Rebiana is simply the trade name Cargill gave their chemically derived product in 2008. Cargill reports their erythritol in Truvia is derived from corn that is 30% GMOs. Somehow Truvia found a way to market their erythritol product as stevia. I will say, however, that Truvia is much better for consumption than aspartame and probably better than sucralose as it does not cause a spike in blood sugar and cannot be fully processed by your body.

    Do some research it's pretty interesting. That being said I drink it in my coffee.

    <3
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,550 Member
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    Mmmm, you can put the actual Stevia leaf, plucked straight off the plant, into your drink to sweeten it. I agree that some derivatives, such as Truvia, have additives that may make it more of an "artificial" sweetener. But straight Stevia (the plant) is natural as opposed to manufactured in a laboratory.

    But bottom line, I don't sweeten anything with additives. I believe that making everything "sweet" contributes to obesity.

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