Stevia

mistimn

I've done a little research on this stuff because it claims to be the "true" no cal sweetener that's not bad for you...curious on what others think about it.

BJPCraig

We use it on occasion, and have packets of it in the cupboard (similar to restaurant sugar packets). We like it, and prefer to use it for baking in place of sugar.

LesaDave

I know it is very sweet--almost too sweet. I am glad I found it. Sometimes during the summer I eat the leaves fresh off the plant. I like this MUCH better than those other sweeteners.

julia_shealy

Stevia is a plant extract like sugar but it is not equivalent teaspoon to teaspoon as some of the packing companies are advertising. I prefer to get mine in liquid form so I am not tempted to over sweeten bc it has a sweeter taste... At least for me. Please do plent of research before you purchase your first bit. Proper use leads to better weight loss results and a healthier you.

AvalonsUnicorn

I LOVE it! I buy it in the big bags and use it in everything like my tea and coffee I don't notice an after taste or anything though my boyfriend tried a sip of my tea and said it tasted funny but then he likes his tea with nothing in it... I just like to think of how many calories I'm saving by having switched. Also I find it sweeter than sugar where I would use 3 teaspoons of sugar I now use 1 teaspoon of Stevia.

Hezzietiger1

so far its claimed to be "all natural" and sold in the health food stores like earthfare and whole foods as all natural. I'm a fan. The thing is tho, if it was all natural.. how can it be white? The stevia leaf is green. So at some point it has to go through some sort of processing/bleaching to become white. My grandparents grow stevia on their farm and make tea and stuff with it. The live pretty far from me so that's their thing not mine. But my grandma made a good point about the white/green thing lol. Either way.. stevia seems to be the best no cal option available at this time. Research also shows it to be the healthiest.

mlewon

It tastes great and is all natural.. A win for me. I use it in tea, coffee and when I bake.

allisonmrn

I LLLLOOOOVVEEEE it. The granulated version has an aftertaste, IMO, so I use the extract (vitamin shoppe). I use it in everything!!

kittyhasclaws

I can't get past the aftertaste it leaves. I don't do a lot of sweetener in the first place (mostly just in my morning coffee) so I just stick to regular refined sugars (as evil as it may be to many people). I just hate the aftertaste.

NoAdditives

so far its claimed to be "all natural" and sold in the health food stores like earthfare and whole foods as all natural. I'm a fan. The thing is tho, if it was all natural.. how can it be white? The stevia leaf is green. So at some point it has to go through some sort of processing/bleaching to become white. My grandparents grow stevia on their farm and make tea and stuff with it. The live pretty far from me so that's their thing not mine. But my grandma made a good point about the white/green thing lol. Either way.. stevia seems to be the best no cal option available at this time. Research also shows it to be the healthiest.

Most everything we eat (besides whole fruits and vegetables) is processed in some way. That doesn't inherently mean it's bad. There are plenty of reasons why a liquid and it's resulting dry, crystalline form would be white, even though the leaf is green.

Brunner26_2

so far its claimed to be "all natural" and sold in the health food stores like earthfare and whole foods as all natural. I'm a fan. The thing is tho, if it was all natural.. how can it be white? The stevia leaf is green. So at some point it has to go through some sort of processing/bleaching to become white. My grandparents grow stevia on their farm and make tea and stuff with it. The live pretty far from me so that's their thing not mine. But my grandma made a good point about the white/green thing lol. Either way.. stevia seems to be the best no cal option available at this time. Research also shows it to be the healthiest.

Most everything we eat (besides whole fruits and vegetables) is processed in some way. That doesn't inherently mean it's bad. There are plenty of reasons why a liquid and it's resulting dry, crystalline form would be white, even though the leaf is green.

Yup, the actual sweet compounds are white. The leaf is green because of chlorophyll.

megsmom2

I don't like the aftertaste. I suppose it would be good in some things, or maybe I could try some of the stevia blends, but the aftertaste bothers me. The only thing I use sweetener for anymore is in my coffee, and not much of that, so I'll stick with what I like.

slappywags37

Great for baking, mega sweet don't put it in tea or coffee! ( makes English tea fizz! ) but overall not too bad for a sweetener

Tina180130

I baked with Pure Via this week (Protein Muffins). I was surprised that there was no bitter after taste. One tbsp is just 2 calories-v-20 calories for white sugar. There was a special offer on at the local supermarket so, I purchased two boxes.

BJPCraig

I can't get past the aftertaste it leaves. I don't do a lot of sweetener in the first place (mostly just in my morning coffee) so I just stick to regular refined sugars (as evil as it may be to many people). I just hate the aftertaste.

I don't like the aftertaste. I suppose it would be good in some things, or maybe I could try some of the stevia blends, but the aftertaste bothers me. The only thing I use sweetener for anymore is in my coffee, and not much of that, so I'll stick with what I like.

I think this is just a genetic thing: For most of the population, stevia is great. For a small percentage, however, it affects the taste buds in such a way as to leave a bitter aftertaste. So, if you want to swtich to stevia, you'd probably be better off getting a small packet to try it out before investing in the large bag...

kittyhasclaws

I can't get past the aftertaste it leaves. I don't do a lot of sweetener in the first place (mostly just in my morning coffee) so I just stick to regular refined sugars (as evil as it may be to many people). I just hate the aftertaste.

I don't like the aftertaste. I suppose it would be good in some things, or maybe I could try some of the stevia blends, but the aftertaste bothers me. The only thing I use sweetener for anymore is in my coffee, and not much of that, so I'll stick with what I like.

I think this is just a genetic thing: For most of the population, stevia is great. For a small percentage, however, it affects the taste buds in such a way as to leave a bitter aftertaste. So, if you want to swtich to stevia, you'd probably be better off getting a small packet to try it out before investing in the large bag...

I tried it because of my husband's grandmother. She swears by it and I just couldn't deal with it. I drank my coffee black and unsweetened that trip...

mfp4040

I think Stevia (in granulated form) has a bitter after taste. I like Truvia but am not sure if it is natural. The package says it contains Erythritol, a compound found in fruit. Anyone know much about it?

mistimn

Wow thanks for all the replies I just remember back when splenda first came out and it's "no cal or low cal" advertisement had people going crazy. But it's bleached and I prefer not to have bleach in my food if I have a choice.

heatgal976

I've been using stevia for over 6 years before it became popular. I can't live without it. I used to be a Splenda girl. Splenda taste like garbage to me now. It's shocking how I can taste the chemicals in it. I've been using the NuNaturals brand after tasting a lot of different brands and it is the best hands down.

WAM777

I'm certainly no expert on this stuff, but from what I've read Stevia in most all it's forms commercially available is always cut with some other ingredient. This is due to Stevia in its pure form is too hard to measure out in the extremely minute amounts required to prevent making everything way too sweet. I understand it is 300 times sweeter than cane sugar.

sircris

As far as sweeteners go, I like stevia. I've tried splenda and 'truvia' (?) and well, it's hard to explain my taste buds on them but I prefer stevia. I add some to my oatmeal, cereal, and coffee (black).