Stevia is awful

wrevhn

Last night I was trying to make a chocolate avocado (sugar free) mousse recipe I found on pinterest. I think if I had used the suggested sweetener it would have turned out. But all I had was normal sugar and STEVIA.

The very small amount I use in tea (1/4 cup to a gallon, stevia in the raw cup for cup) is JUST FINE.
But the amount needed in the recipe WAS JUST TERRIBLE! :sick:

It was so bitter I had trouble "fixing" the recipe to get it to work!

Next time I might just use nutella or melt hersheys sugar free choc chips.

I like Xylitol better.

wrevhn

was not sure if it was just me or a bad bag of it or something.

juliette28

Have you tried Truvia? It's pretty good. Splenda has now come out with a natural sweetener too... it's called nectresse. I'm sorry the Stevia ruined your recipe!

wrevhn

Have you tried Truvia? It's pretty good. Splenda has now come out with a natural sweetener too... it's called nectresse. I'm sorry the Stevia ruined your recipe!

no, not yet, I've heard of it but i think i thought it was the same as stevia. I could prob try it. ty!

wrevhn

I wonder if Splenda is the same as aspartame.

SideSteel

I wonder if Splenda is the same as aspartame.

I'm pretty sure it is. I use it and like it.

Edit: I stand corrected.

05saleengirl

Have you tried Truvia? It's pretty good. Splenda has now come out with a natural sweetener too... it's called nectresse. I'm sorry the Stevia ruined your recipe!

I've wondered how this new stuff tastes. Because regular a
Splenda makes me hungry as hell! There is also another natural sweetner called Swerve. Supposedly good. Haven't tried it yet.

xxthoroughbred

Did you lessen the amount you used from the amount of regular sugar the recipe called for? Stevia is much more potent.

rml_16

A friend gave me a packet of hers to try. I did not like it. I use real sugar or honey.

wrevhn

Did you lessen the amount you used from the amount of regular sugar the recipe called for? Stevia is much more potent.

it was the cup for cup one, not the concentrated one.

perfecting_emptiness

Did you lessen the amount you used from the amount of regular sugar the recipe called for? Stevia is much more potent.

^^true story. You def don't need as much

wrevhn

Have you tried Truvia? It's pretty good. Splenda has now come out with a natural sweetener too... it's called nectresse. I'm sorry the Stevia ruined your recipe!

I've wondered how this new stuff tastes. Because regular a
Splenda makes me hungry as hell! There is also another natural sweetner called Swerve. Supposedly good. Haven't tried it yet.

http://www.nectresse.com/our-story

excited! i read about it, ordered my free sample! ty for suggesting it!

flynnfinn

i don't like pure stevia at all. and stevia used in recipes with chocolate is just trouble. stevia in itself is bitter. add chocolate to that (chocolate has a natural bitterness to it) and the bitterness is enhanced/emphasized.

lots of better-tasting alternatives out there: agave, coconut palm sugar, honey, molasses (although this has a strong flavor).

i like xylitol myself too. but sometimes, i find that xylitol has a "cooling" effect on the palette. sort of like chewing winterfresh flavored gum.

wrevhn

i don't like pure stevia at all. and stevia used in recipes with chocolate is just trouble. stevia in itself is bitter. add chocolate to that (chocolate has a natural bitterness to it) and the bitterness is enhanced/emphasized.

lots of better-tasting alternatives out there: agave, coconut palm sugar, honey, molasses (although this has a strong flavor).

i like xylitol myself too. but sometimes, i find that xylitol has a "cooling" effect on the palette. sort of like chewing winterfresh flavored gum.

It does a tad, but not enough to bother me. Plus it kills candida I hear, which I have systemic candida. So I like that. But the store near me stopped selling the brand I bought, so I got the big bag of stevia. Mostly for my tea. But I am not fond of it.

Never thought about the chocolate emphasizing the bitter...hmm. Good point.

hamncheese67

I wonder if Splenda is the same as aspartame.

Splenda is the brand name for sucralose. It's not the same as aspartame.

The new Nectresse is derived from Monk fruit. This really isn't new in that health food stores have been selling it under it's Chinese name of Lo Han. It's just a new commercial derivation.

As for stevia, it can be bitter and not for everyone. I use the liquid extract for sweetening drinks and sauces. Products like Truvia or PureVia have some chemical processing to help tone down the bitterness so may be better for cooking purposes.

August_1958

I don't personally use any sugar substitute. I have found multiple reasons not to use them, but since I am lucky and do not have to worry about my glucose levels, I use ONLY natural sugar. I have major adverse reactions to every product on the market and found it just wasn't worth it, even chewing gum.

I've learned to cut back on my sugar intake or eliminate it whenever possible. I still use 2 teaspoons in my tea (when I have it) and it is sweet enough, it is natural and only 32 calories! It has taught me to be conservative with the natural product and has worked for me personally.

wrevhn

wow, so much info I'm learning! thank you all.

and I looked up Swerve too, it looks like a possible option!

http://www.swervesweetener.com/

SideSteel

I wonder if Splenda is the same as aspartame.

Splenda is the brand name for sucralose. It's not the same as aspartame.

^ Thanks.

transvenouspacer

A friend gave me a packet of hers to try. I did not like it. I use real sugar or honey.

Same here.

On a side note, a warning to pet owners: xylitol is deadly to dogs so please be careful with it if you have dogs in the house. Sorry for detailing your thread OP, just wanted to make sure dog owners are aware of this!

Now back to your regularly scheduled thread programming

wrevhn

A friend gave me a packet of hers to try. I did not like it. I use real sugar or honey.

Same here.

On a side note, a warning to pet owners: xylitol is deadly to dogs so please be careful with it if you have dogs in the house. Sorry for detailing your thread OP, just wanted to make sure dog owners are aware of this!

Now back to your regularly scheduled thread programming

that is a point that needs to be made ty! i forget to mention that. I learned to stop giving my dog to many scraps period. figured it helped keep me from having to think of or worry about what was in them and if it would harm her.

thx for making that note!

crimznrose

Truvia makes a baking blend that is part sugar/part truvia. I've tried Splenda, but it caused migraines. Now, I use truvia whenever I sweeten anything.

PLUMSGRL

Try going to Life grocery (Harry's might have it too), look for Kal brand for the Stevia, much less after taste. But I agree xylitol or erythritol is much better for you.

edit: you might like this site, lovely recipes: http://detoxinista.com/recipes/candida-cleansing-recipes/

:flowerforyou:

ObtainingBalance

I don't like stevia in the raw...

I have a small container of powdered stevia.. it's pretty sweet, all you need is this tiny tiny amount. (The scoop they give you is less than a teaspoon) I use it in coffee, oatmeal, etc etc.

We have the big bag of baking stevia but I never have used it in a recipe... I've used the splenda baking one.

Xylitol is pretty good, also!

Don't give up on the recipe though lol, just try it again with a different one

jesse1379

Truvia has mainly Stevia in it but they add an ingredient called Rhebiana that takes the typical bitterness out of the Stevia. In my humble opinion Truvia is the closest thing to actual sugar in taste and consistency that I have tried. I cant recommend it enough.

I have always been hesitant to try Sucrolose because it is basically Chlorinated sugar. Chlorine isn't exactly known for its health benefits:)

bugaha1

What was wrong with the taste? I just saw a show and they cooked with it and they said Stevia is sweeter than sugar and to use liquid Stevia.

chocolateandpb

I make my chocolate avocado mousse using raw organic honey and it comes out delicious!!!! Yes it's sugar, but it's real and mostly unprocessed. It's not something I eat everyday, so I think a little bit is fine in moderation. Mmm, now I'm craving chocolate avocado mousse!

secretlobster

I agree, I think it's gross.

Tried many natural sugar substitutes myself. In the end, I just decided to cut back on sugar in general and now I only use the real thing.

KNarrainen

If you need to use anything like Stevia or Splenda in a recipe that asks for grms rather than tsp then I think you need the granulated stuff. As the standard powder weighs nothing and you end up putting a ridiculous amount in.

tyrantduck

Truvia is amazing. I can't use any other type of sweetener because my body has really bad reactions to the chemicals they use in them, Splenda especially. I get nauseous, I get the shakes, cold sweats, and migraines that make the nausea worse and sometimes cause me to vomit. It's either Truvia or real sugar for me!

Jaspr7

You might try some different "brands" of stevia until you find one with a flavor you like. They are quite different and it took several tries before I found one that didn't taste vile to me. I'm currently using NuNaturals White Stevia Powder for liquids and NuNaturals MoreFiber Stevia Baking Blend for cooking. In recipes, I find I have to substitute a LOT less of the baking blend than the sugar called for in the recipe. Like everything else, there seems to be a "learning curve" for getting used to the flavor of a new sweetener.

Xylitol has a lovely taste and great cooking properties but causes me terrible gastrointestinal issues. I've also recently read some negative statements about its effects on the human body. Stopped using sucralose (Splenda) because of what I've heard about what it may do to flora in the gut.

Good luck! The search for the perfect sugar alternative goes on. Too bad we can't all just ignore the sweet tooth's demand for dessert and make do with fruit. It just isn't the same, is it?

bugaha1

Stevia: This non-caloric sweetener comes from a plant and is all-natural. However, beware: There are a ton of stevia products sold with extra additives as some companies blend it with other sweeteners. Other Popular Food Substitutes. Go to Dr Oz website for his run down.