DO You Use Stevia?
LeidaPrimal
Posts: 198 Member
Just wondering how many people use Stevia/not use Stevia and if it hinders fat loss for them? Experience off and on Stevia?
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I don't add stevia to anything because I'm not really one for finding "substitutes". I just got used to things not being sweet. There is stevia in the flavoured protein powder (but I always mix with 50/50 with unflavoured) that I use and also in the Now Vita Squenchers that I only have once in awhile.
If I did buy stevia, I would try to get it in a form that is minimally processed. Truvia is a Coca Cola product and I think Pepsi makes one similar. Generally, the occasional times that I use a sweetener it is raw honey, raw sugar, or maple syrup and usually half what the recipe calls for. I'd rather still have my coffee with just cream, a dab of honey on rare occasion (maybe once per month) then try to get used to it with stevia.
So, I do consume some stevia but not very much. I haven't noticed any problems. I would think, like anything, that eating a large amount might not be beneficial, but I don't know first-hand.0 -
No. Stevia is a different kind of sugar and therefore sugar is a sugar. Stevia, honey, raw sugar cane, maple, HFCS, fruits, and all of it is a sugar.0
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I do on occassion. Maybe I am wrong, but it was my understanding that Stevia is a natural sweetener. It is derived from a plant. There isn't anything artificial about it.0
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I don't but I think it tastes nasty...
If I want something a touch sweeter I use honey - if you go this way find local honey and pay the extra $$$ - so much better (of all the people my dentist is actually a beekeeper and jars his own honey so we buy it from him - I suspect that is a way to keep himself in business...selling his clients natural sugar
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I don't but I think it tastes nasty...
If I want something a touch sweeter I use honey - if you go this way find local honey and pay the extra $$$ - so much better (of all the people my dentist is actually a beekeeper and jars his own honey so we buy it from him - I suspect that is a way to keep himself in business...selling his clients natural sugar )
If he knew you brought tons of his honey then he'll know why you need him as a dentist for you, at least he knows what went wrong with you.
I do find this little funny but that's a smart move on his part. 0 -
Stevia is a plant. I have it on my porch, actually. Some of them have various chemicals added, so you have to watch for that. Trader Joe's bottle of it does not. I use it in my tea mostly.
I use honey when baking.0 -
While artificial sweeteners do not have calories, they DO still produce an insulin response - and minimizing that insulin response is one of the main reasons we avoid sugars and carbs in the first place. Don't use it, and learn to eat with the natural sweetness of foods and fruits.
As for the 'naturalness' of stevia:
- if you are using the leaf, then yeah, it's natural.
- if you are using stevia extract (leaf steeped in alcohol), then it's still pretty much natural.
- if you are buying a powdered stevia product from the store, it is a manufactured food - the active ingredient of stevia is isolated and extracted, and then mixed with fillers and anti-caking agents. Not natural in my eyes.0 -
The fella above me is right but I do have stevia packets that I use very very rarely. If I have iced tea in the evening I'll put a half a packet to a glass. I have coffee in the mornings with just half&half.0
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I don't but I think it tastes nasty...
^Agree with this. I tried it, I admit. But it was not good IMO.
I always thought the same thing about Stevia when it came to it's Paleo-ness, similar to what MonkeyDharma said. If it's in leaf form, I might use it but I don't know if growing it is worth the trouble since I'd hardly use it. I've gotten used to my unsweetened tea now, especially peppermint, kombucha, and green teas.0 -
While artificial sweeteners do not have calories, they DO still produce an insulin response - and minimizing that insulin response is one of the main reasons we avoid sugars and carbs in the first place. Don't use it, and learn to eat with the natural sweetness of foods and fruits.
As for the 'naturalness' of stevia:
- if you are using the leaf, then yeah, it's natural.
- if you are using stevia extract (leaf steeped in alcohol), then it's still pretty much natural.
- if you are buying a powdered stevia product from the store, it is a manufactured food - the active ingredient of stevia is isolated and extracted, and then mixed with fillers and anti-caking agents. Not natural in my eyes.
Most excellent post. I think I love you.0 -
It is in my egg white protein powder. I don't think it has hindered weight loss.0
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I haven't noticed any problems with fatloss and using stevia. I know Dr. Andreas Eenfeldt did a study with Pepsi Max recently where he tested his blood ketone levels. Here is the article if you are interested http://www.dietdoctor.com/is-pepsi-max-bad-for-your-weight Basically he found that the artificial sweeteners do lower your blood ketone levels. I don't know if stevia would do the same, but I would suspect it would just because the brain recognizes it as sweet and will release insulin. It would be a good n=1 experiment.0
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Here's a recipe that stevia canada just posted on Facebook. Looks Primal friendly to me. I have yet to try it, but I think I will. I'll likely use Almond butter instead of the peanuts though.
1 stick butter
1oz unsweetened chocolate
1/2 tsp Stevia Max powder
1 TBSP heavy cream
4 TBSP peanut butter
chopped walnuts (optional)
Melt butter, chocolate and stevia in microwave. Stir in cream and peanut butter. Pour into 10 lined cupcake tins (or 6 large) and sprinkle with nuts. Freeze! Eat frozen for a great treat!0 -
Stevia is not a sugar, it is an herb.
And it does not produce an insulin response.
Hope that helps.0 -
Stevia is not a sugar, it is an herb.
And it does not produce an insulin response.
Hope that helps.
Are you sure it doesn't produce an insulin response?0 -
Alas, I've sold out and went to the art sweeteners world for now. Cleaning up will be hell, of course, but Lyle has my soul right now, so sticking to the deficits I need for 2 months, I gotta give an inch. Oh, well. See if I can get to the target & then do a saintly clean up for a month or two and stick to no sweeteners and coffee from then on for a while... Heh, it's the cycle of life.0
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Stevia is not a sugar, it is an herb.
...and sugar beets are a root vegetable, and sugar cane is a grass. What does being an 'herb' have to do with anything?0 -
Stevia is not a sugar, it is an herb.
...and sugar beets are a root vegetable, and sugar cane is a grass. What does being an 'herb' have to do with anything?
:flowerforyou:
Exactly what I was thinking.0 -
Here's a recipe that stevia canada just posted on Facebook. Looks Primal friendly to me. I have yet to try it, but I think I will. I'll likely use Almond butter instead of the peanuts though.
1 stick butter
1oz unsweetened chocolate
1/2 tsp Stevia Max powder
1 TBSP heavy cream
4 TBSP peanut butter
chopped walnuts (optional)
Melt butter, chocolate and stevia in microwave. Stir in cream and peanut butter. Pour into 10 lined cupcake tins (or 6 large) and sprinkle with nuts. Freeze! Eat frozen for a great treat!
Peanuts are legumes. Not primal.0 -
that's why I was going to use almond butter instead.0
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I don't use it. It's a sweetener. Unless you're weaning yourself off other sugars (then use the leaf or distilled stevia), no sense feeding the sugar monster. Over time your craving or sweets will diminish, but it won't if you keep eating sweet stuff. It's what it does to receptors in the brain. Try to quit smoking by switching from one kind of cigarette to another ... think that will work?0
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I use Stevia. But in saying that I have one coffee in the morning with cream, and add 2 teaspoons of 'Natvia' so that's all I have each day. I don't notice any problems with it myself personally.0
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No stevia here or any sweeteners! Are you struggling with eliminating sugars? Need a replacement for meals? Just curious.0
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Neither. When I am doing normal feeding with either slight caloric deficit or at maintenance & not too restricted on macros, I am fine with no sweeteners of any kind including fruit and all real food.
But I am doing a couple of months of UD2.0 now to cut into the stubborn fat, and I need to go for 4 days each week on 800-1000 cals on under 30 g carbs total a day and trying to minimize fat, so it really helps to have coffee, chew gum and have a big bowl of 40 cals jello with tea before bed. I was thinking of doing my own jello, with stevia and lemon/lime juice, but it never tastes as good as the crap industrial one & no variety + I want gum and diet pop once in a while too to survive, so aspartime is gonna be there.
So, yeah, I sold out & my fat loss is the priority right now, and it is probably wrong and yada-yada-yada. Once I am satisfied with the BF%, I am gonna ban the artificial crap, since, yes, I love Paloe/Primal lifestyle. I just don't like my natural body shape and want to see if I can nudge myself past the set point for a bit to get ripped. Never been in my life, always wanted to.0 -
Neither. When I am doing normal feeding with either slight caloric deficit or at maintenance & not too restricted on macros, I am fine with no sweeteners of any kind including fruit and all real food.
But I am doing a couple of months of UD2.0 now to cut into the stubborn fat, and I need to go for 4 days each week on 800-1000 cals on under 30 g carbs total a day and trying to minimize fat, so it really helps to have coffee, chew gum and have a big bowl of 40 cals jello with tea before bed. I was thinking of doing my own jello, with stevia and lemon/lime juice, but it never tastes as good as the crap industrial one & no variety + I want gum and diet pop once in a while too to survive, so aspartime is gonna be there.
So, yeah, I sold out & my fat loss is the priority right now, and it is probably wrong and yada-yada-yada. Once I am satisfied with the BF%, I am gonna ban the artificial crap, since, yes, I love Paloe/Primal lifestyle. I just don't like my natural body shape and want to see if I can nudge myself past the set point for a bit to get ripped. Never been in my life, always wanted to.
What is UD2.0 and why are you minimizing fat in your diet? Curious ...0 -
It's Ultimate Diet 2.0, a crb- and calories cycling diet that is tied into a workout regimen that is designed to lose stubborn fat once you get into the low average BF% and can't drop fat further, like 20-22% for women. It is developed by Lyle McDonald. It is the only thing that allows me to move past the set point I get stuck on all the time. Last time I did it I screwed up coming off it and regained back to the set point, but after experimenting for a few months I have a couple of ideas of how to handle the post-diet phase to hold the weight loss (either high fat primal or raw vegan, yeah, I know, that's two extremes), so I am giving it another shot. No point of doing it if you can't hold weight.0
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It's Ultimate Diet 2.0, a crb- and calories cycling diet that is tied into a workout regimen that is designed to lose stubborn fat once you get into the low average BF% and can't drop fat further, like 20-22% for women. It is developed by Lyle McDonald. It is the only thing that allows me to move past the set point I get stuck on all the time. Last time I did it I screwed up coming off it and regained back to the set point, but after experimenting for a few months I have a couple of ideas of how to handle the post-diet phase to hold the weight loss (either high fat primal or raw vegan, yeah, I know, that's two extremes), so I am giving it another shot. No point of doing it if you can't hold weight.
Interesting. I went & read a pdf online about the UD and what I see is carbs at a low of 50g per day with protein up to 200g per day and fill in the blanks with fat. I can see how the low carb would be a weight loss help, but have found from experience that fat (good fat) doesn't cause weight gain and one could just as easily add in more fat (which also makes you feel full longer so less snacking and added calories), rather than relying on protein. Most people trying for high protein use powders and supplements because it's difficult to get 200g of protein a day from real food. As long as they're aware that powders are highly processed and sweetened, that's their choice.
I'm not criticizing, just a point of discussion; you're a grown woman and not going to tell you what food choices you should make :-) That being said, I know how effective paleo has been for me, not just in weight loss, but improving my health--I truly believe food should be a source for good health, not just a full belly or slimmer body. If you struggle with getting to your goal using UD, consider doing a Whole30 http://whole9life.com/itstartswithfood/ The one thing I'd recommend ... look at eating healthy as a lifetime objective and not a short term weight loss challenge. When you get older past the best before date (I'm in my 50s), things start to unravel if you don't eat healthy :-) Just sayin'0 -
Refined stevia is a glycoside, not a saccharide: ie, not a sugar. It contains a sugar molecule bound to other molecules. Not comparible to sugarbeets or cane. At 300x sweetness than sugar, that is why it has no caloric value when used in amounts that create a sweetness comparible to sugar.
Am I sure it does not produce an insulin response? Well, that is what studies have shown. I have not seen a study that shows it DOES produce an insulin response.
It is an herb in the sense that if you use a liquid extract, it is essentially the same as extracting basil leaves. I can grow stevia leaves on my windowsill, crush up a leaf, and put it in tea to sweeten it. Could you grow a sugar beet or cane on your windowsill and process it enough to get sugar? Only with a lot of work. So in my opinion, using the leaf or a straight liquid extract like Sweetleaf is perfectly safe. Not that garbage that other companies make and mix with fillers.0 -
I did Whole 30, twice now. I did 100% primal. I normally gain weight on it. Healthy is great, but I still do not like the shape my body takes 'naturally'. I know that it is because I need to be able to conceive, carry and deliver three babies in the middle of the Antarctic desert, during the dark winter of the Ice Age, but it doesn't mean I am about to undertake it. In fact, my interests lies in avoiding having babies in the middle of the desert, and more along the lines of being a city dweller, quite attuned to the rhythm of the 21st century, including the modern trend for a woman to have rather a hint of hips, belly and thighs, not the HIPS, BELLY and THIGHS.
I am almost 40, and losing the weight after pregnancy got me interested in all things body related. Including reshaping the body at will. I consider paleo/primal the perfect WOE, and intend to continue to pursue paleo/primal till I no longer care (like when I am 70 or something), but I do want to see myself ripped once and the time is running out since when I hit the menopause, I will start declining into fat no matter how I eat and how I train. Before the fat suit zips in for good, I want to check out what it takes to get and stay ripped for my particular body. It is not a bad body, but I want to see it at a sub-average BF% level.
I am also lucky because I have never had any major health concerns even when I got to my highest weight after pg. So, I was never really sick with anything but sugar hunger on CW that paleo/primal way fixed.0 -
I do not use any sweeteners.. I haven't found a reason why I would need to! (:0
