Stevia

AnsiStar
AnsiStar Posts: 165 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Okay so living in England and being VERY sensitive to cold I really miss hot drinks.
I gave them up because my nutritionist recommended I limit my caffeine intake (that's cool, could have decaf) but I can't drink it without it being sweetened. She also recommended I steer clear of artifical sweeteners and because I like my fruit, I have to watch my sugar intake.

So I looked up stevia but I'm feeling really confused. Is it only "clean" when it's in green powder form? I've seen a few white powder versions but a lot have other ingredients I'm thrown by. It'd be so great to have a sugar substitute back. If anyone can help I'd really appreciate it!

Also, before people jump, this is about nutrition, not calories. But I stand by my sugar statement, so no suggestions of honey please.

Replies

  • erin4609
    erin4609 Posts: 131 Member
    I LOVE stevia. i use it almost everyday. I use a brand called "stevia in the raw". It is white, so now i'm going to check in the ingredients and see what else is in it..

    I've used it for years...ive never seen any negative side effects. and the "stevia in the raw" brand doesn't have this weird after taste that stevia sometimes has.
  • AnsiStar
    AnsiStar Posts: 165 Member
    Yeah I'm a bit apprehensive to spend a load of money on it if it tastes funny :/
    Can you let me know if it has any other ingredients? :)
  • katiej080810
    katiej080810 Posts: 42
    I get my stevia from Trader Joes, about $10. It has no ingredients in it besides just "stevia". It comes in white powder form with a tiny little scooper and two scoops are enough to sweeten my coffee, one scoop for my yogurt or grapefruit. It tastes great to me, I also worry about artificial sweeteners and this particular stevia is the best that i've found. I would reccomend getting your stevia from a specialty health foods store or a grocery store that sells more of the organic type foods like Market of Choice. I don't know what type of stores are in your area but I know that my stevia is not sold in the regular grocery store. I think you can also get pure stevia in a liquid dropper form. Good luck!
  • SweetestLibby
    SweetestLibby Posts: 607 Member
    after living with 3 diabetics - my dad and 2 sisters - we used lots of stevia and truvia! Truvia is a form of stevia but it's slightly more refined/processed. I think it tastes better than stevia and I believe that you can find it in stores in the UK.
  • AnsiStar
    AnsiStar Posts: 165 Member
    I really wanted to avoid truvia and pruvia and such. I've found a few versions of Stevia in white and liquid form but I can't decide what to do!
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,273 Member
    Nutritionists sometimes just make stuff up to justify their unregulated profession and carve out a money scheme.
    If you want actual nutritional advice, talk to a registered dietician.
  • patentguru
    patentguru Posts: 312 Member
    I found the best tasting stevia for me was the liquid form that comes with a dropper. One or two drops is sufficient for a sweet taste. I only use it in my protein shakes.
  • salydra
    salydra Posts: 29
    Liquid form is the "cleanest" form to go with.
  • sharon_moyer
    sharon_moyer Posts: 177
    I was using Truvia which is all natural. I heard on Dr. Oz that if in the ingredients list there are items that you can't pronounce then it's certainly not all natural. If you can pronounce all the items then it's all natural. I really liked truvia but I've found honey to be more cost effective. If i were you I would give the Truvia a try.
  • littlelaura
    littlelaura Posts: 1,028 Member
    Stevia in the raw brand packets, it doesn't affect your glucose levels and tastes fine. You wouldn't be using too much anyway,
    2 packets is more than enough to sweeten a 16 oz coffee or a single serving size bowl of oatmeal. Try it.
  • AnsiStar
    AnsiStar Posts: 165 Member
    I was thinking of going for one of these?
    http://www.healthysupplies.co.uk/stevia.html

    Can anyone vouch at all? It's just an easier place for me to order from, being the UK and all
  • AnsiStar
    AnsiStar Posts: 165 Member
    Liquid form is the "cleanest" form to go with.

    Why is this? :)
  • salydra
    salydra Posts: 29
    Liquid form is the "cleanest" form to go with.

    Why is this? :)

    When the sweetener is extracted, it's purest form is liquid. Powdered stevia has various additives to give it the powdered forms. There are differences in quality for both powdered and liquid, so reading the ingredients list should give you a pretty good idea how "clean" it is.
  • AnsiStar
    AnsiStar Posts: 165 Member
    Liquid form is the "cleanest" form to go with.

    Why is this? :)

    When the sweetener is extracted, it's purest form is liquid. Powdered stevia has various additives to give it the powdered forms. There are differences in quality for both powdered and liquid, so reading the ingredients list should give you a pretty good idea how "clean" it is.

    I keep finding "natural flavours" in the ingredients. It's such an ambiguous term though, what flavours does it even mean?? lol
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
    I don't like the taste of Stevia so I go for honey. Not sure why you are trying to watch your sugars but a little bit of honey won't hurt.
  • AnsiStar
    AnsiStar Posts: 165 Member
    I don't like the taste of Stevia so I go for honey. Not sure why you are trying to watch your sugars but a little bit of honey won't hurt.

    I wouldn't use 'a little bit of honey' I'd use spoonfuls upon spoonfuls which will make my numbers soar. Hence looking for a natural alternative. Apart from which, honey makes my throat itch so that's why I asked for no honey suggestions :)
  • Oriole15
    Oriole15 Posts: 58
    If you are having the coffee purely to have something warm, have you tried roiboos instead? I don't like but quite a few of my friends do. It has not bitterness to it so you wouldn't need to add sweetness to it.
  • dym123
    dym123 Posts: 1,670 Member
    I was beginning to have my doubts about stevia after reading an article on the "100 Days of Real Food" blog, but then someone said the magic words, "I heard Dr. Oz", now I'm gonna start mainlining the stuff. I tend to do the opposite of whatever he says
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
    I don't like the taste of Stevia so I go for honey. Not sure why you are trying to watch your sugars but a little bit of honey won't hurt.

    I wouldn't use 'a little bit of honey' I'd use spoonfuls upon spoonfuls which will make my numbers soar. Hence looking for a natural alternative. Apart from which, honey makes my throat itch so that's why I asked for no honey suggestions :)

    What about something like Agave? Super sweet so you don't have to use a lot. I was simple suggesting honey (didn't realize you have a reaction to it) because I hate the taste of Stevia and because honey is natural... so it's mainly what I use when I don't have agave.
  • danimalkeys
    danimalkeys Posts: 982 Member
    I was beginning to have my doubts about stevia after reading an article on the "100 Days of Real Food" blog, but then someone said the magic words, "I heard Dr. Oz", now I'm gonna start mainlining the stuff. I tend to do the opposite of whatever he says

    LOL!

    My wife uses Truvia. I tried it in my coffee for a while (it's the only thing I use sugar in anyway). I went back to sugar. I use about a half teaspoon anyway and have 2 cups a day so I'm not going to worry about it. I also use (gasp!) half and half!
  • Amytrue1
    Amytrue1 Posts: 38 Member
    I have been using the Vitacost Liquid Stevia (vitacost.com) for years and find that I like the taste and the 4 oz. bottle lasts a looooong time. It's other ingredients are: vegetable glycerin and deionized water.
  • danimalkeys
    danimalkeys Posts: 982 Member
    the ions in the water will get you every time!
  • bethlaf
    bethlaf Posts: 954 Member
    ACTUALLY the "cleanest form" would be to order a little stevia plant, and use the leaves, since its hot drinks, the stevia will release is sugars easily, raw leaf stevia has a bit of a liquorice flavor, but you only need like 1/2 of a leaf.
  • Mellie289
    Mellie289 Posts: 1,191 Member
    I was thinking of going for one of these?
    http://www.healthysupplies.co.uk/stevia.html

    Can anyone vouch at all? It's just an easier place for me to order from, being the UK and all
    I use a stevia extract in glycerine that I get from my local grocery store (Sprout's farmers markets). It has the store name on the bottle, so I can't help you on brands, but it doesn't have any "natural flavors" listed - just stevia extract, vegetable glycerin and deionized water. I have used this to replace sugar in my coffee for a couple years now.

    I'm not sure of the agave suggestion - seems to me that it has a good dose of calories in it because it's full of sugar still. I wouldn't use it as a substitute for sugar if my goal is to reduce my sugar intake.
  • AnsiStar
    AnsiStar Posts: 165 Member
    I was thinking of going for one of these?
    http://www.healthysupplies.co.uk/stevia.html

    Can anyone vouch at all? It's just an easier place for me to order from, being the UK and all
    I use a stevia extract in glycerine that I get from my local grocery store (Sprout's farmers markets). It has the store name on the bottle, so I can't help you on brands, but it doesn't have any "natural flavors" listed - just stevia extract, vegetable glycerin and deionized water. I have used this to replace sugar in my coffee for a couple years now.

    I'm not sure of the agave suggestion - seems to me that it has a good dose of calories in it because it's full of sugar still. I wouldn't use it as a substitute for sugar if my goal is to reduce my sugar intake.

    That's really great info :) if only we had Sprout's Farmers Markets in the UK hehe
  • judychicken
    judychicken Posts: 937 Member
    I get my Stevia from Whole foods Now Better Stevia original liquid extract.It taste great.

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