Stevia?

Pea4jjab
Pea4jjab Posts: 216 Member
edited September 27 in Food and Nutrition
I have recently started using stevia in the raw packets instead of regular sugar for a few things and am really liking that it's all natural and 0 calories! So far I have used it in my oatmeal, green tea, and homemade lemonade. It's hard not to think of it as one of those things that are too good to be true (like Nutrasweet and Splenda)...but is it? I don't use it excessively, but do enjoy it with things that I just need a touch of sweetener with. This won't hurt my weight loss efforts, will it?

Replies

  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 MFP Moderator
    Stevia is a plant that you can grow in your yard, try doing that with aspartame or splenda etc
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia
    but go to your health food stores for actual Stevia rather than the Truvia or Purevia sold by coke or Pepsi (I might not have the right product in order with the company but you get the idea)
  • barbacasec
    barbacasec Posts: 106
    :) I just planted 3 stevia plants -
    Cant wait to dry the leaves and use it in everything.... now to just purchase somthing to crush it up with... you can just use the leaves in tea.... but I dont think I want to add leaves to my oatmeal ...yuck !

    and a LITTLE goes a very long way!!
  • kelliekoo
    kelliekoo Posts: 2
    i found those little packets of goodness at trader joes about two years ago. i love it! i put it in my oatmeal and yogurt. i thought the same thing you did. so, i googled a lot about it when i first came across it and i think it is truly natural and ok to use. i had a nutritionist friend tell me to make sure it was all natural kind. i'm not sure what she meant by that. maybe some of the stuff being marketed now has some added things that don't need to be in there. i can look up the correspondence i had with her about it on my facebook wall.
  • bjscmg
    bjscmg Posts: 77
    I use stevia and have been for sometime now. One thing I found was the stevia in the RAW is sooo much better tasting than the packets. I also use the flavored drops. You can use those for water, tea, smoothies and they have a ton of flavors. I have lost weight using it with no problems. I thought it was to good to be true myself but it's legit!
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 MFP Moderator
    This is a thread from February on some of the 'brands' of Stevia being sold..

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/180927-truvia-and-purevia-leave-it-on-the-grocery-store-shelf

    have a look at it and you'll see why the nutritionist suggested getting the natural kind.
  • Pea4jjab
    Pea4jjab Posts: 216 Member
    I've been using "Stevia in the raw" which says it's Stevia extract. Is that okay?
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 MFP Moderator
    Just looked at Stevia in the Raw's website...well maybe.. does it say "extract" in small letters on the word Stevia? THe product I saw measures 'cup for cup' just like sugar so it has some sort of bulking agent in it, but not sure what it is ahhh I see now... Maltodextrin, so you're pretty well using maltodextrin for the sweetener but it has an extract of stevia in it and the packets are packed with dextrose... so again getting more than just stevia.

    the stevia I have came in a pouch and I use something like a tsp of it to replace 1 cup of sugar
  • ronda_gettinghealthy
    ronda_gettinghealthy Posts: 777 Member
    I use stevia- husband tacitly approves of this one--for now--he HATES Aspartame- and he is not a big fan of splenda either. Stevia tastes good and a little goes a long long way. I have never cooked with it so ???? has anyone????
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 MFP Moderator
    I did all my summer baking with it, I did find I had to dissolve it generally in the liquid ingredients otherwise I wound up with little spots of stevia lumps, but I was mixing everything by hand too so if you're processing it with a mixer should be fine.
    Just get the conversion right for what you're using, 1 tsp to replace a cup is quite a bit.

    I haven't tried it for my jams yet though, I know how "exacting" the recipes are to keep them safe while sitting on the shelf, so I haven't wanted to change the numbers, might be fine for freezer jam.
  • ashleymcquown
    ashleymcquown Posts: 80
    Now Foods Stevia Glycerite is good. It took me a while to get used to the taste but now i'm hooked : ) Xylitol is great too but i try not to overdo it since it can upset your stomach (it's sugar alcohol derived from birch or non GMO corn - look it up). If you have a choice between the two, I would opt for stevia...though xylitol tastes ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS in baked goods without effecting the texture
  • ashleymcquown
    ashleymcquown Posts: 80
    I use stevia- husband tacitly approves of this one--for now--he HATES Aspartame- and he is not a big fan of splenda either. Stevia tastes good and a little goes a long long way. I have never cooked with it so ???? has anyone????

    i've made flourless chocolate cake with stevia...it adds a bit of herbal bitterness but i think it tastes good. xylitol tastes a bit more like the real thing but i think stevia should work just fine : ) the nice thing is that both of these sweeteners taste fine when cooked (unlike aspartame...i made cookies one time and they tasted AWFUL. totally turned me off of artificial sweeteners for cooking)
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