Is Stevia worth it? What's your favourite not-sugar sweetener?
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according to a European study, Splenda reacts just like sugar in the blood stream in 1/3 of the population. i am prediabetic as well & noticed that Splenda causes the spikes in my blood sugar just like sugar. when I asked my dr about it, he didn't know about it, the next month I brought him the article. In baking I use sugar, just less of it. in coffee sugar because I dont like the aftertaste of synthetics, in iced tea it is sweet & low & in diet drinks it is nutrasweet.
I wonder how something that is present in the drink at amounts of <1 g can spike someone's blood sugar as much as the 30+ grams of sugar in a can of coke.0 -
I really don't care for the fake sugars. The real deal is just so much better.
I bought a bag of frozen fruit with added sweetener and didn't notice the mistake until I tasted the fruit. At first, I thought the fruit must've thawed out, gone bad and been refrozen - that's how bad it tasted to me. It was just the fake sweeteners.
Fruit is very sweet on it's own and frozen fruits taste even sweeter. Onions will sweeten up just about anything. I can usually get my sweetness from the foods themselves and don't generally feel a need to add anything. On the extremely rare occasion that I do want to sweeten something, I use real sugar.
To me, the taste of the fake stuff really isn't worth it.0 -
Can_Do_Gal wrote: »OP, if you're thinking of cutting sugar to reduce your blood sugar, you may want to look into the effect of Splenda, aspartame, etc on blood sugar. It's my understanding that they have no calories, but still raise blood sugar as much as sugar. Stevia, otoh, has no calories and no effect on blood sugar. I use stevia regularly, though not in baking. I think it's one of those things you need to get used to. I used to find it odd, but now it seems normal.
Think about this for a minute: Theoretically, you ingest some artificial sweetener, which contains no glucose, and then (theoretically), your blood glucose goes up. Where would the glucose in the bloodstream be coming from in this scenario? There are two sources of blood glucose: food and the body's energy stores (fat or glycogen).0 -
I really don't care for the fake sugars. The real deal is just so much better.
I bought a bag of frozen fruit with added sweetener and didn't notice the mistake until I tasted the fruit. At first, I thought the fruit must've thawed out, gone bad and been refrozen - that's how bad it tasted to me. It was just the fake sweeteners.
Fruit is very sweet on it's own and frozen fruits taste even sweeter. Onions will sweeten up just about anything. I can usually get my sweetness from the foods themselves and don't generally feel a need to add anything. On the extremely rare occasion that I do want to sweeten something, I use real sugar.
To me, the taste of the fake stuff really isn't worth it.
Yes I would never want to add sugar to fruit, it's perfectly fine on its own. I think they sell that to be used in pies and stuff?0 -
Stevia is really sweet, too sweet for me. Artificial sweeteners, on the other hand, have a bitter aftertaste that is immediately identifiable and disgusting. I don't mind xylitol or erythritol in baking if I'm determined to get sugar down, but you have to note they don't caramelise like standard sugar. Have you tried putting vanilla essence in plain Greek yoghurt? It might make enough difference that you don't need to buy the sweetened one. You could probably gradually reduce the amount from your coffee without too much difficulty, too.
What I have done is mixed 1:1 plain and vanilla yogurt, so maybe I could try that & slowly reduce the amount of vanilla yogurt. But I currently find plain yogurt really gross without a sweetener, even drowning it in frozen fruit didn't quite get the taste out.
I'm not so sure about the coffee. I put 2 teaspoons of sugar in with 3/4cup of milk. I'm overall just trying to have less coffee because I don't do the same thing to tea. But I'd still like to have some coffee if I could. I try sipping it black, sipping it with 1/2 the sugar and I can't drink it at all.0 -
MsMarvel27 wrote: »I use the Truvia brand of Stevia. I tried it first with a different brand and I was disgusted by it but found Truvia to have a good taste.
I started off with Splenda a couple of years ago and started getting horrible stomach pains. When I realized the only thing I had changed in my diet was the Splenda (and I was eating very well otherwise), I decided to google it and found that Splenda has been known to cause digestive disorders such as IBS in some people. Since then I decided to stay away from artificial sweeteners but then researched Stevia, tried Truvia and loved it, so I use that now. I do still consume regular sugar when added into some things but try to use stevia in most of my sugar intake.
Cool, maybe I'll try that one. I've heard a lot of people saying it didn't taste good, but that's optimistic!0 -
jennifer_417 wrote: »At first I only tolerated it to save calories, but now I actually prefer Sweet 'n Low in my coffee. Real sugar in coffee now has an odd "dull" flavor to me. As for baking, I think Stevia tastes good. I'm not much of a baker, but my roommate is, and I think she'll frequently swap out half the sugar for Stevia, and I can't ever tell the difference.
Also, I believe it is recommended for those in Diabetes territory to shoot for a more low-carb diet, so I think that's a good call for you.
Cool! Yeah I think so. I saw a video about how actually a high carb diet and a high BMI are the best predictors of diabetes (not only a high sugar diet). So I'm definitely at risk if I keep doing what I'm doing now.
I found the same thing with soda. I never drank a lot of pops, but my mom really liked diet coke so we had it around for a while until she began to have issues with the caffiene. I tried regular coke at one point after that and it tasted awful. I wanted the diet one!
Thanks
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according to a European study, Splenda reacts just like sugar in the blood stream in 1/3 of the population. i am prediabetic as well & noticed that Splenda causes the spikes in my blood sugar just like sugar. when I asked my dr about it, he didn't know about it, the next month I brought him the article. In baking I use sugar, just less of it. in coffee sugar because I dont like the aftertaste of synthetics, in iced tea it is sweet & low & in diet drinks it is nutrasweet.
Reference plz0 -
according to a European study, Splenda reacts just like sugar in the blood stream in 1/3 of the population. i am prediabetic as well & noticed that Splenda causes the spikes in my blood sugar just like sugar. when I asked my dr about it, he didn't know about it, the next month I brought him the article. In baking I use sugar, just less of it. in coffee sugar because I dont like the aftertaste of synthetics, in iced tea it is sweet & low & in diet drinks it is nutrasweet.
Reference plz
Seconded.
My guess is that since it morphed from "European study" to article my doctor has never heard of, the reference will be akin to Livestrong.0 -
according to a European study, Splenda reacts just like sugar in the blood stream in 1/3 of the population. i am prediabetic as well & noticed that Splenda causes the spikes in my blood sugar just like sugar. when I asked my dr about it, he didn't know about it, the next month I brought him the article. In baking I use sugar, just less of it. in coffee sugar because I dont like the aftertaste of synthetics, in iced tea it is sweet & low & in diet drinks it is nutrasweet.
Reference plz
Seconded.
My guess is that since it morphed from "European study" to article my doctor has never heard of, the reference will be akin to Livestrong.
actually, livestrong supports that artificial sweeteners do not affect blood sugar...
http://www.livestrong.com/article/409513-will-splenda-or-equal-raise-your-blood-sugar/0 -
splenda and other artificial sweeteners made me chronically sick and I will now live the rest of my life dealing with that so I use Stevia. Luckily I enjoy the taste (some do not) because being form the South I drink my tea as if it was syrup! or otherwise called Sweet Tea (roll those vowels - Sa-weet Tee)0
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I love stevia and generally use it in the form of Truvia or Target's generic equivalent. I stopped using Splenda when I learned it actually has around 3 calories a packet.0
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Ive tried getting into stevia, but splenda just tastes better imo0
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I use truvia and also bake with the Truvia Sugar Blend (which is half an half)..0
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splenda and other artificial sweeteners made me chronically sick and I will now live the rest of my life dealing with that so I use Stevia. Luckily I enjoy the taste (some do not) because being form the South I drink my tea as if it was syrup! or otherwise called Sweet Tea (roll those vowels - Sa-weet Tee)
What illness did you get from artificial sweetener?0 -
I was just diagnosed with Diabetes type 2 and the nutritionist reviewed my diet and made recommendations. She told me to avoid sugar alcohols i.e. anything ending in tol as the body cannot differentiate between them and sugar. She also went over the studies regarding sugar replacements and the evidence that they can cause spikes in blood sugar. More research is being done as there is some evidence that they have actually caused diabetes in some cases
Best to be conservative and ueat fruit or flavor things with spices when able. Learn to drink unsweetened drinks, and keep your carb count low.0 -
I would advise everyone who regularly uses sugar substitutes, and drinks diet sodas, because of the zero calories to watch the documentary "Fed Up". It can be streamed on Netflix for free or rented on many of the streaming channels. They present many of the health challenges that surround artificial sweeteners, and how the body processes them. I definitely changed my opinion on them as a safe substitute after watching.0
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AndrewinNH wrote: »I would advise everyone who regularly uses sugar substitutes, and drinks diet sodas, because of the zero calories to watch the documentary "Fed Up". It can be streamed on Netflix for free or rented on many of the streaming channels. They present many of the health challenges that surround artificial sweeteners, and how the body processes them. I definitely changed my opinion on them as a safe substitute after watching.
What makes you assume that documentaries like this contain accurate information?0 -
Where I live (AZ) the Diet Pepsi is now aspartame free and too sweet. So annoying. After 20+ years of a Diet Pepsi habit I'm drinking Diet Coke now and preferring it. Stupid internet rumors.I use them all. Some do better in liquids, others in baking.
There's a Splenda (sucralose) brown sugar blend that has half the sugar. This is great for baking and I am betting would be great for anything pumpkin.
I use Stevia or Splenda in my tea. The spoonable Stevia that has been fluffed out is about spoon-for-spoon the same for sugar, so can be measured out the same.
I drink Mio (acesulfame potassium and sucralose), or Crystal Lite (aspartame, acesulfame potassium, Sucralose) flavoured waters.
And I like my diet Pepsi (aspartame).
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WalkingAlong wrote: »
Where I live (AZ) the Diet Pepsi is now aspartame free and too sweet. So annoying. After 20+ years of a Diet Pepsi habit I'm drinking Diet Coke now and preferring it. Stupid internet rumors.I use them all. Some do better in liquids, others in baking.
There's a Splenda (sucralose) brown sugar blend that has half the sugar. This is great for baking and I am betting would be great for anything pumpkin.
I use Stevia or Splenda in my tea. The spoonable Stevia that has been fluffed out is about spoon-for-spoon the same for sugar, so can be measured out the same.
I drink Mio (acesulfame potassium and sucralose), or Crystal Lite (aspartame, acesulfame potassium, Sucralose) flavoured waters.
And I like my diet Pepsi (aspartame).
they replaced the aspartame with sucralose...
what a difference.
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I like stevia. I use purevia where powder is needed. I also grow stevia for teas and such. i like it. i haven't noticed any funny tastes0
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deescrafty wrote: »I was just diagnosed with Diabetes type 2 and the nutritionist reviewed my diet and made recommendations. She told me to avoid sugar alcohols i.e. anything ending in tol as the body cannot differentiate between them and sugar. She also went over the studies regarding sugar replacements and the evidence that they can cause spikes in blood sugar. More research is being done as there is some evidence that they have actually caused diabetes in some cases
Best to be conservative and ueat fruit or flavor things with spices when able. Learn to drink unsweetened drinks, and keep your carb count low.
So, where does the sugar for the blood sugar come from?0 -
I use Stevia. Like the above people said, it's pretty darn strong and leaves a bad aftertaste if you use too much. I really love raw organic honey in my tea, so I usually use a teaspoon at a time and limit myself to 2 or 3 teaspoons a day. After that, or if I'm having coffee, I'll use Stevia. And you really only need a dash. I find that the store brand stevia usually tastes a little better than the name brand stevia. If you just want to cut down on sugar you could use a small amount of sugar and a small amount of stevia to achieve the taste that you're used to with sugar.0
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I can't get past the after taste of Stevia, so I try to go without any additional sweetners. If I need some, I like to use xylitol, you can use it cup for cup to replace sugar, it has no after taste to me and it is good for baking/cooking.0
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I gave up artificial sweeteners. I use raw brown sugar in my coffee in the morning.0
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Don't like to use a lot of artificial sweeteners, but sometimes I will go 1/2 stevia, 1/2 sugar in baked goods (and I've never encountered a non-lightened recipe for any baked good that you couldn't leave out 1/2 the sugar called for & it will taste fine). In beverages, I like sucralose best, but it gives me headaches.0
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You could just go cold turkey on adding sugar or sweetener if you made up your mind.
When I did, I had some headaches for about six to eight days but the long-term benefits will soon accrue.
I occasionally have cake (family birthdays or special desserts) but choose not to have it the several times per week that I used to.
I have high cocoa unsweetened chocolate bars these days. (It's an acquired taste but chocolate/cocoa has far more bodily benefits than any amount of sucrose.)
Soda drinks based on sugar are a very poor part of a diet. Nutrasweet/Stevia/Saccharine sweetened soda drinks are better for overweight people but not by much. I tend to have an average of one per day (well down from the 4-5 I used to do.)
Water (just tap water) by itself or with a slice of lemon or lime or other fruit becomes very acceptable when you see the positive changes in you.0 -
I like stevia drops but I try to err on the side of under sweetening things. I find stevia can have a bitter after taste if you add too much.
I find a cup of sugar translates to 2-3 full droppers of stevia.
I made a large crustless cheesecake last week and only used 2-3 droppers full if stevia, less than a tsp, to sweeten it. It turned out great.0 -
i like xylitol in gums and hard candies for oral health, and sweet n'low packets in my coffee.0
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I have been disappointed every time I tried stevia - I found the taste really unpleasant. I find aspartame and sucralose more tolerable, particularly in small quantities - when they are in tablet form, I always halve to halve the tablets for my coffee.
I do like the taste of Diet Coke, and never drink regular Coke - I see it as a waste of calories.
Thinking about it, I don't particularly like the taste of white sugar either. I do however, love the taste of brown sugar, so I sometimes just take my coffee with a bit of brown sugar in - I only really need half a teaspoon or so per cup.0
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