Baking with splenda or stevia??? Please...

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I normally ask when I'm inviting folks if I should avoid anything. That would be an excellent time to point this out!

Isn't stevia a plant?

bebeisfit wrote: »

Rosemary7391 wrote: »

I normally ask when I'm inviting folks if I should avoid anything. That would be an excellent time to point this out!

Isn't stevia a plant?

Yes, stevia is a plant, however, it still gives me a stomach ache. I imagine it's in the processing of the plant.

That's fair enough. I only ask because you need to be clear whether it's artificial sweeteners that are the problem or something more general. I wouldn't have classed stevia as artificial for instance; I could grow it on my windowsill!

Honestly, there are so many potential things that people can be allergic or sensitive to that I do expect people to ask me if they have one, say if I bring cake to work or whatever. I don't think sensitivity to sweeteners is any different to, say, sensitivity to other sugars, dairy etc...

I'm going to be honest, I think adults with food sensitivities or allergies have to be responsible for themselves and ask.

My husband has one of those severe peanut allergies, and he would never eat anything not personally prepared without confirming that it is peanut-free. Even at longtime friends' homes, he does say "Sorry to always check, but this isn't going to kill me with a rogue peanut, right?" because no one is perfect and people forget.

In my own home when I cook for guests, I do make an effort to ask new guests' dietary restrictions ahead of time and remember the ones of which I am already aware. Then I can accommodate ahead of time.

However, since I know people with sensitivities or allergies to everything from lactose to gluten to mushrooms to the sulfites present in wine, I would likely have to print out a full ingredient list of every item I serve if I were to try to tell people of every potential irritant in my meals.

If you are sensitive to artificial sweeteners, rather than just assuming that the sweet thing you are eating contains none because no one mentioned it, it might be prudent to check with the cook and confirm that they did not use any in their preparation. It's you that suffers the consequences if you don't, but I don't think it's fair to blame it on someone else unless you asked and they said it didn't when it did.

ritzvin wrote: »

Rosemary7391 wrote: »

Honestly, there are so many potential things that people can be allergic or sensitive to that I do expect people to ask me if they have one, say if I bring cake to work or whatever. I don't think sensitivity to sweeteners is any different to, say, sensitivity to other sugars, dairy etc...

ditto. If someone has some special food intolerance, they really should get into the habit of asking when ingredient labels aren't available.

It's a vital habit if it's an allergy, but I guess if it's an intolerance then you have to weigh up the consequences of guessing wrong to the possible awkwardness of asking someone alluded to up above. I don't get that though - I'm always more than happy to reel off every ingredient in something I bring to work. It's a very normal thing to be asked if there are more than a few people. Bonus points: by telling me that you can't eat it, I'll likely make an effort to bring things you can eat in the future!

Going to second the 'if you have food allergies or sensitivities, it's on you to ask' sentiment. My partner is celiac, and even with people we've known for years and trust deeply we'll double check on certain ingredients, because people make mistakes. And those are people who already know he's celiac! If he didn't tell a host he couldn't eat gluten and then proceeded to get sick from eating something they made without asking what was in it, that would be on him. (He'd pretty much never do that because the consequences are too severe, but the point still stands.)

It may feel a little odd at first, but it sounds like it's time to start asking before you consume something that's given to you. A quick "sorry, but I have to check -- this doesn't have any artificial sweeteners like splenda in it, does it?" could save you a lot of future discomfort. Maybe it's not something you've ever felt you had to do before, and it might feel a bit pushy or uncomfortable to ask at first, but no reasonable person will resent you looking out for ingredients that make you feel unwell.

You have to be active in protecting yourself because you're the one who's going to feel the consequences. If you didn't specify that artificial sweeteners upset your tummy before tucking in, the person doing the cooking had no reason to assume it would be a problem. Maybe it hasn't occured to you to ask before, but I hope after this incident it occurs to you to ask in the future.

vingogly wrote: »

Rosemary7391 wrote: »

That's fair enough. I only ask because you need to be clear whether it's artificial sweeteners that are the problem or something more general. I wouldn't have classed stevia as artificial for instance; I could grow it on my windowsill!

There are plenty of things I can grow on my windowsill that are poisonous. Because something is "natural" doesn't mean it's safe to include it in your diet -- and just because something is "artificial" doesn't mean it's dangerous.

Plus, there's no scientific definition of either "natural" or "artificial" -- they mean whatever you want them to mean. Ditto with "organic".

https://www.top10homeremedies.com/news-facts/10-indoor-plants-that-are-poisonous.html

I'm with EJBarner and others who say: if you have a food allergy or bad reaction or can't stand something (my dad hated onions), the burden's on you to let the host know.

Yes, I don't think I said any different... just that you need to be clear when you do say!