STEVIA?

Mangoaddict
Mangoaddict Posts: 1,236 Member
edited September 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I have heard of the name but don't know if its a healthy alternative. Please tell me more. Also, how safe is it?

Replies

  • Mangoaddict
    Mangoaddict Posts: 1,236 Member
    I have heard of the name but don't know if its a healthy alternative. Please tell me more. Also, how safe is it?
  • Mangoaddict
    Mangoaddict Posts: 1,236 Member
    Also, post any good articles on this natural sweetner.
  • fjtcjt
    fjtcjt Posts: 199
    http://www.stevia.com/

    Haven't been to the site, just got this from someone this week.
  • wannaBme
    wannaBme Posts: 143
    http://www.cspinet.org/nah/4_00/stevia.html
  • wannaBme
    wannaBme Posts: 143
    Personally, I think the FDA is blocking the acceptance of Stevia as a sweetener due to company pressures. The makers Aspartame, Sweet'n'Low, Equal & Splenda will lose a TON of money when a calorie free natural sweetener hits the market place. Can you imagine the billions of dollars that those companies will lose if the soft drink companies turn to Stevia?

    The article i posted above refers to possible reproductive problems in rats who are fed "very large" amounts of Stevia. Anyone who has tried Stevia knows that ONE DROP is extremely sweet and so VERY LARGE amounts wouldn't be nessecary for anything.

    Who's got the guts to list all of the problems that rats acquire after consuming LARGE amounts of aspartame ? or Splenda? Does their use cause cancers and other problems ... YES !! .... but I don't see the FDA in a hurry to pull artificial sweeteners off the shelves.
  • Juliebean_1027
    Juliebean_1027 Posts: 713 Member
    I've tried it and I love it. I can't tell that it's not sugar, but I CAN tell that it's not an artificial sweetener. Know how Splenda has that chemical aftertaste? Not so with Stevia/Truvia!
  • wannaBme
    wannaBme Posts: 143
    Right .. Truvia .. I did see an advertisement for the new "stevia" sweetener.
    Here's a blurb about Coca-Cola adding Stevia to their beverage ..

    http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/living-well-usn/2008/07/28/the-zero-calorie-sweetener-stevia-arrives.html
  • phed0017
    phed0017 Posts: 90 Member
    Stevia is very safe. It comes from a plant and was discovered in Paraguay over 1,000 years ago. It has been used for over 1,000 years! Completely natural and totally safe. A great sweetner alternative :)
  • Fitness_Chick
    Fitness_Chick Posts: 6,648 Member
    Personally, I think the FDA is blocking the acceptance of Stevia as a sweetener due to company pressures.
    I so agree with your points made above!!
  • drewzaun
    drewzaun Posts: 111
    It seems to be safe. One thing I might be concerned about though is that it is so much sweeter than sugar, it may desensitize you to sweet foods, make you crave them more and decrease your ability to know intuitively that the food may be too sweet and high calorie.

    When you start using any artificial sweetener you might want to guage any changes in your cravings and how other things taste to you after.
  • lulubar
    lulubar Posts: 739 Member
    If you live in a place that has Winn Dixie grocery stores - you can buy both Stevia and Truvia there. They are goth really good - the Stevia seems a little sweeter to me and is a powdery substance while the Truvia has a very sugar-like consistency but not quite as strong a sweet taste - but both are terrific and I love them! Read the articles posted above - good stuff.
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