Stevia use

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Magdalene2011
Magdalene2011 Posts: 7 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi all. I've been using stevia extract drops in my coffee and in plain yogurt in an effort to reduce my sugar intake. I can't (and won't!) deny myself fruit sugar, especially since I'm breastfeeding. I used to use truvia, but have found the stevia drops are exponentially sweeter, and easier.

Before I was pregnant I NEVER had sugar cravings - I hated cake, and never ate desserts or candy. During the pregnancy and now, 8 months later, I'm stuck with these stupid cravings! I've been hard at this "diet" for a week now, and the cravings are greatly reduced, but I'm using the stevia 2-3 times/day.

Has anyone used it a lot? Heard anything good or bad about it? I'm doing my research in academic science journals, but I thought I'd ask this community for anecdotal evidence.

Many thanks!

Replies

  • 2012Mich
    2012Mich Posts: 93
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    My SIL has been using it for a long time (the packets). She loves it and has now reduced to using 1/2 a packet. She hasn't had any issues. I tried it but it is definitely an acquired taste. I might try the drops.
  • cheesy_blasters
    cheesy_blasters Posts: 283 Member
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    I wonder if you're craving it because your body needs/wants more calories?
  • Magdalene2011
    Magdalene2011 Posts: 7 Member
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    I did this "diet" in January and fell off of it after a few weeks. In that time I lost 6-8lbs. Since that time I put that back on plus several lbs, so what my ticker shows is actually not accurate. Since last Monday (one week) I've actually lost over 8lbs, which for a breast-feeder is not okay. My milk production isn't down though. I'm not sure what to do about the weight loss, because it seems I'm eating REALLY healthy, non-processed foods every time I turn around, like fresh fruits, veggies, proteins, etc., but I'm not taking in any grains, just a lot of legumes/beans. (Actually, I had a beer a couple of days ago.)

    In the last several days I've rarely been hungry. I'm working out several times a week, and breastfeeding ~4 times/day. I'm worried that changing this by increasing higher-calorie foods that also carry a high GI will cause me to gain weight, as this is what I'm thinking was causing me to carry the extra 20lbs postpartum that I haven't been able to shake. I guess I need to keep switching out foods to see what works better, that is carries more calories but has a moderate to low level of sugar, and then only from fresh, whole foods.

    Thanks for the support!
  • Ms_Berri
    Ms_Berri Posts: 1
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    I currently use Stevia in the Raw for my oatmeal, coffee, etc. It's a good replacement for sugar altogether and 1 packet is usually enough. Its great if you don't like sweeteners with an aftertaste and the best part is that it has zero calories. Haven't heard anything negative so far...
  • guby44
    guby44 Posts: 11 Member
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    I make Stevia Iced Tea with the Stevia drops. Tastes great! I am going to make lavendar lemonade with Stevia tomorrow. I researched Stevia a bit, cause I'm wary about sweeteners that aren't sugar, but couldn't find anything bad!
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    I wonder if you're craving it because your body needs/wants more calories?

    Probably. Especially during breastfeeding. I'm pumping 60 ounces a day for my baby and if I don't eat enough I crave sweets.
  • CannibalisticVegetarian
    CannibalisticVegetarian Posts: 1,255 Member
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    Personally, I've been wondering if it was any good, seeing as I've been wanting to maybe include it in some of my fruit smoothies (I use frozen fruit without any added sugar as well as plain yogurt so sometimes there's this bland taste there). We sell it at my job (GNC), and so far the customers I've spoken to says it's a really great substitute.. especially the drops. Supposedly it's a lot healthier for you and not as bad as regular sugars (I dunno. This is all what I've gotten from a customer of mines). She mentioned that the Splenda is actually worse and how she's found Stevia to be the best bet. Still, I'd love to hear the opinion of others here on the forum.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    Personally, I've been wondering if it was any good, seeing as I've been wanting to maybe include it in some of my fruit smoothies (I use frozen fruit without any added sugar as well as plain yogurt so sometimes there's this bland taste there). We sell it at my job (GNC), and so far the customers I've spoken to says it's a really great substitute.. especially the drops. Supposedly it's a lot healthier for you and not as bad as regular sugars (I dunno. This is all what I've gotten from a customer of mines). She mentioned that the Splenda is actually worse and how she's found Stevia to be the best bet. Still, I'd love to hear the opinion of others here on the forum.

    I you add a fresh banana to a smoothie it shouldn't need any extra sweetener.
  • SeaChele77
    SeaChele77 Posts: 1,103 Member
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    Love Stevia!! We make fresh squeeze lemonade with it - so good!! My hubby also makes a killer 100 calorie cheesecake with it! I'm not a huge fan of the drops and unable to use it in my coffee (I still take regular sugar :( ), but we use Stevia for everything else!!
  • Magdalene2011
    Magdalene2011 Posts: 7 Member
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    Well, I'm glad others are using stevia - thanks for the comments! I have found a couple safety sources:

    http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-3010.2011.01945.x/full

    http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691508002342



    And this abstract's authors conclude that in fact stevia is a mega-antioxidant!

    http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/09637486.2010.523416


    Finally, (YAY) these authors write, "An extract of the leaf of the herb, Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni (“stevia”) is a natural, sweet-tasting, noncaloric substance and does not produce unhealthy side effects. In addition, the inclusion of stevia leaf extracts in the diet has been associated with antihyperglycemic, insulinotropic, glucagonostatic, hypotensive, anticariogenic, antiviral, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, immunostimulatory and chemopreventative responses."

    (This document doesn't provide any statements of conflict for the authors, which I find bothersome, and the publisher is non-peer-reviewed, however they cite over 150 sources, which is impressive on its face.)

    http://www.benthamscience.com/open/toobesj/articles/V002/101TOOBESJ.pdf

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