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In a recent Medical News Today article, Can Stevia Benefit People with Diabetes
Can stevia benefit people with diabetes
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It's now being said that artificial sweeteners are killing the bacteria in our stomachs that we need.
I wouldn't doubt it. Artificial anything is bad for any living thing.
https://www.techtimes.com/articles/...kill-good-bacteria-in-your-gut-says-study.htm
I wouldn't doubt it. Artificial anything is bad for any living thing.
https://www.techtimes.com/articles/...kill-good-bacteria-in-your-gut-says-study.htm
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I don't think any artificial sweeteners benefit anyone, diabetic or not. If saving calories is the issue, sugar only has 16 calories/teaspoon. A teaspoon (restaurant packet) has only 4 gms sugar. It probably takes that much sugar to lift my coffee cup a few times.
Such small amounts of sugar are not the problem. The problem with sugar is excessive amounts in a soft drink or cookies, ice cream etc. A typical soda has 10-12 teaspoons of sugar & people who drink sodas usually have more than one can/day. Before I knew better, on a typical summer day, I'd drink 6 cans of Pepsi. That's 72 teaspoons of sugar & that's not counting sugar in other goodies. If you open & pour out 72 of those restaurant packets, it's easy to see how much sugar that is.
I use 1/2 tsp of sugar in my coffee but I rarely eat other sugar, so I'm not going to save 2 gms of sugar by using an artificial sweetener which may or may not be harmful. And I have a container of Stevia I bought 10 years ago. After tasting it, I haven't touched it. It was so bitter, it took hours to get the taste out of my mouth - by eating 4 pickles.
I really chuckle when a woman in my diabetes support group talks about the benefits of Stevia or Equal or other chemical sweetener. That person weighs around 300 lbs. It should be obvious that her artificial sweetener ain't helping.
Such small amounts of sugar are not the problem. The problem with sugar is excessive amounts in a soft drink or cookies, ice cream etc. A typical soda has 10-12 teaspoons of sugar & people who drink sodas usually have more than one can/day. Before I knew better, on a typical summer day, I'd drink 6 cans of Pepsi. That's 72 teaspoons of sugar & that's not counting sugar in other goodies. If you open & pour out 72 of those restaurant packets, it's easy to see how much sugar that is.
I use 1/2 tsp of sugar in my coffee but I rarely eat other sugar, so I'm not going to save 2 gms of sugar by using an artificial sweetener which may or may not be harmful. And I have a container of Stevia I bought 10 years ago. After tasting it, I haven't touched it. It was so bitter, it took hours to get the taste out of my mouth - by eating 4 pickles.
I really chuckle when a woman in my diabetes support group talks about the benefits of Stevia or Equal or other chemical sweetener. That person weighs around 300 lbs. It should be obvious that her artificial sweetener ain't helping.
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I wouldn't think the stevia is her problem, but the artificial sweeteners definitely aren't helping.
Stevia is natural, not artificial, for those that do not know. Yes it is strong, that's why you only have to use so little. My 3.5 ounce bottle has 2381 servings. If my math is right that would be 99.2 grams / 2381 serving for .04 grams/scoop. My math also says that is 100 times sweeter than sugar. Definitely don't stick your finger in the stevia and then take a taste.
Picture of tablespoon, teaspoon, stevia scoop. I used to drink 2 teaspoons of sugar in a cup of black coffee, I only use one scoop of stevia when I put anything in black coffee now.
Stevia is natural, not artificial, for those that do not know. Yes it is strong, that's why you only have to use so little. My 3.5 ounce bottle has 2381 servings. If my math is right that would be 99.2 grams / 2381 serving for .04 grams/scoop. My math also says that is 100 times sweeter than sugar. Definitely don't stick your finger in the stevia and then take a taste.
Picture of tablespoon, teaspoon, stevia scoop. I used to drink 2 teaspoons of sugar in a cup of black coffee, I only use one scoop of stevia when I put anything in black coffee now.
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I know this is just one person and one story, so no doubt about it, it is anecdotal so please treat it as anecdotal. Nevertheless, it is something worth considering...
A close friend of mine - who isn't a diabetic( ie ruling out diabetes meds) - suffered a hypoglycemic emergency from a stevia sweetened tea, about 3 months into keto.
A close friend of mine - who isn't a diabetic( ie ruling out diabetes meds) - suffered a hypoglycemic emergency from a stevia sweetened tea, about 3 months into keto.
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I bought a tictac sized dispenser of stevia tablets. I like to keep them with me at scout camps and at work.
I like stevia in my coffee but don't like the taste test of stevia on my tongue. The tablets are definitely another chemical byproduct of multiple processes.
If I was to consider stevia a healthy sweetener, it would have to be the liquid or maybe leaves from the plant. The local farmers market sells stevia starter plants in the spring. I think I would like to try that, no sure what to expect.
I like stevia in my coffee but don't like the taste test of stevia on my tongue. The tablets are definitely another chemical byproduct of multiple processes.
If I was to consider stevia a healthy sweetener, it would have to be the liquid or maybe leaves from the plant. The local farmers market sells stevia starter plants in the spring. I think I would like to try that, no sure what to expect.
Funny, this all seem off target for diabetics. I have lost over 70lbs in the last three years. I have NEVER cared about caloric intake, only carb intake! And I increased my FAT intake substantially!
I am surprized people still think counting calories is important...I believe the true killer is carbs, especially SUGARS!
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I don't think xring is concentrating on calories at all; I think he's making the point that there are known and unknown issues with some artificial sweeteners (maybe with all of them, but we don't know what we don't know) and stating that he uses a little sugar with his coffee rather than risk using artificial sweeteners.
1/2 teaspoon of sugar is a fairly small amount and if xring fits that into his total carbohydrate intake, it works for him, regardless of the caloric value.
1/2 teaspoon of sugar is a fairly small amount and if xring fits that into his total carbohydrate intake, it works for him, regardless of the caloric value.
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Pretty much sums it up. As a kid, my mom constantly used artificial sweeteners; she kept saying "It makes you lose weight." Funny how all her kids were overweight & diabetic. It was the liquid kind that came in a bottle with a rubber cap. The liquid squirted out when the cap was pressed. Yeah...that was fine for my sweet tooth - I'd visit that bottle several times throughout the day & squirt that stuff directly in my mouth.
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Jesus Gott In Himmel, a person can't win. {German=Jesus God In Heaven!}
I guess most missed the fact that Stevia is not an "artificial" product! Funny how the details on these things seem to be irrelevant!
Remember the scare on Apples.....! According to our media, most everything is bad for you. I believe in 'moderation' to much of anything can be harmful!
Of course, that is just me!
Remember the scare on Apples.....! According to our media, most everything is bad for you. I believe in 'moderation' to much of anything can be harmful!
Of course, that is just me!
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