[Rad Warrier]

Yesterday evening, I bought a packet of Stevia containing one hundred 1-gram sachets. It is the first time that I am finding Stevia on the shelves of the stores where I shop regularly.

It used to be a sachet of Splenda that I would put in my cup of tea every morning and evening. Today, I put a sachet of Stevia in my morning cup of tea. It tasted good, better than Splenda.

My long experience on this globe teaches me that all that feels, looks, and tastes good must be bad in some way. So ye knowledgeable folks, tell me what is bad about this Stevia. Compare it with Splenda.

For your additional information, the packet has an all-capital warning: KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN. I am no child, but ... Also, in small letters it says that it is not good for pregnant women, children or those who have a low blood pressure. The packet also says that each 1 g sachet contains 48 mg of stevia (stevia rebaudiana) leaf extract standardized to 90% Glycosides whatever that means. Besides, as "non-medicinal ingredient" it lists "Corn Maltodextrin." Is corn maltodextrin bad?

Regards,
Rad

 

[jwags]

Rad, I just started to use Stevia the past few months too. The first box I bought was called Raw Stevia. When I got home and read the label, I found there was Dextrose in it. So the next time I went shopping I found something that was 100% stevia with no additives. Stevia is natural but when you add additives to it it makes it processed. Even at Trader Joes which I assume is healthier than other stores the Stevia has malodextrine in it.

 

[beefy]

I've been using Splenda myself, but I've now seen Stevia in a couple of local places. I'm going to wait until my Splenda is done before I try anything else, but I'd sure like to hear what more people have to say about their experiences with it, or with erythritol, which I'm also curious about...

 

[breezeonby]

Yesterday evening, I bought a packet of Stevia containing one hundred 1-gram sachets. It is the first time that I am finding Stevia on the shelves of the stores where I shop regularly.

It used to be a sachet of Splenda that I would put in my cup of tea every morning and evening. Today, I put a sachet of Stevia in my morning cup of tea. It tasted good, better than Splenda.

My long experience on this globe teaches me that all that feels, looks, and tastes good must be bad in some way. So ye knowledgeable folks, tell me what is bad about this Stevia. Compare it with Splenda.

For your additional information, the packet has an all-capital warning: KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN. I am no child, but ... Also, in small letters it says that it is not good for pregnant women, children or those who have a low blood pressure. The packet also says that each 1 g sachet contains 48 mg of stevia (stevia rebaudiana) leaf extract standardized to 90% Glycosides whatever that means. Besides, as "non-medicinal ingredient" it lists "Corn Maltodextrin." Is corn maltodextrin bad?

Regards,
Rad

I don't understand the reasoning on the warnings. Corn-Maltodextrin is maltodextrin and is probably why it tastes good. I personally have tried every stevia product available and I don't like it. When I tried to add stevia to kool-aid, it tastes like licorice. I use a product called Steviva and it has erythritol and stevia, I use that in my kool-aid along with the Walmart brand of splenda.

 

[beefy]

I don't understand the reasoning on the warnings. Corn-Maltodextrin is maltodextrin and is probably why it tastes good. I personally have tried every stevia product available and I don't like it. When I tried to add stevia to kool-aid, it tastes like licorice. I use a product called Steviva and it has erythritol and stevia, I use that in my kool-aid along with the Walmart brand of splenda.

Does the erythritol product taste better? Anyone know if either Stevia or Erythritol can be used in place of sugar for baking? (similar baking properties, and all that?)

 

[breezeonby]

Does the erythritol product taste better? Anyone know if either Stevia or Erythritol can be used in place of sugar for baking? (similar baking properties, and all that?)

I love the Steviva but have never baked with it. I like the taste of erythritol, but it is expensive and I have to be careful with the amount of erythritol that I use, it is a sugar alcohol and I can have g/i problems if I use too much. Erythritol is in Truvia. If you want to try it, Truvia is sold in the grocery stores.

 

[Shanny]

Does the erythritol product taste better? Anyone know if either Stevia or Erythritol can be used in place of sugar for baking? (similar baking properties, and all that?)

I like erythritol better . . . it does have a sort of "coolness" about it, like spearmint tastes cool? That's as close as I can come to describing it.

And before today I'd have said erythritol isn't as sweet, but I'm in the process of reassessing that notion, because: I made my strawberry pie with erythritol last week, and we loved it. This week I made another, and used EZ-Sweetz (concentrated liquid sucralose/Splenda) drops instead, for the very reason that erythritol is expensive (!), but we didn't like it as much - it wasn't as sweet. Erythritol works well in cooking/baking, and I'm going back to it for my strawberry pie too.

 

[jwags]

Today I made a double batch of MCS's cookies. The recipe called for erythitol but I don't have any so I ripped open about 10 stevia packets and then mixed in about 1/4 cup of DaVinci syrup. Stevia is very sweet and you need to be careful how much you add to things. Since I drink my coffee and tea plain, I don't know about the taste in those. I feel it bakes up nice though in recipes. I have to go to Costco tomorrow and get some of the stevia and erythiol mix. I think it is called Truvia. I have a lot of Dana Carpenders Low Carb cookbooks. In most of her cookie recipes she mixes the stevia with some kind of granular sweetner like Xylitol or Erythitol to improve the texture. As with all baking so much is trial and error.

 

[breezeonby]

I like the mix of erythritol and stevia mixed and it looks like sugar. I can't consume a lot of sugar alcohol, so I limit my use and add Walmart's Splenda version called "Great Value Endulzante". I tried Sweetzfree and I really liked this product, pure 100% sucralose, the cost of the product is for those who are rich. I stopped using it because the cost was out of this world, actually it has been so long since I ordered it, I don't remember the size of the product that was sold, but if you are interested you can check it out at Sweetzfree no calorie sweetener. The blend of stevia and erythritol that I use is called Steviva and is only sold at their website Steviva Brands - High quality stevia, stevioside, RebA, Stevia recipes, stevia sweetener, cooking with stevia, stevia rebaudiana, stevia, fructose, fructevia. I buy 12-1 pound bags at a time, they consider 12-1 lb bags a wholesale order and it is cheaper and then since I had been a loyal customer, they give me an additional 10% off, the 10% savings covers the cost of shipping. My order cost about $115.00 and this lasts 3 months, about $40 per month. I love the Steviva and use about 1/2 cup per day. I will continue to buy it as long as I can afford it. My sister (non-diabetic) has made cookies using wheat flour and agave nectar. There were more ingredients but I don't know what else was in the recipe, but they were great and I had no idea that it was agave nector. She stopped using agave because it has alot of calories in it, so she now uses Splenda and a very small part of sugar in her recipes. She won't try erythritol because she claims it has too many unknown additives in it and both of us will argue until we are blue in the face about erythritol. I gave up, let her use what she wants.

 

[jwags]

Agave Nectar comes from a cactus plant. It has the same amount of carbs as sugar but is mostly fructose. Fructose is one of those debatable items. It does not spike you right away, but I have heard that it contributes to higher Triglyceride numbers. My problem with all these alternative sweetners is the price, too. The stevia can be very expensive but is the only natural 0 calorie product. I think the corn malodextrine is just a new name. It is like HFCS being renamed corn syrup, making it seem healthier.

 

[Shanny]

Thanks for that reminder, Jeanne . . . yes indeedy, the corn refiners have renamed HFCS and now refer to it as corn sugar. It is still the same nasty concoction that poisons our bodies: Sugar - The bitter truth - Robert H Lustig

 

[Rad Warrier]

Yesterday evening, I bought a packet of Stevia containing one hundred 1-gram sachets. It is the first time that I am finding Stevia on the shelves of the stores where I shop regularly.

It used to be a sachet of Splenda that I would put in my cup of tea every morning and evening. Today, I put a sachet of Stevia in my morning cup of tea. It tasted good, better than Splenda.

My long experience on this globe teaches me that all that feels, looks, and tastes good must be bad in some way. So ye knowledgeable folks, tell me what is bad about this Stevia. Compare it with Splenda.

For your additional information, the packet has an all-capital warning: KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN. I am no child, but ... Also, in small letters it says that it is not good for pregnant women, children or those who have a low blood pressure. The packet also says that each 1 g sachet contains 48 mg of stevia (stevia rebaudiana) leaf extract standardized to 90% Glycosides whatever that means. Besides, as "non-medicinal ingredient" it lists "Corn Maltodextrin." Is corn maltodextrin bad?

Regards,
Rad

Here is an update on my use of Stevia: I stopped using it and returned to Splenda.

Reasons? Here are they:

1. I felt a slightly bitter after taste after drinking tea with Stevia in it. This was fine with tea.
2. The after taste turned into a very light burning sensation in the tongue and remained there for hours.
3. The very light burning sensation began going down the food pipe to the tummy.
4. A continuous but very mild sense of discomfort developed in the tummy.

All the sensations described above are very mild, but mild as they are, they are still uncomfortable.

All the discomfort described above vanished on returning to Splenda.

Regards,
Rad

 

[TeaLover3]

Well i have been using Natvia Sweetener and i am really happy with the result. It is very low on calorie and it is all natural.

 

[d33na]

the problem is stevia comes in many forms...I use the liquid and it has no 'filler'

I have seen it mixed with many other ingredients but they all call it Stevia...I've learned to read everything...lol...made too many mistakes by believing a label...

My son likes a crystal form that looks more like sugar...so we have that at home...and I cook with splenda as i find it easier to measure

 

[imabug]

i bought some Truvia (crystal form) to try out, mostly in drinks and such. it smells like brown sugar to me, but has kind of that cool taste shanny described. to me it smells a lot sweeter than it tastes.

haven't quite decided if i like it yet

 

[d33na]

yessssssssssssssss I agree....I got one stevia liquid that was clear and it had no smell...and a browner liquid and it smelled like brown sugar...me thinx they are playing with our minds *puts on foil hat*

 

[Boo]

I like the stevia/erythritol mix in Truvia. It tastes great and even smells good. I recently confirmed with a nutritionist that is safe, even for pregnant women.

 

[Shanny]

I can't get used to the Truvia smell - it isn't unpleasant, but I guess I'm just not accustomed to sweetening agents smelling quite so strong. It's like when I accidentally buy a bottle of scented dishwashing liquid or scented deodorant . . . I've been buying unscented everything for so long I'm always startled when a perfumey aroma comes wafting out.

 

[SecretAgent]

Here is a blog from a guy who gets emails from people about their expiences with various supplements and such.
Here is the stevia page.
STEVIA Side effects