Stevia Sweetener

Question: Is stevia safe to use as a sweetener? I never could tolerate aspertame or Nutrasweet in anything and I'm concerned about the negative health effects of artificial sweeteners. Stevia is a small flowering plant native to South America. It seems relatively safe, but not every plant in nature is safe to eat. What are your thoughts?

Answer: I've never heard of it, but if its from a plant then it should be okay, or go with honey instead :)

Question: where can I buy Stevia sweetener in bulk? My spouse just recently found out that he has diabetes and needs to change his diet. I also am looking for a egg replacer for baking.

Answer: I would try your local health food store. They would carry these products for sure. You can also search online.

Question: how do you think the sweetener Stevia will affect the food and drink industry? i think some people will like it, and some people won't. I just hope they don't label it as an "artificial" sweetener. It's been around for a long time.

Answer: It's all natural, how could they not like it. It is actually sweeter than sugar. Here is a stevia link... http://www.stevia.net/

Question: Is STEVIA an artificial sweetener like Splenda and Equal? Artificial sweeteners don't agree with me so I want to use stevia but I don't know if that is all natural or artificial also?

Answer: Stevia is a natural sweetener, not a chemical one. It's many times sweeter than sugar. Widely used around the world as a sweetening alternative to sugar without any significant problems, though here, in the US, the FDA has labeled it as unsafe, due to various studies. Other studies show Stevia's potential in treating various medical conditions, such as diabetes, and hypertention. Being plant derived, some people may be allergic to it. It's related to the sunflower. Some of the troubles with Stevia include it's being hard on the liver.

Question: Has anyone tried the natural sweetener Stevia? My father was just recently diagnosed with diabetes and I want to get him a natural sweetener so that he does not have to use artifical sweeteners like equal, splenda or nurtia sweet.

Answer: I used it when I was first diagnosed as diabetic. It was Ok, but it didn't give me the same taste 'hit' as the real thing. To be honest, I regret using any sweetener at all now. After a while, you lose the taste for sugar pretty much completely (well, at least I did), which makes life a lot easier. If I had avoided sweeteners completely I would have reached my current state a lot quicker. Now, even a coffee which has been stirred with the same spoon as a sugared coffee tastes too sweet to me. http://www.informationaboutdiabetes.com

Question: where can i buy the sweetener stevia? i tried walmart and didnt find it. where else can i buy it? walmart and harps is the only grocery stores we have.

Answer: As mentioned, health food stores should carry it but if you have a local mall and the mall has a vitamin/supplement store (like GNC or something) you might be able to find it there. As far as I know stevia is not FDA approved as a 'sweetner' so it is still sold as a 'dietary supplement,' that is why you might have luck finding stevia at a vitamin/supplement type store (or you might try looking for it in those aisles at Wal-Mart if you haven't already tried, since it might not be stocked around the other sweeteners like the sugar/flour/baking section). Or you could try ordering it online.

Question: IS STEVIA SWEETENER A SAFE ALTERNATIVE TO SUGAR? and is it the best alternative to sugar for a diabetic and is it safe?

Answer: Here's some information on stevia you may find interesting by Dr. Janet Hull Stevia is 250 to 300 times sweeter than sugar. It is isolated and purified from the leaves of the stevia plant. Stevia has been used for centuries as a traditional remedy for diabetes and gum disease among the indigenous people of Paraguay and other South American countries. The therapeutic use of stevia has been recorded for over 1,500 years. Who knows how many years prior to the records? Independent researchers’ preliminary scientific studies show stevia may indeed improve the function of cells required for insulin production in the pancreas. It may also improve glucose tolerance in people with diabetes. According to the generations of people who have used stevia as a part of their daily diet, stevia has also been proven to regulate blood sugar. Unlike other sweeteners, stevia has been reported to possess anti-viral properties. Preliminary evidence suggests stevia also possesses blood pressure lowering properties and may be a useful treatment for hypertension. After years of political scrutiny and stonewalling in Europe, the European Commission finally approved stevia as a sweetener in October 2004. The FDA currently disallows marketing stevia as a “sweetener,” but permits stevia to be sold in the United States as a “food additive” only.

Question: What do you think about stevia herbal sweetener's aftertaste compared to regular sugar?

Answer: Really bad, only becaue it's a lot stronger, but overall stevia is a lot healthier, and frankly a lot better, besides the price.

Question: Have you tried Stevia sweetener? Are there any downfalls/side effects? I recently stumbled across this supposedly all natural herbal sweetener and it seems too good to be true. With almost zero calories and sweeter tasting than sugar, what's the catch? Will it cause weight gain? Are there side effects? Has anyone tried it for a long period of time, what were your results?

Answer: I love stevia! splenda makes me brake out so stevia or true leaf are amazing!! No catch!! Everyone is different but it works for me and i haven't heard anything bad about it either.

Question: why do they ban stevia as a sweetener? i know it must only be sold in health stores but why is there such controversy and why do they ban it as a sweetener, que ce soit, s'il vous plait i know, i want to know why they ban it...hence my question and the details in the question

Answer: The official answer is that the FDA believes that stevia isn't properly tested and believes it may by harmful because its full use is not known. Moreover, the WHO in 2006 concluded that more studies have to be done in order to figure out proper dosage. The more realistic answer is that the artificial sweetener lobby is pretty strong and they want to restrict it as it grows naturally and needs no patenting. It would create tremendous amount of comptetion and the lobby wouldnt want it.

Question: Diabetics or anyone else use Stevia as a sweetener? I have read some nasty things about Splenda and I am thinking of trying Stevia. Is it good? Is it better than Splenda? I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences. Thanks ☺

Answer: I tried one brand, an expensive one, from a health food store and it was ok. I tried another brand from one of the warehouse club stores, and it was so nasty as to be ridiculous! A total waste of my money! For my money, I will use a little bit of real regular sugar and to H with all other products or I will do without any sweetening in my tea.

Question: i just did buy me stevia as an sweetener for my coffee , is that a healthy choice ? is stevia a smart replacement for sugar ? i read that the Japanese use stevia for many years now without an apparent bad unhealthy aftereffect ,. wow - wow - wow - miss coy = so much information .

Answer: Stevia is a genus of about 150 species of herbs and shrubs in the sunflower family (Asteraceae), native to subtropical and tropical South America and Central America. The species Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, commonly known as sweetleaf, sweet leaf, sugarleaf, or simply stevia, is widely grown for its sweet leaves. As a sugar substitute, stevia's taste has a slower onset and longer duration than that of sugar, although some of its extracts may have a bitter or licorice-like aftertaste at high concentrations. With its extracts having up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar, stevia has garnered attention with the rise in demand for low-carbohydrate, low-sugar food alternatives. Stevia also has shown promise in medical research for treating such conditions as obesity and high blood pressure.Stevia has a negligible effect on blood glucose, even enhancing glucose tolerance; therefore, it is attractive as a natural sweetener to diabetics and others on carbohydrate-controlled diets

Question: Can anyone give me factual information about Stevia use as a sweetener? I am concerned about it's adverse effects or reactions...any information, good or bad is helpful! Thanks!

Answer: Stevia (stevioside) Stevia is an herb that is 250 to 300 times sweeter than sugar, and calorie-free. It comes from a plant in South America. You'll find it in the herbal section of health food stores, sold as a powdered extract or in liquid form. Pros: Stevia has been used in South America for centuries. It's been used in Japan for the past 30 years as well. Cons: Stevia has not gone through the FDA approval process for use as an artificial sweetener since it's sold as a dietary supplement, not a sweetener, in the U.S. Research done in the 1980s suggested that DNA changes occurred when stevia was tested with a certain bacteria. The FDA believes stevia's safety has not been proven.

Question: Are there any drinks that contain Stevia sweetener?

Answer: According to the FDA, it can't be marketed as a "sweetener" (ridiculous, huh?I wonder if the big artificial sweetener industries had any say in this), but as a dietary supplement. I have wished there were soft drinks with it instead of Splenda or Aspartame. But I have not seen one, and I live in an area where there are health food and herb stores everywhere. So I make my own. Lemon juice and water with stevia. Hot chocolate. Herbal teas (think spicy exotic herbs like cinnamon, vanilla, or cacao). Cranberry juice, unsweetened, with water and stevia added, makes a great cleansing tonic. This herb is great; it actually balances blood sugar levels. Hopefully, it will be able to be sold as a sweetener in beverages soon.

Question: Is stevia really the new miracle sweetener? It's over 200 times sweeter than sugar, with zero calories, and without the negative health effects of artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and saccharin? Sounds a little too good to be true, don't you think? If it really is as good as they say it is, why isn't there such high demand for it? Why isn't it so well known? Wouldn't such a product be a huge help in the fight against obesity and diabetes? Isn't it likely the whole things just a scam?

Answer: Stevia comes from the dried leaves of the stevia plant. It is an excellent natural alternative to sugar. It has no calories, has none of the side effects or health risks of sugar, aspartame and saccharin and is not broken down by heat. Stevia accounts for nearly 40% of the sweetener market in Japan. Stevioside found in stevia is about 30-50 times sweeter than sugar, but it contains no calories. It can be used in cooking and baking in many cases just as sugar is? You simply use much less. A number of good stevia cookbooks are available Stevia has beneficial effects on glucose tolerance and is therefore helpful for diabetics. (Curi) A recent study in Denmark showed that stevia stimulates insulin secretion. The results indicate that stevia indeed has a potential role as antihyperglycemic agents in the treatment of Type II diabetes. Stevia also has other benefits as it promotes probiotic growth in the intestinal tract and reduces hypertension (as recently shown in a human double-blind placebo-controlled study. (Chan) Extensive reviews of human and animal data indicate stevia to be safe. Basically, Splenda has such a monopoly on the artificial sweetner market that it is difficult for anyone else to promote their product. i like stevia A LOT better than splenda though, so i dont think its too good to be true :)

Question: Is Stevia the best artificial sweetener? I currently use Splenda and was given a Stevia sample...have any of you used it, and if so, what do you think??

Answer: Stevia is completely natural. It is not only wonderful to the taste, but is one hundred bagillion times healthier than sugar or Splenda. Stevia (unlike the horribly unhealthy Splenda) improves regularity, immune system, and many other things while still containing NO sugar. There are many options with Stevia, including Virgil's diet sodas (which come in three amazing varieties) and Stevia plus, a powdered Stevia+Fiber combo that mixes great into tea or coffee. So in short, STICK WITH STEVIA. It tastes better, it won't give you cancer and it won't send your insulin levels through the roof. Hope this helped!