Stevia

[miss_thenorth]

Ok, so I finally found some stevia at the pharmacy today, and bought it. But the list of ingredients has me questioning it.

I put this in the roll your own section, becasue I do want to grow my own stevia hopefully this summer.

The ingredients of what I bought are:stevia extract contains 50 mg of stevia leaf extract (stevia rebaudiana)inulin, erythritol, natural falvour citric acid.


Hmmmm? Can't I just grow it, dry it, powder it and use in my coffee or whatever?

 

[Wifezilla]

The dried herb is good in cooking and for tea. I don't like it in my coffee though. I use erythritol. It is a sugar alcohol and very low carb without gastric upset some SAs can cause.

 

[Diavolicchio]

Ok, so I finally found some stevia at the pharmacy today, and bought it. But the list of ingredients has me questioning it.

I put this in the roll your own section, becasue I do want to grow my own stevia hopefully this summer.

The ingredients of what I bought are:stevia extract contains 50 mg of stevia leaf extract (stevia rebaudiana)inulin, erythritol, natural falvour citric acid.


Hmmmm? Can't I just grow it, dry it, powder it and use in my coffee or whatever?

I did the whole Stevia thing about 8 years ago but just never could acquire a taste for it. Even in its pure, refined form it leaves an odd, bitter aftertaste. I also bought a container of the actual dried and pulverized leaves, which I believe I STILL have sitting in the pantry.

I can't imagine anyone growing this stuff and then dumping it in their tea or coffee. It would be like drinking tea with all of the tea leaves floating on the top. I guess you'd have to strain it out of your coffee much as you would tea leaves. Frankly, it just seems like way more bother than it's worth, and all for an inferior sweetener.

 

[Farmfresh]

I recently spoke to the neighborhood Herbalist about stevia on behalf of my BIL who has been recently diagnosed diabetic. He says the stevia continues to get sweeter and sweeter when mixed with foods directly. He recommends buying a small bottle with a dropper and mix the powdered stevia with ACV... (I'll check with BIL and post exact amounts later) and making a solution. The vinegar does NOT make the stevia taste sour at all! He said that you could also use a good vodka if you wanted to.

He suggests that you use the same amount to mix each time and once it is mixed in those proportions you can use a drop or two drops or what ever you need for the recipe and it tastes fine. It has worked MUCH better this way for my BIL.

 

[abifae]

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[Wifezilla]

I did really badly with the other sugar alcohol. Starts with "s"

Sorbitol. That hits me hard too but the WORST is molitol. Only use that if you really like your bathroom decor!

Here is a sugar alcohol chart...
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/a/sugaralcohols.htm

 

[abifae]

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[freemotion]

Ok, so I finally found some stevia at the pharmacy today, and bought it. But the list of ingredients has me questioning it.

I put this in the roll your own section, becasue I do want to grow my own stevia hopefully this summer.

The ingredients of what I bought are:stevia extract contains 50 mg of stevia leaf extract (stevia rebaudiana)inulin, erythritol, natural falvour citric acid.


Hmmmm? Can't I just grow it, dry it, powder it and use in my coffee or whatever?

Turn the box over, I bet it says "Cargill" on it! Yet another way to market corn.....sugar alcohol packaged to fool people into thinking they are buying stevia. You are not alone, mtn. Many very intelligent people excitedly bring me what is likely the same box you bought, telling me they found stevia in the grocery store.

I can't handle sugar alcohols, and I know many people can. It is not the fact that it is primarily sugar alcohols that I have a huge problem with, it is the deceptiveness of the packaging. Like this ad, one of my favorites from a couple years ago: "Lucky Charms....now with whole grains!" Yeah, right. Mostly white flour and sugar and artificial flavorings and colorings, and a pinch of ww flour thrown into a huge vat of batter like fairy dust! Now with whole grains, my a$$!

Ooops.....(hangs head in shame, but makes no move to edit that sentence.....)

Farmfresh, when you get the recipe and detailed instructions, please, please, please post it in the recipe section for us!

 

[miss_thenorth]

this is the first time I have bought it, and I bought it just to try the flavour.. I'm not normally an artificial sweetener gal. When I got it home, i thought, why advertise it as stevia when it is erthritol. But for the flavour.....

 

[Wildsky]

Has anyone one tried "Sun Crystals"? supposed to be stevia and sugar... I don't know if it has anything else in it.