Stevia sugar substitute - Is this a good idea?

[Muse]

I was watching Fed Up last night (a must see!) and they touched upon the subject of artificial sweeteners and quickly dismissed them as part of the entire addiction syndrome resulting in obesity that's been reaching epidemic proportions globally the last 30 and more years.

About 1/2 way through this 99 minute documentary they showed images of sugar substitute products on market shelves and one of them was a stevia based product. I had to REW and hit PAUSE because I was taken by surprise. I've never been into artificial sweeteners but a cousin introduced me to stevia (an entirely plant-based product) a few years ago and have since used it in place of sugar quite a bit. I just bought a pound of the stuff that's pretty pure and doesn't have much in the way of the bitter aftertaste that my previous supply had.

Well, the documentary stated (it was just one sentence, IIRC, this thing was narrated by Katie Couric), that artificial sweeteners trick the mind into craving sweets and after ingesting them you are going to have lingering food cravings that are part and parcel of the obesity epidemic addiction syndrome that we are faced with.

I don't add stevia to coffee, but have been putting a little in the tea that I occasionally drink and have been using it in some recipes calling for sugar. Is this actually a bad idea?

 

[whm1974]

Stevia is fine as long as you can get the pure stuff. Native Americans in South America have been using Steavia leaves for centuries with no problem.

 

[Muse]

Stevia is fine as long as you can get the pure stuff. Native Americans in South America have been using Steavia leaves for centuries with no problem.

If what you say is true that documentary (Fed Up) was totally out of line lumping stevia in with sugar substitutes in general. They portray them as part of the problem, just another way of diverting attention from the crucial realizations that can lead us out of the crisis of burgeoning obesity, not only in America but now world wide. Absent evidence that stevia usage is problematical, I'll continue to use it. I'm not a sugar freak. I don't crave sweets but I do like some things that are sweet. If I can substitute stevia for sugar, etc. when I prepare those with no penalty, I'll do that. I still put sugar in my yeast baked goods because the yeast needs the sugar to grow and leaven the product. But I don't bake a lot, just bread these days for the most part and not so much of that. One expert in the documentary (a doctor, I'm pretty sure!) said that sugar isn't a problem unless you reach a certain threshold. That threshold is way less than the food industry would like people to believe.

My impression is that the linked Stevia (see OP) is pretty pure. Also it's represented as organic. It's quite economical too in the 1lb size I bought. It sure tastes a lot better than the stuff I bought before. This has practically no aftertaste, which is from a compound that is common in not so great stevi. See these links:

Info sites:
Nov. 2017

2011

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Of you use stevia in moderation, why can't you use sugar in moderation?

 

[whm1974]

Of you use stevia in moderation, why can't you use sugar in moderation?

I can't speak for the op, but I'm diabetic so I have to watch my sugar intake very closely.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I can't speak for the op, but I'm diabetic so I have to watch my sugar intake very closely.

That makes sense. As a Chef, I just run into way too many people who view sugar, fat and, starch as inherently evil.

 

[whm1974]

That makes sense. As a Chef, I just run into way too many people who view sugar, fat and, starch as inherently evil.

Well there is a lot of sugar in the American diet, and I see fat as a necessity in winter when it is cold out there.

 

[Muse]

Of you use stevia in moderation, why can't you use sugar in moderation?

I can and in fact I do, but I prefer to severely limit my sugar intake. In small amounts it's harmless enough but the amount that's truly harmless is pretty small. Anyway, it interferes with the metabolic balances I'd prefer.

I just ate an apple. It's sweet but the fiber in it slows down the body's absorption of the sugar. It's a lot healthier than eating sweets. That's what I'm given to understand.

 

[bfun_x1]

I'm one of the few people that have a bad reaction to Stevia. If I have a little my right hand goes numb. A bit more and my head feels bad. A bit more and my left hand goes numb. It took me awhile to figure out that Stevia was causing my problems.

 

[Muse]

I'm one of the few people that have a bad reaction to Stevia. If I have a little my right hand goes numb. A bit more and my head feels bad. A bit more and my left hand goes numb. It took me awhile to figure out that Stevia was causing my problems.

How do you know that stevia is causing your problems?

 

[mike8675309]

A big challenge for people is that how our "taste" works is a somewhat like a junky with a habit. Once we get a certain level of sweetness or saltiness then we crave that same level each time. If we eat something that doesn't achieve that it tastes "bland" to us. People who have participated in 30 day water fasts often report that when they do re-feed that their normal food tastes too salty, or too sweet, and that things like potatoes with no added butter or salt taste wonderful.
.
My point is that added sugars are never a good thing, regardless of their caloric breakdown. There have been some recent studies that have found that heavy use of added non-sugar sweeteners can promote gut bacteria in some people that send off enzymes triggering metabolic reactions to the non-sugar sweeteners just like you had eaten sugar. Triggering insulin response as well as fat storage.

If you really feel a need for added sugars, try an avoidance test. Avoid them for a week, and see if your drive to add them is diminished.

https://arstechnica.com/science/201...ers-may-leave-their-users-glucose-intolerant/

 

[Muse]

There have been some recent studies that have found that heavy use of added non-sugar sweeteners can promote gut bacteria in some people that send off enzymes triggering metabolic reactions to the non-sugar sweeteners just like you had eaten sugar. Triggering insulin response as well as fat storage.

If you really feel a need for added sugars, try an avoidance test. Avoid them for a week, and see if your drive to add them is diminished.

https://arstechnica.com/science/201...ers-may-leave-their-users-glucose-intolerant/

I don't see a mention of stevia in the linked article (a search for stevia fails).

I certainly don't sugar my foods "heavily," so I'm probably not at risk for a metabolic swing toward insulin and fat storage in my use of stevia.

I like sweetness in some foods. I don't crave sweetness. I could go days without any and not even notice. I'm the same way with alcohol. However, certain foods without sweetness (say, a custard) would taste bland, improper.

For salt, I'm pretty low on the spectrum. I think I come under 1500mg sodium a day, I can't prove it, but figure it's true. I have bought a lot of "hint of salt" crackers and they generally taste way salty to me! I don't need even that much for my food to taste salty. I salt my cooking but lightly.

For myself, I agree that an unsalted cooked potato tastes great.

 

[bfun_x1]

How do you know that stevia is causing your problems?

First I went to a doctor and she said I was dehydrated and getting carpal tunnel which was ridiculous. Eventually my wife pointed out that I'd started drinking a new diet soda about the time the symptoms started. After that it was easy to figure out. Now I just have to watch what I drink and eat.

 

[mike8675309]

Nutritionfacts.org did a number of videos around sweeteners back in 2011. Here is a video on stevia that talks about the risks (and there is one real one related to eating too much).
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-stevia-good-for-you/

And here is a video on the best sweeteners.
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/

Studies referenced are available there.

 

[Muse]

I have bought stevia powder in bulk quantities (e.g. perhaps a quart) on a couple of occasions and used to use it frequently. Now I use it very very infrequently, but have much on hand in my fridge. I have heard of issues but a ban? If it were banned, why did I buy it readily off Amazon? It should have not been available. Last purchase I made was perhaps 6 years ago.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Stevia isn't banned, AFAIK. Prior reply is some sort of bot.

 

[igor_kavinski]

First I went to a doctor and she said I was dehydrated and getting carpal tunnel which was ridiculous. Eventually my wife pointed out that I'd started drinking a new diet soda about the time the symptoms started. After that it was easy to figure out. Now I just have to watch what I drink and eat.

Diet soda usually contains Aspartame, a very very bad thing.

 

[igor_kavinski]

Stevia might alter the gut microbiome. Whether good or bad, I guess that depends on the individual and what sort of bacterial population his/her gut had before starting Stevia. Some studies show that Stevia increases insulin secretion. It might help to control blood sugar or it might even make it worse in some people.

Researchers unravel how stevia controls blood sugar levels

What makes stevia taste so extremely sweet? And how does the sweetener keep our blood sugar level under control? Researchers have discovered that stevia stimulates a protein that is essential for our perception of taste and is involved in the release of insulin after a meal. These results create...

www.sciencedaily.com

Effects of stevia on glycemic and lipid profile of type 2 diabetic patients: A randomized controlled trial - PMC

Stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) is a natural and healthy alternative sweetener to sugar and artificial sweeteners, which has become important for human diets and food manufactures. In this study, the effects of stevia or sucralose as tea ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

How to Make Stevia Safe For Healthy Gut Bacteria

Safely processed stevia brands made with healthy ingredients are good for gut bacteria and can help with weight loss and sugar addict.

shapelyways.com

See? It's confusing.

 

[Muse]

My investigations led me to conclude that stevia is probably alright, but quite possibly only if you don't overdo it. I use very little indeed. I am not big on sugar these days anyway, I can take it or leave it, I don't crave sugar. Lately I go 50-50 with sugar in a low fat cottage cheese cake I make regularly, that's it. I'm consuming about 1/4 teaspoon of stevia powder a week.

 

[Muse]

See? It's confusing.

How to Make Stevia Safe For Healthy Gut Bacteria

Safely processed stevia brands made with healthy ingredients are good for gut bacteria and can help with weight loss and sugar addict.

shapelyways.com

Her favorite stevia is Now Better Stevia... that's the last brand I bought, 1 pound! But mine is powdered, not liquid.

 

[Torn Mind]

I chime in and say Sucralose sucks. Gives me a headache after only a few small bites. Ate some mints with it and sorbitol. Always happened after drinking zero sugar powerade. Effect is always there.

 

[Motostu]

I chime in and say Sucralose sucks. Gives me a headache after only a few small bites. Ate some mints with it and sorbitol. Always happened after drinking zero sugar powerade. Effect is always there.

Totally agree that it sucks. Doesn't give me a headache, but messes up my gut badly. Took me too long to figure out that it was the cause.

On topic, I use Stevia packets; one packet in my coffee in the morning. Been doing it for several years now and it's not causing me any issues that I know of.

 

[Muse]

On topic, I use Stevia packets; one packet in my coffee in the morning. Been doing it for several years now and it's not causing me any issues that I know of.

I add nonfat milk to my coffee. I believe that lactose is a sugar and the milk gives a slight sweetness to the otherwise bitter coffee.

Lactose: a sugar present in milk. It is a disaccharide containing glucose and galactose units.

I require no sugar. I like it when I do add it but 90% of the time I add no sugar at all and don't miss it. My body thanks me for skipping the sugar. Sugar except in small quantities is really bad for you. If you don't believe so you have your head in the sand. I experimented with stevia in my coffee for a while but stopped bothering with it and never missed it.

 

[igor_kavinski]

I chime in and say Sucralose sucks. Gives me a headache after only a few small bites. Ate some mints with it and sorbitol. Always happened after drinking zero sugar powerade. Effect is always there.

Sorbitol is one of the products of glucose metabolism that causes damage to cells in Diabetes, particularly in the eyes.

Polyol pathway - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The pathway is implicated in diabetic complications, especially in microvascular damage to the retina,[2] kidney,[3] and nerves.[4]

No way I would try it after knowing that.

 

[Torn Mind]

Sorbitol is one of the products of glucose metabolism that causes damage to cells in Diabetes, particularly in the eyes.

Polyol pathway - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

No way I would try it after knowing that.

Thankfully, sorbitol is a rather self-limiting substance. Either foods that contain it kill the appetite quickly or it causes diarrhea and thus its literally blasted out of your bowels(which has happened to me more than once).
Well, I try my best to avoid fruits and their respective juices along with nearly all other sweets due to the need for dental preservation. Waterpiks can give a good rinse, but the cleaning is never perfectly thorough. Even before then, I would get diarrhea from drinking too much apple juice, and ceased drinking it altogether due to that and that it sucks taste-wise.

I do fancy pears but they kill the appetite really quickly when I do eat them, either fresh or those nasty cans. Haven't eaten them at all for months. Only ate watermelon this summer, which has mannitol, and I did eat too much of that as well.

As for the mints, the diarrhea also came, meaning I ate one too many.