Blood sugar and stevia

[Teaandherb]

Hi, for treating and preventing diabetes, you might have heard of Stevia, a calorie-free sweetener. My uncle tried stevia extract and stevia leaves for years, and actually, his diabetes is well under control. Stevia is originated from South America, but it is mainly grown in China now. If you search

[mugwumpn2]

I buy 100% pure stevia extract and use it only in my oats at breakfast time.  I don't experience any after taste whatsoever but that may be because of my age.  I buy my stevia from a local supermarket and it comes in a plastic bottle equipped with a small (and I mean small) scoop.  The product is made by NOW FOODS, Bloomingdale IL 60108.  Perhaps you can write to them to find a distributor close to where you live.

[mugwumpn2]

I am a type 2 diabetic and have done a fair amount of research, both on the internet and practical, and have given up on artificial sweeteners in baking.  On the subject of Maltitol, I bought just one candy sweetened with Maltitol and measured my blood glucose level before I ate the candy and then measured my blood glucose level at half hour intervals.  Man, that one candy pushed my blood glucose level way over the top.  Further research revealed that Maltitol is about the same as maple syrup.  Maltitol is derived from birch tree sap in the same way maple syrup is derived from maple trees.  So I avoid Maltitol.  Splenda is equally dangerous for diabetics.  It is a form of sugar and pushes one's blood glucose level up.

On the subject of artificial sweeteners with aspartame:  I was sitting next to a woman on an airplane when the flight attendant offered coffee.  I asked for a sugar substitute and was given one consisting solely of aspartame.  The passenger next to me told me that aspartame carries the risk of causing diabetes.  When I asked her how she knew that she said she worked for Monsanto, the company that makes aspartame.  She was a medical doctor in the research lab.  Monsanto knows the riskes involved in consuming aspartame but are more interested in making money than worrying about consumer health.

[Pete919usa]

Oh man, maltitol gives me really awful gas and cramps, so I avoid it.  I have tried mixing stevia with other sweeteners, and stevia seems to have an enhancing effect on combined sweetness (mix some other sweetener with stevia and the mix is sweeter than either of the two were on their own).  Erythritol and stevia work pretty well together in liquids, but I find erythritol tricky to bake and cook with, maybe because it's such a fine powder, my results have been flat... literally.  

Adding vanilla enhances sweetness, and I've found that helpful with erythritol in terms of increasing sweetness, and with stevia to decrease the bitterness.  Stevia and Splenda together are almost too sweet to me, but you might try that for your sweet tooth... but again, as we've noted in past posts, the issue with trying to bake remains a problem.  Keep me posted on your kitchen experiments and I'll do the same!

[WaveRider]

Hey Pete... Thanks for posting back. I've tried both Erythritol and Maltitol. I can tolerate either one in small amounts. However, they both affect my BUN (blood urea nitrogen) - causing it to max out or go above its max range - along with the tendency to leave me with excessive gas and feeling slightly bloated, that is, if I consume more than I should. I'm still experimenting with amounts. They both seem to lack the sweetness I desire. Perhaps its my sugar memories causing this.

They say Erythritol is 70-80% the sweetness of sugar but to me its not. Have you ever mixed Erythritol & Stevia, or Maltitol & Stevia? If I could only find a way to reduce the Stevia bitter after taste...

[Pete919usa]

Wow!  Really sorry to hear that your reaction to stevia was so negative.  I've had good experience with it, and yeah, it can have a bitter after-taste if tasted on its own, but I've had good results with it, especially in hot liquids (decaf coffee and teas), and I do like it particularly because it's not synthetic and, for me, does not negatively effect my blood sugar...  but, if you can't stand the taste, yeah, there's no point.  We all have our individual taste buds, I guess...  Sorry to have steered you wrong for you!

Previously you mentioned wanting a non-sugar sweetener you could use to bake with, too... have you tried erythritol?

[WaveRider]

Well, its been 3 months since I ordered the powdered form of SweetLeaf Stevia. I find it disgusting while countless numbers of family and friends do so too. One tiny pin head amount on my tongue made me cringe. It has an artificial super sweet taste and leaves a semi bitter after taste. If one likes an artificial tasting sweetener then Stevia takes first place. To me its Nasty with a Capitol 'N'. Save your $$ for I wish I had. Stick with Splenda.