[Vegan Joe]

I have been reading this book called Fantastic Voyage, and they talk about stevia. Does anybody have any experieces, thoughts, uses, good supplier?

 

[codemonkey]

I use it on my oatmeal. I use the liquid kind. It's Sweet Leaf Vanilla Cream flavor. I get it at the health food store.

It's yummy.

 

[Alli]

I hear it's pretty bad for you, but I don't know the specifics.

 

[Vegan Joe]

From Wikipedia:

Government Actions

In 1991, at the request of an anonymous complaint, the United States Food and Drug Administration labeled stevia as an "unsafe food additive" and restricted its import. The FDA's stated reason was "toxicological information on stevia is inadequate to demonstrate its safety."[11] This ruling was controversial, as stevia proponents pointed out that this designation violates the FDA's own guidelines, under which any natural substance used prior to 1958 with no reported adverse effects should be generally recognized as safe (GRAS).

Stevia occurs naturally, requiring no patent to produce it. As a consequence, since the import ban in 1991, marketers and consumers of stevia have shared a belief that the sweetener industry pressured the FDA to keep stevia out of the United States. Arizona congressman Jon Kyl, for example, called the FDA action against stevia "a restraint of trade to benefit the artificial sweetener industry."[12] To date, the FDA has never revealed the source of the original complaint in its responses to requests filed under the Freedom of Information Act.

The FDA requires proof of safety before recognizing a food additive as safe. A similar burden of proof is required for the FDA to ban a substance or label it unsafe. In 1995, recognizing that this burden of proof had not been met, the FDA revised its stance to permit stevia to be used as a dietary supplement, although not as a food additive a stance that stevia proponents regard as contradictory because it simultaneously labels stevia as safe and unsafe, depending on how it is sold.

 

[Kevio]

I use it here and there for tea and other drinks. I like the powdered stevia packets that have inulin fiber/FOS in it as well.

The way I see it, it really couldn't be any worse than Splenda/sucralose and acesulfame k.

 

[Alli]

Quote:

Stevioside and two generations

of hamsters

In 1991 a study was done by researchers at the Chulalongkorn University Primate Research Center in Bangkok, Thailand (Yodyingyuad, 1991). The researchers' objective was to study the consequences of daily ingestion of stevioside -- the main active sweetening agent in the stevia plant -- in hamsters and its effects on two subsequent generations.

This study involved four groups of 20 hamsters (10 males and 10 females) who were one month old. The first group was fed a daily stevioside dosage of 500 mg/kg; the second group received a higher dose at 1,000 mg/kg; and the third group dosage was the highest at 2,500 mg/kg. The fourth group, which served as the control, received no stevioside. (Chinese researchers have estimated that the daily human consumption of stevioside is about 2 mg/kg; Xili, 1992).

The study showed no significant difference in the average growth of the first generation of hamsters in the groups receiving stevioside -- no matter what dosage they were given. Even the third generation of hamsters, at 120 days of age, showed no significant differences in body weight -- no matter which group they were in.

As to the mating performance, all three generations performed the same, no matter which dose of stevioside they received. Their performance was equal to the controls.

In summary, no growth or fertility abnormalities were found in hamsters of either sex. Mating was efficient and successful.

The researchers agreed, "The results of this study are astonishing. Stevioside at a dose as high as 2,500 mg/kg did not do any harm to these animals. We conclude that stevioside at a dose as high as 2.5 grams per kilogram of body weight affects neither the growth nor reproduction in hamsters."

http://www.stevia.net/safety.htm

No harm was done to the animals, but some may feel the need to boycott simply because there was testing on animals.

 

[IamJen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alli

I hear it's pretty bad for you, but I don't know the specifics.

Details please. I've read about the incidents VJ posted about below, but they anonymity of the complaint seems to limit it's credibility.

I've used it before, but it's not very widely available in the places I've lived. It's very strong, much stronger than sugar, and has a different taste.

 

[karenlovessnow]

I tried stevia but I don't like the taste.

 

[flvegnewbie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by karenlovessnow

I tried stevia but I don't like the taste.

I'm with you. I used it once & to me it still has that "artificial sweetner" taste. I just couldn't do it!

It also made my tummy hurt?

Michelle

 

[eri02]

Quote:

Originally Posted by karenlovessnow

I tried stevia but I don't like the taste.

me, either. i had the powdered kind with fos in it. i heard the liquid was better, but i can't find.

 

[tiggybrown]

I think the FDA is complete bull****, yeah but they can call milk from cancerous cows safe? Or meat with tumors safe? I bet they are in bed with the artifical sweetener company's, it is always about money it is never about health. Stevia is an herb and if used moderately I could assume it is harmless, I don't trust the FDA and that is sad.

 

[jeneticallymodified]

i don't know if i would boycott stevia because some random people on another continent decided to test it on some hamsters- there was nothing i could do about it, and it didn't need testing like that in the first place, as far as i'm concerned- it had already been available and utilised for centuries without health concerns arising. i bet independant people have done similar tests on hamsters with chocolate, lemons, sawdust, and carrots, etc.

i can't control what these people have done, (i don't know if it was a stevia company who ordered the testing- if so, fine, boycott that company!) i can just try and influence what they continue to do- by lobbying to changing the laws, etc. boycotting stevia isn't going to help with this, in my opinion- it'll just help the huge sugar and artificial sweetener industry.

I'm also dubious about the FDA thing- especially when it comes to the book burning crusade they launched too- don't see anyone burning books on how to make bombs, but books on a herb, those are scary.

stevia is used, and has been used for decades, in lots of products- especially in asia, where many artificial sweetners such as aspartame are illegal (due to safety concerns)- products including those made by coca cola, sunkist and nestle (maybe boycotting these guys is a good idea, lol!), and in things like pickles and soysauce. its totally illegal in the UK, which i find very irritating- so i have to just use it in Canada and do without when i'm home.

you can buy stevia online in 'health' drinks (that look mysteriously like canned soda and hot chocolate powder, lol!) and in chewing gums, toothpastes, etc. i use liquid stevia in drinks and suchlike- i definately prefer it to using sugar- which in my mind is an awful product, healthwise.

i don't have much experience of using it in cooking myself, but know that you can find specific stevia recipes, especially on websites that sell stevia, but if you adjust your own recipes, you need to allow for the loss of volume, caramelisation, binding, moisture, and other properties that sugar brings to baking. it won't activate yeast or fermentation (to bake breads, make beer etc) either. but as far as i'm concerned, thats balanced by the thought that it won't rot your teeth or lead to diabetes, either, lol.

its very sweet, you need a drop in place of a teaspoonful of sugar, but its not sweet in a sugary way- its hard to describe. it often has a mild aniseedy aftertaste- the sweetness is quite zingy, so don't overdo it if you use it or it'll make you go 'bleurgh!' less is definately more, with stevia.

i don't know much about this magazine, but this article does present a lot of information: http://www.nexusmagazine.com/articles/stevia.html

 

[DLS]

I agree with flvegnewbie, I think concentrated stevia products all have that artificial taste, I was told that the white powder stevia is a bleached product, I do not know for sure. I do however like the taste of the natural stevia leaf, I add a little of it to a pot of loose tea, steep and strain.

 

[zoebird]

i don't know if i wrote this before, but in india and nepal, stevia supposedly negatively affects fertility.

 

[sandybeachbums]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevio

I use it here and there for tea and other drinks. I like the powdered stevia packets that have inulin fiber/FOS in it as well.

The way I see it, it really couldn't be any worse than Splenda/sucralose and acesulfame k.

Where do you get those and what is the brand? That sounds pretty cool.

 

[jeezycreezy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zoebird

i don't know if i wrote this before, but in india and nepal, stevia supposedly negatively affects fertility.

What sort of effect would stevia have in Canada, do you know?

Shift!

TJ

 

[compassionate1]

Personally, I think the stuff is kinda gross. Not a fan.

Maybe I should get the Nepalese stuff. Sounds like it's pretty powerful.

 

[troub]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeezycreezy

What sort of effect would stevia have in Canada, do you know?

Shift!

TJ

I heard it makes you say 'Your da hoser eh?' alot and gives you a desire to play hockey and drink Labatt Blue.

or wait... thats the air in Canada.

Take off eh?

 

[Music Girl]

I think Stevia tastes disgusting.

It has the foulest aftertaste.

Whatever it does or doesn't do to negatively affect my body won't be a concern cause I ain't eating any of it.

I'm sticking to maple syrup and agave nectar.

What is weird about Stevia is that the pure powder is green, and when you open the container and the dust comes out, you immediately taste it. You can seriously taste the smell. It's bizarre.

 

[~Wonder]

I use the powdered stuff from time to time in smoothies. I like it. And I haven't grown any second heads yet. Of course I also haven't fathered any children since consuming stevia, I guess I'd need a woman for that though. But that's ok, I don't like kids, too sticky.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeezycreezy

What sort of effect would stevia have in Canada, do you know?

Shift!

TJ

They sell the seeds at Target, well at least they did when I bought them. I have extras if you want. That way you could experiment on yourself. Then you can boycott yourself later.

~Wonder