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Stevia

(53 Posts)
jinglbellsfrocks Mon 18-Jan-16 17:34:50

Has anyone used it? I bought a bag of Tate and Lyle sugar with Stevia added. I think it's half as much Stevia as sugar. Just making a crumble and have sprinkled two good table spoons on the fruit. And now I've tasted some off a teaspoon. It's horrible. Very sweet and unnatural tasting. I'm so hoping it doesn't spoil the crumble. Can't chuck away the fruit and start again. Too wasteful. hmm

It is from a plant, so I thought it would be OK.

Greyduster Mon 18-Jan-16 18:33:09

I bought some stevia sweeteners. Tried them once and threw them out. They made tea and coffee taste awful, as do most sweeteners.

tinaf1 Mon 18-Jan-16 18:47:28

I also tried the Tate & Lyle with stevia it was awful chucked it

tinaf1 Mon 18-Jan-16 18:49:02

I have also tried Tate & Lyle with stevia it was awful chucked it

tinaf1 Mon 18-Jan-16 18:50:02

Sorry posted twice sticky fingers smile

shysal Mon 18-Jan-16 18:52:57

I have Stevia on my shopping list for tomorrow after watching Trust Me I'm a Doctor last week. I can't quite remember what their findings were, but I think they said that saccharine and other artificial sweeteners raise the blood sugar level as much as sugar does, but Stevia, being natural, doesn't.
I often use the granular sweetener for stewed fruit and cereal, and it tastes fine to me as I am used to it.

Synonymous Mon 18-Jan-16 18:56:09

I'm not keen on Stevie and find that Zylitol, which is made from birch tree sap, tastes much better although not cheap. You use like for like.
Always best to cut sweetening down to the minimum that you can tolerate anyway. A good idea to add a little and taste since you can always add it but can't remove it. In baking it is easy to cut the sugar content down by a third without compromising on the taste and funnily enough the less you use habitually the sweeter things taste. Even vegetables have a real sweetness to them when your diet isn't overloaded with sugar or sweetening.
Haven't used sweetening in any drink except cocoa since I was about 7 years old.

tanith Mon 18-Jan-16 18:57:57

I've been using Stevia for the last few months just a little on porridge and less than half a spoon in my coffee , also replaced brown sugar in crumbles and never noticed any difference, I thought it would 'taste' in the coffee but not it just tastes like sugar. I saw that piece on Trust Me too so I shall continue with it.

annodomini Mon 18-Jan-16 18:58:37

I tried Stevia and found that it left an unpleasant after-taste, so, as a few of you have done, I got rid of it. I think it has been over-hyped.

tanith Mon 18-Jan-16 18:59:27

The one I use is just Stevia not a mix of ordinary sugar it just looks like natural granulated sugar.

Pittcity Mon 18-Jan-16 19:02:10

I have a bad reaction to artificial sweeteners so tried Stevia. No reaction but it tasted awful. I stick to real sugar and just try to eat less of it.

I understood the Trust Me... findings to be that the body reacted to artificial sweeteners making you more susceptible to high blood sugar shysal

shysal Mon 18-Jan-16 19:12:01

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b06wp7jc/trust-me-im-a-doctor-series-4-episode-2
Just watched this again, some of you may find it interesting and alarming!

kiligran Mon 18-Jan-16 20:01:15

Xylitol is much better, good for baking and cooking too.

jinglbellsfrocks Mon 18-Jan-16 20:59:38

The crumble wasn't exactly ruined - DH didn't notice any difference, but there was a sweetness that wasn't nice. I'm throwing out the rest of the packet. Don't know why I bought it really. hmm

rubysong Mon 18-Jan-16 23:33:12

I use Stevia in porridge, custard and rice pudding and don't have a problem with it. I haven't tried baking with it but I expect it could work. It is such a saving of calories as opposed to sugar and I think it tastes OK.

M0nica Mon 18-Jan-16 23:58:59

I watched the programme as well. DH uses sweeteners in coffee and thought it might be a good idea to try it, but I get the impression from OPs that it only comes in granular form, not as tablets in a dispenser.

sarahbaileycooksetc Tue 19-Jan-16 09:46:36

I've not heard of stevia, but nobody on this thread seems to like it. I have used agave syrup, which as the name suggests is a syrup not a powder. It's fine to mix into cake and fruit mixtures and is quite a lot less sweet than golden syrup, so it could take quite a bit of getting used to for some people. I'm always a bit sceptical about the use of the word 'natural' it doesn't mean 'good' although some marketeers would like us to think that it does.

bethanmp23 Tue 19-Jan-16 09:49:21

After breast cancer I am on a daily hormone suppression tablet which puts people at risk of osteoporosis. However, when they scanned me, I already had osteoporosis.
They put me on a tablet for that but didn't monitor me [they were meant to do that, but three years down the road nobody had!]. So now the tablet [Twice daily, Calcium and Vitamin D, but mostly sugar - probably to make it taste acceptable] has given me Type 2 diabetes.
I am now fasting 2 days a week - nothing but water - as apparently this can reverse this diabetes [doctor on tv advice!].
I have to say that some vegetables now taste horribly sweet, especially root vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, potatoes...

bethanmp23 Tue 19-Jan-16 09:49:22

After breast cancer I am on a daily hormone suppression tablet which puts people at risk of osteoporosis. However, when they scanned me, I already had osteoporosis.
They put me on a tablet for that but didn't monitor me [they were meant to do that, but three years down the road nobody had!]. So now the tablet [Twice daily, Calcium and Vitamin D, but mostly sugar - probably to make it taste acceptable] has given me Type 2 diabetes.
I am now fasting 2 days a week - nothing but water - as apparently this can reverse this diabetes [doctor on tv advice!].
I have to say that some vegetables now taste horribly sweet, especially root vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, potatoes...

bethanmp23 Tue 19-Jan-16 09:49:22

After breast cancer I am on a daily hormone suppression tablet which puts people at risk of osteoporosis. However, when they scanned me, I already had osteoporosis.
They put me on a tablet for that but didn't monitor me [they were meant to do that, but three years down the road nobody had!]. So now the tablet [Twice daily, Calcium and Vitamin D, but mostly sugar - probably to make it taste acceptable] has given me Type 2 diabetes.
I am now fasting 2 days a week - nothing but water - as apparently this can reverse this diabetes [doctor on tv advice!].
I have to say that some vegetables now taste horribly sweet, especially root vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, potatoes...

ricky43 Tue 19-Jan-16 09:59:28

The problem with Stevia I have discovered is that some people but not others can taste a bitter taste. This is why it tasted vile to you but not to your husband. Stevia tastes bitter to me.
I always use Xylitol which is another natural sweetener (fron the birch tree). Use it like sugar and find it in good supermarkets and all health food shops

jinglbellsfrocks Tue 19-Jan-16 10:01:33

I'm sticking to sugar. We only have crumble once a week.

jinglbellsfrocks Tue 19-Jan-16 10:02:20

Old dogs - new tricks, I suppose.

whitehouse Tue 19-Jan-16 10:02:34

I bought and tried Stevia and found that it left an unpleasant after-taste, and probably easier & nicer to have 'NO' sugar at all in hot drinks. As a few of you have done, I threw it all away ~ what a waste of money as I bought 2 tubs to avoid the internet p&p smile

Reddevil3 Tue 19-Jan-16 10:15:16

I have just put a half teaspoon of Canderel Stevia granulated in my tea and to me it tastes the same as sugar. But have tried the Stevia sweetners - yuk!!