Question:
Does Anyone Use Stevia As A Natural Sweetner?

My husband and I are looking into changing to this. I was using the Splenda but my husband can't stand it. He is being so support of me that he is going to go on his own diet while I am having to change my life style eating. I just want to know if anyone has had problems after the surgery using Stevia? I don't really want to use Splenda because it hasn't really been out long enough plus it is a man made product just like the other artificial sweetners which are very bad for you if you use too much of it.    — Nicole H. (posted on January 27, 2003)

January 29, 2003
Stevia is OK, has a nice side effect of reducing sugar cravings. I take it by tablet. I use products that contain it for a sweetener, but I just couldn't warm up to it in liquid or powder form. I sitll use "pink or blue sugar" for a beverage and SugarLike (brown or white) for cooking. I've had Splenda since the early 90's. It's been in use in Canada for a long time.
   — vitalady

October 2, 2003
Stevia and I just began our love affair this week. I found it at Whole Foods, a nation wide chain grocery store that only carries organic and healthy products. I bought the powder in packets and the liquid drops. It has absolutely no aftertaste and is very sweet. I found it in the nutritional supplements department because they aren't allowed to market it as an artificial sweetener. It seems the aspartame/saccharine producers have lobbied against it being approved for this use by the FDA. But as a government employee, FDA approval doesn't mean a whole lot to me. Politics often interferes with the approval process and keeps things on the market that are very harmful to people. Anyway, Stevia is extracted from a root that grows in South America, and it is more potent than sugar. It is used by diabetics all over the world as a sweetening agent as a healthy alternative. My sweet tooth is singing again.
   — Carrie laMariposa

October 2, 2003
I wish I liked it. I think it's a great idea as an alternative since it's a natural product, but I can't stand it. Blech. If you like it though, it should be a good choice for a post-op.
   — mom2jtx3