I just saw the first commercial for a stevia based sweetener

[MikeE]

on TV. Finally, it looks like the FDA has gotten off their ass on this one.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. What is it called?

I've been using stevia for over a year, and buy NOW brand in its various products, including French Vanilla powder.

[MikeE]

5. I think it called

Truvio or something like that

[Dorian Gray]

15. I have the little

stevia packets. I use it sometimes, though I prefer Splenda for a more sugar-like taste in baking.

But the stevia is great when I make homemade Iced-tea as a natural sweetner.

[MannyGoldstein]

2. Did The FDA Actually Approve Stevia?

[SoCalNative]

4. Coke to sell drinks with stevia; Pepsi holds off

NEW YORK (AP) — Coca-Cola Co. will begin selling products made with a new zero-calorie sweetener despite no official nod from the government, but rival PepsiCo Inc. said Monday it won't follow suit.

The Food and Drug Administration is expected to determine that sweetener made from the herb stevia is "generally regarded as safe," but the agency's sign-off has taken longer than expected.


http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j_Vr1ShR0C7WHQHh9IH5O3zJJtVgD953BJKG1

[Chulanowa]

9. Well, they're not certain it's as safe as melamine, lead, and asbestos. They're looking out for us!

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

10. Stevia is a plant

whose leaves are very sweet. Stevia powder and liquid have been sold in health food stores for years.

[MannyGoldstein]

12. That's Why I Suspect It Needs No Approval

But has anyone actually tested it for safety?

[Crunchy Frog]

13. Haven't other countries been using it for years?

I thought it was used as a standard sweetener in places like Japan. (I realize they're backward compared to us.)

[Chulanowa]

3. Awesome

I had eight stevia plants going for a few years. Dry the leaves, grind them up with mortar / pestle, sweetens just like sugar... If you don't mind a green tinge to stuff :)

I'll still take my little bushes over any mass-produced sweetener, 'cause i'm almost certain it'll be so full of crazy crap that it'll defeat the purpose... especially with hte way te FDA works now.

[Historic NY]

6. Health food store near me sells it in packets.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

11. Im hoping to raise some plants myself

Do they tolerate frost? I need to know whether or not to grow them in the greenhouse or outside.

[BrklynLiberal]

7. YES! I did too. It is such a pleasant surprise. It's called TRUVIA.

I have been buying stevia at my health food store. I can get it as a liquid with a dropper or as a powder, like powdered sugar. The ad made it look like big granules, almost like kosher salt.

[phillysuse]

8. Great - it has an estrogenic like steroid in it - it

will probably prevent pregnancy - that's why women in Paraguay brew tea from Stevia.

Nothing like natural birth control from a plant.

[MichellesBFF]

14. Tastes like licorice

Otherwise I'd use it, can't stand licorice. Truvia, doesn't have the after taste though, but I didn't like it. I'll stick with Sweet 'n Low.

[Dorian Gray]

16. Yes

it does. It's an anise like flavor.

Which I don't mind in my tea or certain drinks. I don't like it, however, in baking goods. (Though I should try a 50-50 split with stevia/sugar or stevia/splenda. It might cut the flavor a bit.)

[yonisareyin]

17. My experiences with STEVia (not 'steve') have been great

I like the whole crushed herb the best. It's in its most natural form (40 times sweeter than sugar), which gives you all the benefits of the plant (unlike the white powder, which is the active sweet element in concentration). For those who say it has a licorice flavor: most likely, you have put too much in your drink or food. I have used the powder and you must use just a tap or pinch or else it makes stuff too sweet. I will tell you what: I wouldn't touch Aspartame with a ten-foot pole and Splenda has a chlorine molecule in it, so I think that is pretty nuts, also.

I have a tip, though: I think it's best to mix Stevia with another sweetner. Agave is great because it has a low gycemic load. Toodles!

[astral]

18. Stevia rocks!

Sweetleaf brand is the best. I like the dark extract. Two people here say it tastes like licorice or anise but I do not taste that at all and I hate licorice.

The dried leaves are great to mix with another tea and you certainly won't need to sweeten it -- Yerba Mate and stevia together are a popular mix.

Also,the dried leaves are good to add to you spaghetti sauce with your oregano and stuff -- give it that sweetened, rounded-out flavor without adding any sugar. It's easy to add too much! Move with caution as you get acquainted with this stuff!

Stevia is also a natural preservative, but the FDA is not, has not, will not be approving it as such. For example, rubbing it on the outside of raw meat will help preserve the meat longer.

It is zero-glycemic for diabetics, it is good for the gums and does not rot the teeth like acidic sugar does.

Many other cool things to learn about stevia! Watch out when it goes on the shelves as to what different brand names are MIXING with it. It DON'T NEED grapefruit seed extract, and if you buy that one it will definitely not taste too good. Sweetleaf does not add such stuff to its stevia, but since we are not allowed to say that stevia IS a preservative and therefore does not NEED a preservative, some companies put that stuffin there AS a preservative. I bought that one once and it had to go straight into the trash after one taste, I was bummed!

[yonisareyin]

19. Regarding the grapefruit extract additive: this is in liquid stevia, no?

I have an alcohol-free stevia that is a glycerite and they don't use any of the extract. However, I found the liquid useful for my tea. Easier to control with an eyedropper. However, in order to obtain all those benefits you spoke of (and another is a normalization of blood sugar levels supposedly), you must use either the whole herb powder or the green liquid. As for Sweetleaf, how did you determine it's the best brand-have you tried others?

[astral]

20. No, I determined Sweetleaf is the best because

its dark liquid extract is simply a water extract. It happens to be dark brown, not green. And the only other stevias I've tried are the one with the grapefruit seed extract in it (and yes it was a liquid) and the black and purple label that is in Fred Meyer stores --"Nutri" something? But that powder was cut with maltodextrine, which was not an issue for me but would make it an issue for a diabetic to use when in fact the reason a diabetic should use stevia is that there is not blood sugar spike.

We live in an era of "Shopper Beware!"

But there's Sooo much to learn!