stevia
 

:q: Does anyone know anything about the new sweetener Stevia that is on the market? Well, I guess it's not new, but it's new to me.... anyway, I was reading about it and it seems that doctors prescribe it for hypoglycemics to lower their blood sugar. Since it obviously does not cause an insulin spike, would this natural, non-chemical sweetener be ok to use if you're following Dr. Schwarzbein's plan?

Stevia
 

I've just gotten through reading Schwarzbein and I am certain that Stevia is allowed; it is natural -- a plant product -- and doesn't affect blood sugar. I bought some (be careful what it's mixed with); it's tasty in my decaf coffee (with heavy cream) at work. Since we can't have desserts, a wonderful treat is a Starbuck's decaf latte made with whipping cream. Before they top the espresso with the foamed cream, give them your bottle of Stevia and ask them to add however many drops you use. It's pure decadence!

yum
 

Thanks for the reply... leave it to me to find a sweetener loophole! My sweet tooth is always looking for something sweet on the Schwarzbein plan and usually the only solution I can come up with is fruit which I try not to eat too much of. Hooray for Stevia! Does anyone know where I can find some?

Where to find Stevia
 

Any health food store will have it. The cheapest I have found it on the Web is at iherb.com. (They're wonderful, and their prices are consistently low.) By the way, after looking at ALL the label ingredients, I settled on the "Now" brand Stevia liquid extract.

Stevia
 

Has any one used this for baking. I've been toying with idea of using it in a cheescake recipe. I have an old recipe I love and it uses very little sugar . I was wondering if Stevia could replace it. It is a baked recipe. I would use almonds and butter and vanilla for the crust. Every other ingriedient in the cake is okay. Has any one tried this?

Yes, you can use stevia in baking. Just be sure and get the correct equivalency for the kind you have. I use SteviaPlus, but there are various kinds. I have heard the darker ones are less refined and might have a bitter taste. This is just something I've heard -- I have not looked at the other kinds to see what they look like. Good luck!

I assume that Dr.S approves of it's use since she sells it on her web site at: http://www.schwarzbeinprinciple.com/
also can arrive there at :
http://www.Drhormone.com

I have used it for quite awhile and am quite satisfied with it.

I have been thinking of trying the kind with FOS (a natural fiber I think made from chicory)in it and wondered if anyone else has any experience with it?

I have been using stevia to sweeten liquids for several years; I buy mine at the health food store or from http://www.stevia.com/ (the website has information on the different formulations of stevia).
Rosa, I just bought stevia packets with FOS but haven't tried them yet. I need to start carrying the packets with me to avoid artificial sweeteners when I'm away from home... I used SweetNLow in tea at work on Thursday when I forgot my stevia bottle and noticed I was much hungrier and had food cravings all day, which hadn't been happening when I consumed no artificial sweeteners. (Yes, I do still drink tea, although I've cut down... hard to imagine cutting it out altogether).
Judy, I think my sister might have made cheesecake with stevia, I'll have to ask her about it.
Wren