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  #16   ^
Old Fri, Aug-16-02, 14:44
locarbvev locarbvev is offline
New Member
Posts: 20
 
Plan: Schwarzbein
Stats: 200/199/140
BF:
Progress: 2%
Location: NewYork
Default Hi Flamingo!

I drink only herbal tea I am afraid to drink Green tea cause of the caffeine. I drink primarily Licorice, ginger and dandelion teas...
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  #17   ^
Old Sun, Aug-18-02, 14:25
ruthlamb's Avatar
ruthlamb ruthlamb is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,751
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 185.5/172.0/134 Female 64 inches
BF:33%/29%/25%
Progress: 26%
Location: New Haven, CT
Default

Dear Friend --

You've had great success and lost 50 pounds! Keep it up -- er, I mean DOWN.
As for stevia, I think it is over=rated but really like SPLENDA. No aftertaste, no headaches, no need to over do it (it IS sugar so you feel like you actually ate something REAL), doesn't break down in heat, and is easy to get anywhere now.
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  #18   ^
Old Sat, Aug-24-02, 13:06
Frank's Avatar
Frank Frank is offline
New Member
Posts: 15
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 229/214/150 Male 67"
BF:
Progress: 19%
Location: Georgia
Default Stevia taste genetic?!

I've found this thread interesting. Some having great success with stevia and others none or very little.

I wonder if the inability to perceive stevia as sweet could be genetic. If the "sweet receptors" in the taste buds of the tongue are unable to be stimulated by the chemical configuration of stevia then one would not perceive the "sweetness".

Similar to someone not being able to perceive a certain color with their eyes.

Just a thought.
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  #19   ^
Old Sat, Aug-24-02, 15:46
TheBetty's Avatar
TheBetty TheBetty is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,134
 
Plan: Whole Foods Since 2/02
Stats: 360.5/174.5/200 Female 68 inches
BF:
Progress: 116%
Default

That's interesting Frank. Actually, all of us have different "tastes." It's why some folks like okra and others loathe it. Perhaps, as you mention, the ability to detect the sweetness in the chemicals that make up the stevia leaf is indeed genetic.

As I mentioned in my initial post, I could sense a sweetness, but it wasn't "sweet" like how sweet sugar (or even artificial sweeteners) is. And it was more of an aftertaste than a straight up sweet flavor.

If I have to struggle that hard to taste the sweet, I must be missing something genetically!
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  #20   ^
Old Sat, Aug-24-02, 16:16
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skyspinner skyspinner is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,372
 
Plan: Six week Body Makeover
Stats: 251.4/220.4/135 Female 65 inches
BF:
Progress: 27%
Default

Frank, that may be the root of it....when I used to drink my coffee and tea w/ sugar, I used 3 heaping teaspoons, and loved it that way. I tried to cut down, but couldn't taste it until I got a lot of it in there! It has something to do w/ my taste apparatus, so it's probably mechanical more than anything else. Or it could be genetic. I have that Middle European tendency to put on weight to survive the next Ice Age. Maybe a genetic disposition of imperviousness to sweet taste is part of that.

When I have tried any other sweetener, I simply cannot get enough of it in there to taste it. And stevia, of course, has a licorice taste if you use too much.

Even Splenda, which is the most successful AS for me so far, doesn't actually taste like sugar to me. It is a pale, attenuated echo of sweetness w/ a curious airy quality. If I put too much in there, I get a saccharin-like aftertaste that really puts me off.

Over the past year and a half I have learned to drink my coffee w/ only CoffeeMate, and have now cut that and am using cream. I don't like it as much as CoffeeMate, and I still really would like my sugar, but I don't have it.

I am now learning to drink my tea w/o anything added. It's really not very good, but it's what I can have. I drink decaffeinated black tea or a ginger herb tea. Most of the herb teas I have tried smell great, but taste like hot water. I have a whole cupboard full of little boxes and bags of herb teas....

I have substituted vegetable bullion cubes as a hot drink, especially anytime after brekkie. It's really good, easy to find in the stores and has only a few carbs per serving. Knorr makes a good one. Also chicken and beef. Not sweet, but savoury...kinda like sipping a good broth.

Yeah, an interesting thread....glad you stopped by!
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  #21   ^
Old Fri, Aug-30-02, 18:36
Frank's Avatar
Frank Frank is offline
New Member
Posts: 15
 
Plan: Atkins
Stats: 229/214/150 Male 67"
BF:
Progress: 19%
Location: Georgia
Unhappy

Well, finally got around to tryin' it, and it ain't for me. Somewhat sweet, but the after taste was stronger than the sweetness.

Oh well . . .

Funny thing is . . . I've never liked Sweet 'n Low, but lately I've gotten where I prefer it over Splenda.

Go figure.
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  #22   ^
Old Fri, Sep-27-02, 17:23
TheBetty's Avatar
TheBetty TheBetty is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 1,134
 
Plan: Whole Foods Since 2/02
Stats: 360.5/174.5/200 Female 68 inches
BF:
Progress: 116%
Lightbulb Had to revive this thread--NEW INFO!

Well, you may or may not have read this thread originally when I posted it. And you may or may not have seen the Splenda Experiment thread I started more recently.

Both stevia (a natural sweetener from the stevia plant's leaves) and Splenda (and artificial sweetener, technically, made by removing something from sugar and adding a chlorine molecule) have both been a BIG disappointment to me.

If you read the first post in this thread you will see that I was not happy with stevia b/c it didn't sweeten for me. I took the liquid stuff back and got my $14 back.

Fast forward to a day or two ago, when I am shopping at Trader Joe's..... I always look at their "New Items" end shelf to see what goodies I can find that fit in with this WOL.

Well, they had powdered stevia for only $5.99 in a LARGE container. It's called "Sweet 'n Natural Super Stevia Extract" made by Superior Source. Comes in a 9.73 oz plastic jar. Ingredients are: Lactose, Pure stevia leaf extract (stevia rebaudiana) (90% steviosides). Total carbs less than 1 gram per 1/3 level teaspoon.

Okay, it looks like corn starch. I looked at it and I thought to myself, "Self," I says, "Should we try this stuff in the powder form, give it another try--you know how the only thing y ou really miss is sweet tea?". So, I bought it, even though I was concerned about the lactose (?) in it. I guess that's the corn starchy stuff, eh?

So, I've tried it in several teas now, and it works GREAT! I have used half a level teaspoon in a large mug and no funky after taste this time, and it actually does sweeten! It's not a bad thing this time!



The best part, though, is that I have had ZERO, NONE, NADDA, ZILCH side effects from using it. No bloating, no gas, none of the nasty symptoms I got with 'Sploda, er uh, Splenda.

I just wanted to update you all. I will be watching how its use affects me over the next week, but so far, so good. I will try it in other things besides tea to see how it works. Will be nice to see if I can use it in my hot bacon dressing, which I am still experimenting with so it's not so vinegar-y.

So, if you tried the stevia drops like I did and didn't like them and got nothing out of them, maybe this brand and this type of stevia will work for you as it seems to be working for me!
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  #23   ^
Old Mon, Sep-30-02, 07:36
Flamingo's Avatar
Flamingo Flamingo is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 102
 
Plan: Schwarzbein Principle
Stats: 178/158/145
BF:36%/23.5%/22.5%
Progress: 61%
Location: Michigan
Default

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll give this stuff a try.

Susan
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  #24   ^
Old Tue, Oct-01-02, 00:18
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Lila2002 Lila2002 is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 213
 
Plan: Schwarzbein
Stats: 188/185/140 Female 5'4"
BF:
Progress: 6%
Location: Colorado
Default

I tried the stevia liquid, too, and threw it away it was so awful.

Then I tried Stevia Plus by SweetLeaf, and it is acceptable. It is a powder and you only use a tiny sprinkle. I would LOVE to have sweet & low in my tea, and splenda with everything else, and when I used them, I used them too much and still wanted more. The Stevia I can go either way with, which is a good thing. If I really feel like I have to have sugar or a sub, I go with the stevia and I'm satisfied. Not overjoyed, mind you, but ok, and not thinking of all kinds of excuses to have more.

I would be interested in the outcome of the hot bacon dressing!

Lila
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  #25   ^
Old Sat, Nov-02-02, 01:06
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Isolde Isolde is offline
New Member
Posts: 22
 
Plan: Schwarzbein - since 10/6/02
Stats: 265/242/165
BF:
Progress: 23%
Location: Washington
Default Make your own Stevia liquid extract

I've used stevia in several forms, and found some to be better than others (in both the taste and the dangers of extra added ingredients).

I've tried a couple brands of the little paper packets, but found that it pays to read the ingredients very carefully to make sure there aren't hidden sugars used as the "filler" since each little packet only contains a tiny amount of stevia plus a large amount of filler. The three brands I tried all tasted sweet to me, and seemed to have about the same sweetening power as a similar sized packet of sugar or AS.

I looked at the the ready-to-use liquid extracts, but was turned off by: 1) the high price, 2) the fact that I didn't know if the gycerine used as the liquid base would have any bad effect on blood sugar/insulin, and 3) the fact that the label said the little bottle had to be refrigerated after opening (which defeats the point of having a little container of sweetner I can carry in my purse).

However, when I checked out the stevia cookbooks, I found a recipe for making my own stevia extract, which I have been making and using quite succesfully for a few weeks. I carry it in my purse in a little dropper bottle, and mix up a new batch once a week when I run out. It is amazingly cheap if you make it up yourself, easy to measure, and can be used in hot or cold beverages and smoothies.


HOMEMADE LIQUID STEVIA EXTRACT

3/4 teaspoon pure powdered white stevia (no filler)
2 tablespoons warm water
1/2 tablespoon Everclear (or Vodka) (used as a preservative)

Dissolve the stevia powder in the warm water. Add the Everclear (or Vodka). Shake well. Pour into a small dropper bottle (I used a 1 oz bottle, available at most pharmacies & drug stores).


I find that one "squirt" from the dropper seems to have about the same sweetening power as a teaspoon of sugar.


~Isolde


PS - The powder I use to make the liquid extract is: NOW brand - Stevia Extract (Potent White Herbal Extract) - 1 oz - $7.15 - - - If my math is correct, I should be able to make at least 50 bottles of liquid extract from one bottle of powder at a cost of less than .15 cents per bottle.

PPS - The health food store I went to had three stevia cookbooks. I didn't buy them, since they each only had a handful of recipes that seemed useable for low carb purposes. But that answers the question someone asked about the availability of stevia cookbooks. I didn't write down the titles, sorry.
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  #26   ^
Old Fri, May-19-06, 11:06
april79 april79 is offline
New Member
Posts: 2
 
Plan: my own moderate diet
Stats: 165/165/140 Female 69 inches?
BF:
Progress:
Default tried a herbal remedy

i tried a herbal remedy with stevia and i got a massive headeache that was impossible to get rid off. the only thing i could think of is that it was sweetned with stevia. i tasted horrid, i'd rather drink a whole bottle of buckley's cough syrup!!!!!!!!!!
i like honey, i put it in plain yogourt or coffee, i dunno where it fits with low carb but i'd like to think it's better that white sugar.
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  #27   ^
Old Fri, May-19-06, 23:39
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Hismouse Hismouse is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 6,488
 
Plan: Meat, Veggies, Nuts
Stats: 181/185/130 Female 61.5
BF:Falling Fluff
Progress: -8%
Location: Oregon
Default not the stevia that tastes bad

stevia is a all natural sweetner, I do believe it wasn't the stevia that made it taste bad it was the herbal part of it, I take a GTF pill with some herbal stuff in it and it smells and tastes yucky. The stevia is know to lower Bp in folks with high bp. So I look at it as a sweet miricle in my am coffee. the GTF is for my diabetes

Last edited by Hismouse : Fri, May-19-06 at 23:41. Reason: left a few letters out
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  #28   ^
Old Wed, Jul-26-06, 04:11
mirielle mirielle is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 177
 
Plan: Bernstein, M&E
Stats: 179/163.3/118 Female 5'4'
BF:2darnmuch
Progress: 26%
Default

I have been using the Stevia Powder from Trader Joes and can taste the sweet. I find it helps to dissolve it in a little water before adding. I have cooked some red cabbage using it and it was quite good.
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  #29   ^
Old Sun, Dec-17-06, 13:47
secyatlaw secyatlaw is offline
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Posts: 1
 
Plan: South Beach
Stats: 192/182/125 Female 5 feet 1 inch
BF:
Progress:
Thumbs down Stevia from Trader Joe's - Ugh!

Hello and thank you for posting your experiences. Tried Stevia and got no sweetness, but bitter taste and, yes, a headache! After reading a pro-vegan book was put off by the Trader Joe's stevia power with lactose - am lactose intolerant. Will try other sources for Stevia, as set forth in this thread. Serenity and peacefulness to all - secyatlaw
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