This may have been told before, but I just wanted newbies (I know I am relatively new myself so that is funny) to know about Stevia root.
As we are all trying to avoid sugar and artificial sweeteners (which are hard on our already taxed livers), one thing to try is Stevia root. It is a natural sweetener that has no sugar in it.
I don't know if you can bake with it but I put it in my blueberry green tea, oatmeal (which I have only once a week), plain yogurt (again I limit this to two times a week), etc.
Just an option to communicate.
Posted by sweet pea (Member # 6495) on :
I use it too, in liquid form. It took a while to get used to it, but it's a decent substitute.
You can bake with it, I'm not sure about the stevia vs. sugar ratio though for recipes. There must be a cooking website that explains this.
P
Posted by flyers999 (Member # 1397) on :
My wife and I are avid stevia users. The NuNatural brand sold at Whole Foods and iherb.com is hands-down the best tasting IMO. Don't forget to get the Alcohol free variety.
Posted by vachick (Member # 8353) on :
Is it better for you in liquid form vs powder form?
Posted by Squeegee (Member # 7219) on :
I found this info on a website:
Stevia is a natural herbal sweetener that is approximately 100 times sweeter than sugar. It has a faint licorice-like flavor. One teaspoon of white powder stevia has the same sweetening power as 24 cups of sugar and contains only 8 calories. Stevia does not trigger a rise in blood sugar levels and is an acceptable sweetener while on the CRC control diet. Stevia is available in most health food store and on the internet.
Stevia is stable at any temperature and is useful for sweetening beverages, cereals and baked products. Typically no more than 1/4 teaspoon of the powder extract is needed to sweeten a whole recipe. Use cautiously, as adding too much stevia to a recipe can make it bitter. There are some book recommendations on our site that contain recipes using stevia.
``The Body Ecology'' diet recommends mixing the white powder with water before using. Since the powder is so potent, most people use too much and find it's too sweet for them. It's easier to experiment with the stevia in liquid form. To make liquid stevia, dissolve 1 tsp white stevia powder into 3 Tbsp filtered water. The white powder may stick to the spoon but will soon dissolve. Pour this concentrate into a small bottle with a dropper top and refrigerate it to increase its shelf life. One teaspoon of this liquid solution will equal approximately one cup of sugar.
Posted by Lisa B. (Member # 8547) on :
And don't forget to try Xylitol, a natural sugar derived from birch trees and other plants. Half the calories of sugar, safe for diabetes and candida, doesn't raise blood sugar levels fast, antibacterial, fights tooth decay, and looks and tastes jsut like sugar! Lisa