Seet and Low

I went to a health-food store today, which is something I only do once in a blue moon, and there was a wide variety of stevia options. For those interested, getting a bottle of pure stevia extract in liquid form with a pipette is ultimately cheaper than using powder in packets. Usually 4 drops = 1 packet, and a decent sized bottle might have 300 or 600 servings (equal to 300 or 600 packets) and cost around $12 or $20, respectively. Getting a comparable number of packets can tally up to $50 easily.

Okay, I think I'm done pimping for stevia now. In a couple more years we'll probably start finding the green packets at McDonald's anyway.

Originally posted by sonhouse
I get dingy when I run low of fuel and often don't realize it. My wife sees it in me, we go so a cafe and the first few bites of food and I come back to life. I seem to have low blood sugar.

As for me, I'm violently allergic to mornings. I'm good for little until the miasma of defeat what suffuses the morning air is dispelled by the afternoon heat.

I live for the night. 😉

Originally posted by Soothfast
And marijuana!

You fail to make your point. I don't come here often, but I'm already hip on this being customary for you.

Well, let me explain it in short words, then.

The argument put forth was that "Stevia comes from a leaf, therefore it is the winner". My point is that this is a nonsensical argument - whether something is made of a leaf or not has nothing to do with whether it is healthy, pleasant, or even digestible at all. Nicotine comes from leaves, but nobody suggests putting that in your tea. Cocaine, too, comes from a leaf. Using it instead of sugar is a bad idea.
There is no positive correlation between "coming from a leaf" and "being good for you". In fact, in wild plants, the correlation is decidedly negative. Leaves are both the most likely to be used for food by animals, and quite essential to a plant's survival. What a plant wants you - or at least some animal - to eat is its fruit. Leaves need to be protected, and usually are, either by making them spiny, or hard to digest, or actively poisonous, or even a combination. If Stevia leaves are safe for humans to ingest, that is a happy coincidence, not a concequence of the fact that they're leaves.

Stevia may be harmless. The astroturfing campaign that has been put up around it makes me suspicious, but even so, it may be the exception to the rule. However, the argument that "it comes from leaves" is about as relevant to its safety or danger as "its name starts with an S".

Richard

Originally posted by Shallow Blue
Stevia may be harmless. The astroturfing campaign that has been put up around it makes me suspicious, but even so, it may be the exception to the rule.
Richard

As a diabetic I've spent a lot of time reading up on stevia, particularly its claim to partially reverse the diabetic process. It seems to me that most of the negativity is entirely in the USA and probably due to competing industry attempts to suppress its use. On the other hand, Japan - which has no sugar industry to protect - has been using it widely for decades without problems.

Originally posted by Kewpie
As a diabetic I've spent a lot of time reading up on stevia, particularly its claim to partially reverse the diabetic process. It seems to me that most of the negativity is entirely in the USA and probably due to competing industry attempts to suppress its use.

Funny, that - the only way I heard of it before the last month or so (when the media over here seem to finally have picked up on the craze) is by coming across USAnians on the 'net pushing it as the latest miracle ingredient, like a blueberry 2.0 (or a vitamin C 3.0, if you wish). Usually these are the same people who screech about other sweeteners causing cancer, dementia, autism, and gum decay. Hence my reservations.

Richard

Originally posted by Shallow Blue
Funny, that - the only way I heard of it before the last month or so (when the media over here seem to finally have picked up on the craze) is by coming across USAnians on the 'net pushing it as the latest miracle ingredient, like a blueberry 2.0 (or a vitamin C 3.0, if you wish). Usually these are the same people who screech about other sweeteners causing cancer, dementia, autism, and gum decay. Hence my reservations.

Richard

It's not a new sweetener, it's an old one. Some cultures in South America have been using it for centuries, and the "naturalness" of it does have an appeal. I think it's fairly reasonable to assume that it is as safe as tea, which also has been consumed by various cultures for centuries. Plus, I really do think it's the best tasting non-sugar sweetener out there---at least for me.

It's likely that sucralose (Splenda) and aspartame (Equal) pose insignificant health risks in the quantities that most people ingest them, but who knows? They've both been around for relatively short periods of time.

By the way, your taking exception to my observation that stevia comes from a leaf just like tea comes from a leaf was a bemusing waste of effort. I never asserted that anything that comes from a leaf is automatically safe and sound. I was merely noting an appealing symmetry.

from what i can gather, stevia has benefits as well as sweetening capability. xylitol is also getting some good marks. of course, there is the natural fructose that comes with your fruits and nothing out there beats the nectar of the gods, honey.

i wouldn't consider anything else. i've eliminated high fructose corn syrup and all artificial sweeteners (especially aspartame!)

still consume pure cane sugar, but that is being slowly reduced.

Originally posted by Kewpie
Done that, but what do you suggest I use on my morning oatmeal? Tried honey and juice and they're both horrible. I don't eat salt so that's not an option.

Whatever you do, don't rely on RHP forum advice. (Including this?)

Originally posted by Shallow Blue
Well, let me explain it in short words, then.

The argument put forth was that "Stevia comes from a leaf, therefore it is the winner". My point is that this is a nonsensical argument - whether something is made of a leaf or not has nothing to do with whether it is healthy, pleasant, or even digestible at all. Nicotine comes from leaves, but nobody sug ...[text shortened]... about as relevant to its safety or danger as "its name starts with an S".

Richard

You didn't use short words there, Argument, Correlation, nonsensical, etc.🙂
If those are short words I would hate to see an essay you would make using long words....

Originally posted by sonhouse
You didn't use short words there, Argument, Correlation, nonsensical, etc.🙂
If those are short words I would hate to see an essay you would make using long words....

If I give you a hair, would you split that? 🙂

Originally posted by Soothfast
By the way, your taking exception to my observation that stevia comes from a leaf just like tea comes from a leaf was a bemusing waste of effort. I never asserted that anything that comes from a leaf is automatically safe and sound. I was merely noting an appealing symmetry.

I believe you, but you have to admit that that makes you an exception among internet Stevia advocates. Most of them make it sound like it's the vegan alternative to All Natural Snake Oil.

Richard

Originally posted by sonhouse
You didn't use short words there, Argument, Correlation, nonsensical, etc.🙂
If those are short words I would hate to see an essay you would make using long words....

Don't make me sequipedalian, Mr. sonhouse. You wouldn't like when I'm sesquipedalian.

Richard

hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia is in Wiktionary. Look it up if you don't believe me.