Is stevia natural?
Stevia is a non-caloric sweetener that is relatively new on the international market. It originates in the leaves of a South American plant. Because of that it’s marketed as a “100% natural” alternative to other non-caloric sweeteners.
There’s been some discussion about how natural it really is, as it’s extracted from the leaves using different solvents and goes through further chemical processes before it emerges as a white sweet powder.
Personally I’m no fan of sweeteners, regardless of their origin. They tend to maintain an addiction to sweets. I’ve never seen Stevia as “natural”. It’s purified from leaves and thus it’s no more natural than snorting cocaine (which is also purified from leaves).
125 comments
To me sucralose tastes like chlorine, erythriol is bitter and too cooling, Stevia and xylitol I am allergic to. Never had yacon. And I don't like monk fruit either.
I have seen a green stevia that was "said" to be "natural". This is the one with the bitter in it.
There is also a more processed version of this stevia and this is the white one. With this one they have hidden the bitterness with other sweetners. Oh yes...stevia doesnt come alone most if the time.
But why would you still want the sweet stuff after all this knowledge that its ruining your body.
Here are some examples of youtube movies if your in doubt about sugar/fructose.
- fed up
- fat chance
- the truth about calories
- Is a Calorie a Calorie? Processed Food, Experiment Gone Wrong
- The Truth About Sugar
- Best Documentary 2015 - The Secrets Of Sugar
Watch them, get educated and stop eating/drinking junk. I was a sweet tooth too but still learned to drink coffee and tea with just some whipping cream and coconut oil.
But serious. We need some blood tests otherwise this thread is just filling with people's cutfeelings or cravings :)
Cheers for the website info
The only thing different is that I started drinking a lot of stevia in drinks. And also carbonated water.
I get my liver re-tested in 2 weeks. I am cutting out supplements. And of course stevia and carb. waters. It's almost like my problems started after I kinda went nuts with the carbonated water. La Croix, coconut.
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15287390802328630
--> "Evidence indicates that a 12-wk administration of Splenda exerted numerous adverse effects, including (1) reduction in beneficial fecal microflora, (2) increased fecal pH, and (3) enhanced expression levels of P-gp, CYP3A4, and CYP2D1, which are known to limit the bioavailability of orally administered drugs."
Science (2):
http://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/abstract/S1550-4131(16)30296-0
Just me:
Artificial sweeteners ((no insulin response, but what happens if the brain notice a (fake) sweetness all the time and gets no fuel?!)) might be less bad than sugar. Anyway, I guess Paracelsus was right: "The dosage makes it either a poison or a remedy."
I will not use any sweeteners until independent (hopefully) research has done numerous long-term evaluations giving the green light.
So far so good. Only bad thing is that I don't seem to loose much weight. I consistently eat under 50 grams of carbs. I am now trying to eat less than 20 Grams and that means I need to give up eating nuts. I eat very little meat and more of eggs. I want to get there gradually. I enjoy reading all that you folks share and lean as I go.
It is probably best to give up all sugars and sweetners but if you do need something then this is the way to go (in my opinion).
I am gradually weaning myself of sugar and Stevia is helping me do that. It is a means to an end and the success I have had so far gives me confidence that I one day, I will give up all sweetners.
1. It's too concentrated, and very easy to overdose when making deserts. Even a single drop can make deserts unnaturally sweet, which will lead to increased sugar consumption if not curbed immediately.
2. It promotes hunger. I am fat adopted and can usually go on a full day of strenuous outdoor activities with no hunger (i.e., hiking, biking). However, one day I drank some electrolyte powder with stevia, and was feeling unusually hungry 4 hours into the bike ride. Like Dr Andreas said, it likely effect the brain and messes up insulin regulation.
Stay away from Stevia!
With fasting, your body will experience first autophagy :
The Sweet Spot for Intermittent Fasting
Lower insulin means greater fat loss
Intermittent fasting — the practice of going without food for some (undefined) period of time — has many health benefits. It can help prevent heart disease, speed fat loss, and slow or reverse aging.
There are a number of physiological mechanisms involved. It reduces inflammation and oxidative stress, leads to increased numbers and quality of mitochondria, and increases autophagy, the cellular self-cleansing process.
Many of the beneficial effects are entwined with lower levels of insulin.
The function of insulin is to promote energy storage and the growth of the organism. When insulin is increased, fat is stored in fat cells, and other cells take up glucose from the blood.
"I only drink 3 times a week and I don't really need to, I just like to." You probably wouldn't feel defensive of Stevia if you weren't somewhat dependent on it.
Thank you.
Nothing beats honey, and it doesn't get more natural than that.
We would not recommend honey, as it's approximately half fructose and half glucose. It's still considered sugar, and it's high glycemic. Here's our sweetener guide for more info! https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/sweeteners