Confused about Stevia

Fraddycat

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709
I've found that Splenda makes me spike higher than I would like so I have been looking Stevia up on line. What I don't understand is how 'they' can call it Stevia when its actually Maltodexdrin - see below
 

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Fraddycat

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709
This is the Tesco version but the Candarel version is very similar - I'm so glad I checked I could have been properly caught out !!
 
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hanadr

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Stevia itself is so concentrated, they add malto dexrin as a filler. I have a tub of Stevia which is bulked with erithrytol. It's so sweet that i only need a bit on the end of the spoon handle in my cup of coffee.
If you do an on-line check, you can find what you need before you go out to buy, or buy on-line.
I'm seriously considering growing my own. I haven't found a source of seeds yet.
Hana
 

Fraddycat

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709
I bought Stevia tablets, they are carb free, and will try crushing them with pestel and mortar (or disolving if recipe includes suitable liquid), I'll let you know how it goes.
 

Defren

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3,106
I was baking a wee while ago and my youngest loves to help. The recipe called for a teaspoon of liquid stevia, she added a tablespoon. I can't remember what we made, but they went in the bin, they were FAR to sweet, so I think if an artificial sweetener is called for in a recipe, the carbs will be low, by virtue of how much you use. So far I have not had a problem with BG using stevia, splenda or xyletol, but we are all very different.
 

joss.t2

Active Member
Messages
35
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi everyone just learning about these sweeteners now. I see these posts are over 5 years old. Has anything changed? I've just bought a granular sweeteners from Tesco with maltodextrose in it. Just wondering wether to throw it away?
 

briped

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Messages
947
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
I'm seriously considering growing my own. I haven't found a source of seeds yet.
I tried once, but my dear husband forgot to water the seedlings. And thus ended my stevia grower career. Will try again, but it's probably too late this summer.
It looks as if you can buy seeds here - and probably elsewhere :)
https://www.jespersplanteskole.dk/7760-stevia
 

briped

Well-Known Member
Messages
947
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
Hi everyone just learning about these sweeteners now. I see these posts are over 5 years old. Has anything changed? I've just bought a granular sweeteners from Tesco with maltodextrose in it. Just wondering wether to throw it away?
I didn't notice the post I replied to was 5 years old, but yes. Lots has happened. I'd look for the pure stuff online. Sometimes they even mix it with sugar the make the sugar less calorific, but the range is definitely bigger now than 5 years ago.
 

Robbity

Expert
Messages
6,683
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
It definitely pays to read the list of ingredients!

Try Amazon for (pure) stevia drops. You can also get safe combinations of erythritol and stevia or erythritol on its own both in powdered form, again via Amazon. Or look for granulated Truvia in some supermarkets (e.g. Morrisons, Tesco) which is again a stevia/erythritol combination.

Robbity
 

shelley262

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Messages
4,828
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
It definitely pays to read the list of ingredients!

Try Amazon for (pure) stevia drops. You can also get safe combinations of erythritol and stevia or erythritol on its own both in powdered form, again via Amazon. Or look for granulated Truvia in some supermarkets (e.g. Morrisons, Tesco) which is again a stevia/erythritol combination.

Robbity
I get pure stevia drops from Amazon lasts for ages as you need so little often add to baking when using erythritol as main sugar replacement- the mix seems to produce the right sweetness just with one or two drops of stevia added to mix
 
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RosieLKH

Well-Known Member
Messages
735
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I hate the chemical taste of most sweeteners, and would generally rather have unsweetened stuff, but I've never tried Stevia. Does it have that awful chemical taste?

Strangely, I can drink diet lemonade without noticing an aftertaste.
 

briped

Well-Known Member
Messages
947
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Non-insulin injectable medication (incretin mimetics)
I hate the chemical taste of most sweeteners, and would generally rather have unsweetened stuff, but I've never tried Stevia. Does it have that awful chemical taste?

Strangely, I can drink diet lemonade without noticing an aftertaste.

Well, if it does have an aftertaste, and it does, I would describe it as slightly liquoricey. Stevia is a plant, and has been used as a natural sweetener for 100s of years, just not in our hemisphere. It wasn't even approved as an edible in the EU till ... Not sure - 4-5 years ago? I remember buying it from Germany, feeling amused when they described it as cosmetics :)
 

miszu

Well-Known Member
Messages
248
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Stevia itself is so concentrated, they add malto dexrin as a filler. I have a tub of Stevia which is bulked with erithrytol. It's so sweet that i only need a bit on the end of the spoon handle in my cup of coffee.
If you do an on-line check, you can find what you need before you go out to buy, or buy on-line.
I'm seriously considering growing my own. I haven't found a source of seeds yet.
Hana
My sister grows stevia in a pot at home. She managed to make the leaf into a liquid (I dont know the method), but its not bad. Definitely give it a try. :)