Stevia
 

I know, I know, too many questions here...but...:rolleyes:

I just realized the stevia I bought is Sweet Leaf Stevia Plus. The "plus" is that it has fiber in it. The ingredients listed are: Frutifit Inulin Fiber and Stevia Extract (standardized to a min. of 90% Steviosides). Is this ok, or should I exchange it for a different one?

Thanks mucho!:wiggle:

I don't know too much about Stevia, since I just bought my first box as well. I think the added FIBER would be a good thing though --- FIBER is good no matter what. This may also decrease the insulin rising effects Stevia may produce.......

I hope this helps :-)
Cristin

OK, I'm still learning here...I thought Stevia didn't spike insulin and that was why it was ok. Or is it that it just doesn't raise insulin as much as artificial sweetners and sugar do?

Hi bbgirl3306:

What you describe is a fructooligosaccharides, also known as FOS. Fruitafit is a trademark. The problem with pure stevia is that it is too sweet and therefore difficult to control. So something needs to be added to cut the sweetness and make it easier to convert between recipes. These are called stevia blends. The FOS is simply a filler.

FOS is normally made from chicory root. It's a probiotic used for controlling candida so it's a great accompaniment with stevia. It's also got great bulking properties.

I found this on a site:


My only concern with stevia is that, like sugar, it can be bleached. Look for stevia that specifically states that it's unbleached. If you are uncertain, contact the company for clarification.

Wanda

--edit--
You might be interested in this link: http://www.celtic-seasalt.com/sweetofstev.html

Aww, heck. This Sweet Leaf Stevia powder is as white as the pure driven snow so I'll bet its bleached. Well, I'll take it back tot WHole Foods and see if they'll let me exchange it for an unbleached kind. Any specific brand that's good?

Wow, Wanda, you are extrememly intelligent with this stuff I'm trying real hard to get my brain around all this. Usually, I'm a real quick study and I'm a science teacher!

I got the same brand, but in a liquid at Wholefoods. I would doubt WF would carry the powdered stuff if it's bleached - they are usually pretty good about that. Must investigate this further!

Jinx
PS The liquid is the best for drinks, in my opinion and I've used many of the powders. They all tend to clump.

PSS The Stevia Clear (non alcohol drops) also has grapefruit seed extract in it which is supposed to be great for candida (anti candia, that is!)

Found this:

Has my stevioside been bleached?

Stevioside that is paper white has been bleached with chemicals. Pure Stevioside should exhibit a natural creamy, off-white color. Be careful and always ask because some companies will use color additives to make their stevioside look like natural stevioside.

Isn't your SweetLeaf powder off white? I haven't used it in a while

Sweetleaf website:

http://www.wisdomherbs.com/products...via_extract.htm

Hmmmm?

Hi bbgirl3306 & Jinxy:

I know for certain that Stevita brand is unbleached. You could get pure stevia powder and mix it with chicolin. See the following link on how to do it:
http://www.thewolfeclinic.com/chicolin.html

I get mine premixed and unbleached, but I don't think it's available in the US. I'm not sure about the erythritol that Stevita uses in their blends. I'm pretty certain it is a sugar alcohol which is not allowed on SP.

Jinxy, your Whole Foods must be different than ours. Ours sells conventional along with organic. I find myself having to be very diligent, even in HF stores. It sucks!

Wanda

Did you know the first Whole Foods market store was in Austin? I've been shopping there since the 1980 (with me mum, of course, back then). It was just a wee wittle store...now the WF behemoth is right across the street from where it usedta be. And next door to that, a new one is being opened that looks as if it will take up the whole block!

ANYWHO, found this:
http://www.stevia-plant.com/questions.cfm

says ALL the clear liquid stevia products are bleached first?? Geez Wandy, you are such a pain in the arse! ;) Ya just can't leave well-enough alone!! :lol:

Jinx

Ps http://sweetvia.com/
These folks say theirs is "bleached" with citric acid

:lol: I read that site before but never thought about it b/c I don't use the liquid. I e-mailed Stevita about this.

Well, since I'm already being a pain in the arse, I'm not even sure that FOS is really a great idea. I'm having a crisis of conscience. I've read bad things about them as well as good things. The naysayers say bottomline is that chicory root is refined, just like sugar cane. I might have to do some more investigating.

The trademark inulins scare me a bit. Not sure what they are all about and they market themselves the same as FOS. It seems that the original stevia industry was health conscious, but now that stevia is becoming more popular with a demand for stevia blends, the money-mongers are coming from out of the woodwork trying to make a buck, health be damned. Hopefully I'm wrong in that assessment.


Jinxy, yep that's why it's a good idea to check with the company if it doesn't say "unbleached" on the packet. It could be beige colored and you'd assume it's natural when in fact it's a dye. The only thing that tells you for certain is if it's labelled "unbleached".

Wanda

Hey bbgirl3306, happy you asked? ;) :daze:

OK, I went on a quest!

I called Wisdom Herbs, makers of SweetLeaf SteviaPlus and spoke to product specialist, Jamie. He said it is definitley not bleached. Yay!

BUT...Wanda...you hnow have me worried about the FOS. Wahhhh!

Hi bbgirl3306:

Did they mention how they got their stevia white? Is it via citric acid?

As for the FOS, it is apparantly a chemically manufactured product, which would explain the tradenames. But the vast majority of information seems to praise FOS. There is some info from the Specific Carb Diet that denounces it.

http://www.scdiet.org/6research/fos.html
http://www.cargo-cult.com/scd/inulin.html

Dr. S. doesn't mention anything about this so I'm not sure where to go with the info. It might be one of those e-mail questions for her. Can't say I'm too happy with my own research. :bash:

Your pain in the arse 'beiner,
Wanda

This is the quote that bothers me:


Does it never end? There's already enough controversy around probiotics never mind this! I just e-mailed Dr. S. to ask her opinion.

Wanda

Thanks sor emailing Dr. S about it.

I did ask him how thye got it so white (it is a bit off-white, Jinxy ;))When I spoke to Wisdom Herbs the rep. said that they do use alcohol in the process to extract it, which is burned off and the off-white color is how it comes out naturally. He didn't mention citric acid, but I didn't ask him specificly about it.

I'm now interested in what Dr. S says.