Stevia???

[love]

Well I'm back, it must have been that darn porn always getting me in trouble! Hee Hee:)  Everyone is so friendly here! Anyway my thoughts and opinions are merely that, my thoughts and opinions, so any advice, tips, or testimonies made by me are just my own personal experiences...... maybe someone else is going through something similar and my preachings about health and wellness might help their situation.  Sorry but when I am passionate about someone, something or somewhere I tell the world.  I can't just keep all this wisdom inside, it wouldn't be fair to the rest of you!    So therefore again I love sweetleaf stevia and think it is the best sweetener on the market besides Agave Nectar, & Raw Honey thank-you

Oh and yes the stevia plants are great, have one of those too. I like to chew on the leaves when I want a sweet treat, mix fresh mint, which i grow too, with the stevia leaves and add to my sparkling water with a little lemon or lime...to live for!  You can dry the leaves and add them to sauces, spaghettti sauce is good, Italian homemade salad dressings, the ones with all the yummy spices or brew a few dried leaves with your favorite tea or other herbs. You can do a lot, just be creative, that's what it's there for:)

[Kwyjibo]

Martha?  Is that you?

Anyway, welcome aboard.  If you're here to participate that's awesome but you can see how it came off as a commercial a little bit.  Sorry if I jumped to conclusions.

We're glad to have anybody that wants to join in and share... by all means look around join in the conversations.  Good to see ya.

[Dan]

Well I'm back, it must have been that darn porn always getting me in trouble!

Hah.  Awesome.  I love it that I'm not the only one....I mean...what?

[Poncho]

Sorry if I jumped to conclusions.

You really should buy a "Jump To Conclusions Mat" they really help.

[love]

Martha?  Is that you?

Anyway, welcome aboard.  If you're here to participate that's awesome but you can see how it came off as a commercial a little bit.  Sorry if I jumped to conclusions.

We're glad to have anybody that wants to join in and share... by all means look around join in the conversations.  Good to see ya.

No Worries! I don't get offended easily:) Thanks for the wonderful words, it's good to be a part of this too! I really like all the diverse conversations going on around here so hopefully I can dive in and leave my two cents behind.  No Martha here it's Lora Love, one of the mainy soul sisters, with strong opinions:)

[Buzzstein]

have you ever listened to woxy.com love?  If not you should give it a try.

[snakelady]

[I've long had a theory about this.  If someone does come up with a sweetener that is a 1 to 1 replacement for sugar, tastewise anyway, those with interests in the sweetening game will surpress the spread of it's use.

Stevia, as well as most of the alternatives used globally, is several hundred times sweeter than sugar.  Therefore you use less.  Less = fewer calories.  

Splenda has a different formulation for the individual packets vs. the bagged product.  When you sweeten your tea or coffee, you don't care if one packet measures out at 1 teaspoon.  But when you use it in recipes the bagged Splenda can be used 1:1 because it contains maltodextrin or a similar "bulking agent" to add volume while diluting the sweetness factor to something close to sugar.

[Ella Minnow Pea]

So I was browsing the sweetener section of my local supermarket last night and noticed that several "natural" zero-calorie sweeteners are on the shelf: Ideal (Xylitol), Truvia, Purevia, Stevia In The Raw, and Sun Crystals (Stevia and Cane Sugar blend). Has anyone tried any of these?

[clemsonfan]

I tried Truvia. I didn't like it because it didn't dissolve in my iced tea very well. It might dissolve in a hot drink like coffee better.

[foolsgold]

We (the tea house) use Trader's Darwin which I'm guessing is purchased at Trader Joe's.  I've never used it myself, but there is something of a cult following at the tea house.  Michelle says it dissolves well, sweetens as expected and is reasonably priced.

[Poncho]

I had a Truvia pack in my hot tea and it dissolved well and tasted fine.  I still prefer honey, but wanted to try it.