Natural sugar substitute: Stevia

[LasseMaja]

http://www.stevia.net/

Of course, this herb is illegal within the EU.

[soglad]

Erm.....WHY is it illegal? There's no mind-altering properties what so ever...

Also, even if it were mind-altering, it's a plant...can't make that illegal you evil scumbags...:mad:

[hulelam]

Anyone ever try it?

[LasseMaja]

Yes, I've tried it and it's very sweet. I'm consider to grow it myself.
It have some medical properties and no known side effects. It's banned within the EU because it's not "proven safe" (but aspartame is?). The FDA have restricted it's sale in the US.

Still, you can buy it online.

Cheers! :)

[lookfar]

Hi dumle

I read about stevia & it's excellent benefits a while ago & then learned that it was illegal within the EU :(

Are you in the UK? I really want to order some, but not sure if they allow it to be received by mail here?

[soglad]

Hold on............why is this illegal?

I've heard absolutely NO arguments yet......

[soglad]

Wikipedia says:

"Stevia has been grown on an experimental basis in Ontario, Canada since 1987 for the purpose of determining the feasibility of growing the crop commercially. In the United States, it is legal to import, grow, sell, and consume stevia products if contained within or labeled for use as a dietary supplement, but not as a food additive"

Erm........what? So I can eat it if I NEED to or get recommended by the doctor but I don't have the free will to eat it by CHOICE?????

Even though there are NO........check it.......NO bad health side-affects, at all......nadda...

That, ladies and gentlemen, is a little thing I like to call fascist dictatorship! :D

[lookfar]

Wikipedia says:

"Stevia has been grown on an experimental basis in Ontario, Canada since 1987 for the purpose of determining the feasibility of growing the crop commercially. In the United States, it is legal to import, grow, sell, and consume stevia products if contained within or labeled for use as a dietary supplement, but not as a food additive"

Erm........what? So I can eat it if I NEED to or get recommended by the doctor but I don't have the free will to eat it by CHOICE?????

Even though there are NO........check it.......NO bad health side-affects, at all......nadda...

That, ladies and gentlemen, is a little thing I like to call fascist dictatorship! :D

Yep you've got it soglad!! It almost always seems to be the case that if something is genuinely good for you (& not a mind dumbing down poison that the pharma guys are making & pumping into everyone any which way they can!), then they make it illegal.

Codex Alimentarius is being brought in pretty quickly now & it's not good!! Anything classed as "alternative", ie not pharma is gonna be classed as a drug & restricted, WTF!!!:mad:

[soglad]

Yep you've got it soglad!! It almost always seems to be the case that if something is genuinely good for you (& not a mind dumbing down poison that the pharma guys are making & pumping into everyone any which way they can!), then they make it illegal.

Codex Alimentarius is being brought in pretty quickly now & it's not good!! Anything classed as "alternative", ie not pharma is gonna be classed as a drug & restricted, WTF!!!:mad:

Wow, I've just had one of those moments....you know....when you realize that you are actually....I MEAN ACTUALLY....living in a fascist state!

I'm outta hear! Aussie open your doors and be nice! :D

[revolutionary_jam]

http://www.stevia.net/

Of course, this herb is illegal within the EU.

It's not completely illegal within the EU, it is illegal to sell it as a sugar substitute but it can still be sold as a dietary suppliment!

Anyone ever try it?
Yes, and I bought a packet for my friends Diabetic mum and she always uses it instead of sweeteners now, she swears by it!


Get some on Ebay:
http://shop.ebay.co.uk/Stevia_W0QQ_nkwZStevia

[lookfar]

Get some on Ebay:
http://shop.ebay.co.uk/Stevia_W0QQ_nkwZStevia

Great stuff RJ, thanks for the link, have just ordered some!:)

[chris]

apart from being a non toxic sugar replacement (I don't eat refined sugar anyway). What are its health benefits?

I see how tptb are threatened by it but I don't see the reason for me to take it unless they contain very good properties.

[lookfar]

apart from being a non toxic sugar replacement (I don't eat refined sugar anyway). What are its health benefits?

I see how tptb are threatened by it but I don't see the reason for me to take it unless they contain very good properties.

Hi chris

Well for starters its a herb, purely natural & contains many health benefits, easily absorbed & digested etc & not dodgy like the refined stuff. So in my book that makes it a far better alternative to anything else available.

There is quite a lot of info out there on it, but am a bit busy to hunt at the mo, sorry. Here's some blurb which is taken from the ebay site I've just ordered from though (not sure of it's source)...

Stevia (also called sweetleaf, sweet leaf or sugarleaf) is a genus of about 150 species of herbs and shrubs in the sunflower family (Asteraceae), native to subtropical and tropical South America and Central America. As a sweetener, stevia's sweet taste has a slower onset and longer duration than that of sugar. Stevia leaf powder is 10-15 times sweeter than sugar, contains NO calories or carbohydrates, and has a negligible effect on blood glucose. Also, in two tests conducted by Purdue University's Dental Science Research Group, Stevia proved to be fluoride compatible and "significantly" inhibits the development of plaque, thus Stevia may actually help to prevent cavities. Stevia is heat-stable and can be used in cooking.

The Perfect Sugar Substitute? It would seem so. Unfortunately, In 1991, at the request of an anonymous complaint, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) labeled Stevia as an "unsafe food additive" and restricted its import. The FDA's stated reason was "toxicological information on Stevia is inadequate to demonstrate its safety." This ruling was controversial, as Stevia proponents pointed out that this designation violates the FDA's own guidelines, under which any natural substance used prior to 1958 with no reported adverse effects should be generally recognized as safe.

Stevia occurs naturally, requiring no patent to produce it. As a consequence, since the import ban in 1991, marketers and consumers of Stevia have shared a belief that the sweetener industry pressured the FDA to keep Stevia out of the United States. Arizona congressman Jon Kyl, for example, called the FDA action against Stevia "a restraint of trade to benefit the artificial sweetener industry." To date, the FDA has never revealed the source of the original complaint in its responses to requests filed under the Freedom of Information Act.

As a result of this mysterious ban, it is now illegal to sell Stevia as a food or food ingredient but it can be sold as a dietary supplement. It has not been made clear how a banned food substance can be used as a dietary supplement without eating it!

The latest news on Stevia powder is that, despite its widespread commercial and domestic use in Japan, China, South America and Asia, it can not be sold as a food or a food additive in the UK and EU. This ban is based on a report by the Scientific Committee on Food in 1999, which is available here: http://ec.europa.eu/food/fs/sc/scf/out36_en.pdf. There are no indications of toxicity in this report, indeed 1 passage reports...The only reported study using the plant material is a feeding study in rats using 10% dried SRB leaves of unknown specification in a high carbohydrate diet investigating the effect on blood glucose level. No details of the study have been submitted but the results were reported as showing a continued significant decrease in liver glycogen after 2 weeks and a significant decrease in blood glucose levels after 4 weeks... Does this sound like a good reson to ban Stevia or are the commercial sweetener companies in some way involved?

Stevia is widely used as a sweetener in Japan, and is used there in the manufacture of sugar-free versions of Diet coke, Beatrice Foods yoghurt and Wrigley's Gum. It has also been used for centuries in South America as a treatment for type II diabetes, and to sweeten the native beverage Mate since pre-Columbian times.

In recent research, Stevia has shown promise for treating such conditions as obesity and high blood pressure.

In his book Healing With Whole Foods, Paul Pitchford cautions, "Obtain only the green or brown [whole] stevia extracts or powders; avoid the clear extracts and white powders, which, highly refined and lacking essential phyto-nutrients, cause imbalance".

Since discovering Stevia powder for ourselves a little over a year ago, we now use it in:

* Home-made lemonade
* Iced tea and coffee
* Hot tea and coffee
* Herbal teas
* Smoothies and shakes
* Hot chocolate

Also, where a recipe calls for sugar, we substitute one tenth the amount of Stevia powder and leave out the sugar, which usually works well.

For those who experience cravings for sweet things, simply mix half a teaspoon of powder with a large glass of water and drink as required!

[lottie]

Instead of finding/using alternative sugar substitutes etc....why not just use unrefined cane sugar....completely natural!! but everything in moderation...:D

[revolutionary_jam]

Great stuff RJ, thanks for the link, have just ordered some!:)


cool, I'm really glad to be of help :)

Instead of finding/using alternative sugar substitutes etc....why not just use unrefined cane sugar....completely natural!! but everything in moderation...:D


don't quote me on this (lol waits for someone to quote it) but I sugar from sugar cane is still a crystaline structure that will break down slowly in your body and be detrimental to you health wise and spiritually x

[lottie]

sugar from sugar cane is still a crystaline structure that will break down slowly in your body and be detrimental to you health wise and spiritually x

sorry....couldnt resist!!! LOl!!!:D

Yeah, maybe so, but its good enough for me.....i smoke, lead an 'unhealthy lifestyle' and hate excersise so i think unrefined natural cane sugar is the least of my worries!!! LOl!!!:D

[lookfar]

sorry....couldnt resist!!! LOl!!!:D

Yeah, maybe so, but its good enough for me.....i smoke, lead an 'unhealthy lifestyle' and hate excersise so i think unrefined natural cane sugar is the least of my worries!!! LOl!!!:D

Tut tut missy, lol!!;):D

[revolutionary_jam]

sorry....couldnt resist!!! LOl!!!:D

Yeah, maybe so, but its good enough for me.....i smoke, lead an 'unhealthy lifestyle' and hate excersise so i think unrefined natural cane sugar is the least of my worries!!! LOl!!!:D


Well I mean thats all your life and your choice to make so you will get no criticism from the quarter, if you want to cut back on these things it should be for YOU not for anyone else, and that is my recommendation,

best wishes x

[lottie]

Well I mean thats all your life and your choice to make so you will get no criticism from the quarter, if you want to cut back on these things it should be for YOU not for anyone else, and that is my recommendation,

best wishes x

Thankyou! :)