Stevia and IBS
#5016 - 04/03/03 01:27 PM
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Is Stevia okay to use as a substitute for sugar when you have IBS? Thanks!!!!!!!
Ruchie
-------------------- Formerly known as Ruchie
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I'm not sure what stevia is but if it is an artificial sweetener it would be best to avoid it.
-------------------- What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
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Not an artificial sweetener, I think it comes from the bark of a tree. I've used it and found no side effects from it. Neither did my daughter, who also has IBS.
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Karin,
Thanks for responding! Where can you find stevia, how do you prepare it? Can you find it already made for use as a sugar substitute? Thanks for all your help!
Ruchie
-------------------- Formerly known as Ruchie
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I purchased it at the Health food store here locally. I bought a liquid jar of it that had a dropper. I saw there yesterday though, a powdered kind. We use it to flavor things such as Cream of Rice, tea, etc.. I haven't used it for cooking yet, I do know there's a cookbook. The liquid is very strong, you only need a drop or two for an entire bowl full of whatever! I believe there is a Stevia cooking website, I'll try and find it.
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http://www.cookingwithstevia.com/ This is a great site for Stevia users!
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Found some info here - "Stevia: Extracted from Stevia rebaudiana (an herb) leaves, Stevia is up to 300 times sweeter than table sugar and is free of any apparent toxic effects in experimental animals. Stevia is grown and used around the world for its incredible sweetening properties. It is completely safe for diabetics. It has also been shown to retard the growth of plaque in the mouth. Dozens of studies show Stevia to be a safe supplement for human use, and it is currently being used extensively throughout the world in a variety of ways. In Japan it is used to sweeten, pickles, dried foods, dried sea foods, soy sauce, fruit juices, soft drinks gum, etc. Due, however, to successful FDA lobbying by Monsanto (the makers of Aspartame), Stevia can only legally be labeled for sale in the United States as an herb or dietary supplement, and not as a sweetener."
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-------------------- Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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I have used Stevia quite a bit. Especially when you are using it in a beverage, be sure to stir it thoroughly or it will be bitter.
I think Splenda is more user friendly and it is a natural sugar without all the calories.
Sally
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Thanks everyone! I heard somewhere that Splenda and artificial sweetners are bad news for IBSers (I think Heather)...isn't splenda an artif. sweet.? I think I'm gonna try Stevia and give it a shot! Thanks Karin for all that helpful info...I'll let you know what I think! Sally C...what type of IBS do you have? Maybe diff. types of IBS can handle diff. things? I have IBS C and artificial sweet. have been bad news for me. Thanks y'all I appreciate all the info!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ruchie
-------------------- Formerly known as Ruchie
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Stevia is not an artificial sweetener (those are bad news for IBS). See my earlier post in this thread for what stevia is and the plant it comes from.
Best, Heather
-------------------- Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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Is aspartame a trigger?????
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Aspartame give me horrible headaches and I do know artificial sweeteners are considered IBS triggers for many people.
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I now use stevia all the time for just about everything. I went through a lot of brands and have found that they differ widely. Certain types have fillers along with the stevia and that really dilutes the sweetness and they just dont taste very good at all. The very best brand that I have found, and use, is called "Kal" Pure Stevia extract powder. It is so very sweet that I use just a little itsy bitsy pinch and it is wonderful! They have a website at www.nutraceutical.com. I can only find it at 'Henry's' here. I love this stuff. Calorie free, natural, not a trigger. I have tried Splenda a couple of times, and I had huge reaction to it! Terrible cramps and D,this was before I knew that I had IBS and thought it was weird since no one else had that reaction and they could use it with no problems! I now avoid it like the plague. I can tolerate some aspartame, but I am careful with it just in case. Oh, I have also grown stevia. I bought it as a little herb plant at my local nursery.. Its really a neat plant , just one little green leaf is so sweet, it's really amazing!
-------------------- ~GEA~
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