If you're trying to eat healthier, you may be trying to ditch foods made 
with white sugar and artificial sweeteners. What about the sweetener stevia? Have you ever heard of it? People are adding it to their coffee, flavoring their iced tea, and baking with it. Stevia is an herb from South America, and since the leaves from this plant have a sweet flavor that is 30 times sweeter than sugar, it's being used as an all natural sugar substitute. People watching their weight like the idea of stevia because it's calorie free. Is it safe though? To find out read more
It's a plant, so it must be safe, right? Well, the only problem is that although it's been approved in other countries such as China and Japan, the FDA considers it an unapproved food additive. At this time, the FDA feels that no one has provided them with adequate evidence proving that it's safe. It was however approved in 1994 to be sold as a dietary supplement, so that's why you can find it at some health and vitamin stores. What's more is that the Center for Science in the Public Interest thinks stevia should be avoided because studies show that sperm production was affected in rats, and there was an increase in cell production in their testicles. Hamsters fed a derivative of stevia gave birth to smaller and fewer babies. Studies also show that it may cause cancer.
I'm not sure I will be using it anytime soon and will just work it out to eat my sweets in moderation. How about you, do you use stevia? Tell me why you like it in the comments section below.
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I wanted to try Stevia so I purchased it when my splenda ran out. I only use it in my coffee in the morning. It is very sweet, you only need less than a teaspoon for a cup of coffee. It also does have an aftertaste that I notice most when drinking water after my coffee. Other than that, I like it.
1stevia is my sweetener of choice. the japanese have been using it for decades, and they are some of the healthiest people on the planet.
2Quick grammer question... Shouldn't it say 'If you're trying to eat healthier" and not "If you're trying to eat more healthy"?? Grammer is NOT my strongest point, but that sounded a bit off.
3Yeah I think this is much better and safer than splenda, nutrasweet, or any of the other no cal sweeteners. Like jjlyn said, this is not a new thing..the Japanese HAVE used it for years and years...
4I've never tried it, but after hearing the risks, I'm going to hold off until I hear something better about this product.
5Always wanted to try, because I have heard so much, but I am waiting for more research on the product!
6I use it in my coffee. I've read that the FDA doesn't approve it due to pressure from Sugar and Chemical (splenda, equal) companies. Who knows what's true.
7safe, what is safe these days?
8i'm definitely not going to sit around obsessing about this one.
I love Stevia. Currently Coca-Cola is doing research on stevia to try and get approved by the FDA.
If you are going to believe the research studies about rats, which people have pointed out was not done with care, and could have produced biased results - you should also note that stevia has also been found to promote insulin production
9My chiropractor gave me some samples because I don't eat cane sugar and don't like artificial sweeteners. I don't like stevia though, it is too sweet. I am always wary of the FDA in these affairs though... the beet/corn/cane sugar lobby is extremely powerful and even if stevia is safe I can see the FDA dragging their feet in this matter. As for me I'll stick with my agave nectar, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, and honey.
10I have also heard that the sugar industry, splenda, etc. are pressuring the FDA to not approve it. The FDA has approved a lot of artificial sweeteners that are terrible for you, so I no longer put much stock in what they say. I have tried Stevia but I do not really like it. My boyfriend does, and he uses it in his coffee every day. I'm partial to agave.
11I don't know what to think. I like to be informed, but in all cases, you always hear two sides of the story. I know you should always consider the source, but how do you know who to believe. Should you really believe the FDA? Should you really believe the civilian who put her time and money into investigating the FDA to find out that it's more of a money market than it is an organization looking our for it's people's well being?
I never know what to believe.
Now-a-days, it seems almost everything can give you cancer!
12Typing correction:
"...looking [out] for it's people's well being?"
And in addition, I'm glad I'm not alone in not fully trusting the FDA. It's good to know that we are all becoming people who think for themselves!
13The studies including rats didn't use stevia, they used only the active compound, steviosides - and in a concentration that was about 50 times higher than you would take in if you were consuming stevia.
I use stevia, have used it for years and I think that together with agave nectar it is the best sweetened out there.
14*sweetener*
15I use Stevia because I like the fact that it is an herbal sweetener, rather than something chemical. If you use too much, there is a slight aftertaste, but you can figure out what works for you.
16I don't really care what the FDA says. They approve things that aren't good for us at all so I don't even know how much I trust them. I wanted to get stevia so I can make sweets my diabetic father can have since I don't want anyone consuming fake unnatural artifical sweeteners..that the FDA has approved even if it's not actually good for people.
17I don't know sounded good till the list of side effects....so let's just say I wont be trying it yet
18I do not like the taste of stevia. It has an overpowering after taste. I prefer agave nectar by far.
19chemicals.. whether natural, or synthetic, it's best to know what they are, and of course if they are good for you.
everything we eat, even our bodies are chemicals.
the FDA is supposed to protect us, however, i also see a conflict in interest when it seems pharmaceuticals are preferred over the use of a plant. perhaps because the profitability is greater with a patent of a drug, and plants can't be patented i think..
maybe my argument is weak, but companies pay billions to get approval of drugs that can have some crazy side effects. plants can have the same problem, too. natural doesn't always mean safe or better. a chemical can exist from nature or from a lab and it is the exact same thing, but you make more money on the synthetic type.
i hope whatever it is we eat, it be safe for us, and at the same time maybe learning to understand why is good too, but the FDA is slow to move due to process, and cash is always an issue in this world.
idk..
after everything is said and done, there really is no easy way to stay healthy if it is a chore to eat, sleep, and exercise in a healthy manner.
but to those who treat their bodies well, it is evident.
but gosh, i love to eat sweets!
mmm mmm!
where is my buddy paula deen at?
20the FDA has approves letting us put chemicals (artificial sweeteners), fast foods, and so many other things into our body, but dosn't approve of an all natural sweetener. hmmm....i think it all comes down to money.
21I LOVE stevia, it takes a little while to get used to it, and learning how to bake with it, but it's worth it!
I got some cat treats the other day that have Stevia in them. I can't even find Stevia around here. Once again proof that my cats eat better than I do.
22I think it tastes funny. I go with agave, honey, splenda or just (gasp) sugar. I mean 1 tsp of sugar has 15 cals. If I eat 2 tsp a day, I can deal with that. I am very healthy so I think I wont get diabetes from that!
23i just bought some stevia to replace my sugar from whole foods.. so far so good. so many people have been recommending stevia to me so i decided to give it a try. it's not bad and you only need a small amount..i also read about it in skinny b*tch i think...anyways i think its better than artifical sweetners and i personally think the fda is afraid to market stevia because they may loose money.. i think i heard that some where.. anyways i also think i heard somewhere that it has a decent amount of fiber in it as well.. dont quote me though
24I don't like stevia because it tastes so weird to me. I usually use aspartame or Splenda in my food because they're cheaper and I like the taste better. And since stevia, aspartame, and Splenda are ALL going to give me cancer at some point (along with everything else on the planet), I figure "what the hell" and eat it anyway. In moderation, of course.
25i just use sugar! it's simple & i don't have to worry if it's going to harm me (or lab rats). besides, i don't feel like a few teaspoons of sugar in my morning oatmeal & an afternoon latte is going to do serious damage to my diet.
26My dad has diabetes and used to use Equal then Splenda... I'm sorry fake sugar is not good for you ... mmmm molecularly engineered sugar- YUM!! It's just weird to me. But I bought him Stevia one day at whole foods after talking to them about better options than what he was using.. keeping in mind he has diabetes.
27I personally like less processed cane sugar.... the less processed the better
Yes i have tried Stevia and I use it in baking and occasionally when i have some coffee...its delicious and I have never had any problems with it.
The only reason the FDA will not approve Stevia or many other natural products is because they do not reap the monetary benefits of the sales generated by these products. They will, however, approve Splenda (sucralose) which has been proven to cause serious illness and bad side effects in many people. I for one have personally been affected by splenda and had to stop using it because of how sick i became.
And...just because something causes an effect in a rat does not mean it will do the same in a human. After all, if we had the same body composition of a rat wouldn't rats be running the world?
28I have been using the liquid stevia for awhile now. We make our own lemonade with it. A little goes a long way to sweeten. I recently found these little packs you can add to water and get a flavor(strawberry, lime, cherry, orange, grape) again sweeten with stevia. There is also chocolate stevia that mixes in milk. Love it!
29I don't use artificial sweeteners because they really never satisfy you. Multiple studies have shows that consuming artificial will make one ravenous, while sugar will make one a sugar addict, and sticking to foods with small amounts of natural sugars will help one control their appetite.
Taste is an important function when it comes to the digestive system, don't try fooling it. That's just not nice.
30Subscribing is confusing.
31I love SweetLeaf Liquid Stevia Flavors. Vanilla Creme and Chocolate Raspberry are my favorite!
:D 
32I thought I would try this being that I am trying to cut down on my sugar. Bad move, Within minutes I felt sick to my stomach and got a headache. I have yet to find something I can use thats not sugar or honey.
33One thing that is confusing about the Stevia/sweetener safety question, is: What exactly are we talking about. Are we talking about pure 100% Stevia extract and all the chemical compounds therein? Are we talking about Erythritol, rebiana, Rebaudioside A, or other products like Truvia? This entire subject is very confusing, yet I want to have answers because my boyfriend is Diabetic type 1 with a sweet tooth and I need to lose weight also. Currently he drinks way too much diet soda and my goal for us is to switch to healthier lifestyle. I must say I do not like pure anecdotal evidence for or against foodstuffs (i.e. i ate some yesterday and got sick, or didn't have a headache... etc..) but prefer scientific studies. There seems to be some out there, but I would like to know what was tested exactly. I read the study on the rats that produced low sperm count was from the biproduct of stevia leaf... the stevioside or was it steviol? You can see where this is going....
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