Yummies - Stevia Aftertaste

[Guest guest]

Good question!

 

The answer is YES BUT

 

If you eat bit of a single leaf, it tastes sweet and there is no aftertaste. If you munch the rest of the leaf (which is tiny; less than an inch long) there is a very slight medicinal aftertaste. Of course, you want more. So you chew a second leaf. The same aftertaste but stronger and this time you don't want any more.

 

I'm a born and bred Yank, so far to the right that folks think I'm left and, in truth, have more in common with them. My point is I am a Constitutionalist and, being thus, I trust Nature's God and believe Government ought exist only for the benefit of the populace..

 

Therefore, I bergan to research stevia. About the time Aspertame came on the market, stevia began to get a bad rap and was banned from the market, except as a supplement, for quite a while. It actually wasn't until very recently that stevia (maybe 2007 or 2008) was allowed back on the shelves as a food additive. Now, of course, stevia is a very big deal.

 

I keep thinking about how stevia intake is self regulating (in that a little bit goes a long way before you just don't want more) and how it is now big business and good for diabetics who are growing in number and consuming more and more of it.

 

There has been research done in lab rats. Because stevia represents big bucks, I would not look for human trials or testing anytime soon. The rat research showed that stevia negatively affects sperm production in male rats. A Brazillian (1988) study showed that female rats also lost fertility. Now we know for pretty darn sure that those rats were given enough stevia to suffocate them but we really haven't a clue as to what big doses of stevia will do to people or even what a big dose compromises. Draw your own conclusions. I actually use very little stevia. I'm past the age of fertility and I do not need to lose a lot of weight; my blood pressure is good and I am not a diabetic. I trust what Nature tells me. I use very little stevia.

 

There is a lovely flower produced by the borage plant. It is teeny and star shaped and blue and an annual. I am growing some starting this week. I've not yet experimented to see if it will retain its awesome sweetness when dried, but as a whole fresh flower it is sweet enough to satisfy any of us. Truthfully, I've been known to pick a lot more of those flowers than I need to decorate a cake.

 

The flowers look beautiful on cakes and add an extra dose of guiltless and non harmful sweetness. They are easy to pick and taste just wonderful. To the best of my knowledge there are no ill effects and the calorie load from eating flowers is very near to zilch.

 

At current, for a sweetener, I use small amounts of dark (grade B) maple syrup and raw honey. Because I have been raw for so long, my sweet tooth has greatly diminished. I do love fruits but find I am happy with the fruit themselves sans any sweeteners added. I do get the occasional sweet craving, almost always when I've either not eaten right or not eaten enough. For myself, I find that my cravings for sweet relate to a dearth of B vitamins.

 

I am neither a scientist nor a doctor. I speak only for myself. But, after all, we are, each and all, only human and not so very different from each other in that is what is true for one can't help but to be a similar truth for all of the species.

 

Cheers.