Stevia - is it an addiction?

April 10, 2007

Greetings all,

Just like to comment on the 'stevia' subject. Personally I have never

used it, nor do I use sugar or any other 'sweeteners'. This has been

the case since discovering that my illnesses were related to

Hypoglycemia, (about 25yrs ago).

Over the years I have talked with many people who suffer the effects

of hypoglycemia, diabetes, obesity, general fatigue and illhealth. The

vast majority of these people do not take control of their own health,

especially related to food intake.

Sugar and refined carbohydrates attack the body via pancreas and

insulin (among others) causing many undesirable effects. Such as

severe mood swings, headaches, & cravings. People with the

above-mentioned 'diseases' usually have a big problem overcoming 'junk

food addiction' because of the sugar spike effect giving a 'false high'.

These people should not use stevia in my opinion as it only feeds

their old habit of liking sweetness, previously from sugars. It would

make it harder to change from the tendency to reach for unhealthy

choices. This is how I would understand someone saying that

" stevia is addictive " .

Smiles to y'all

Rich

April 10, 2007

Yes I know what you mean - just a couple of thoughts tho - the brain needs a

certain amount of sugars to function - tho I suppose there are sufficient

sugars in food to cater for this need - and green Stevia (the ground leave

unrefined) is beneficial for the pancreas - like I understand that it is

the only known herb that improves pancreatic function.

When my partner was tested (atrial response) for all sugars, for all

artificial sweeteners, honey, maple syrup, and Stevia etc the only thing he

dd not respond/react negatively to was fruit sugars - preferably still in

the fruit!!

Jane

April 10, 2007

Let them " cold turkey " eh?

Lots of us are taking a giant step to substitute stevia for sugar.

The " habit " you speak of is an instinctual drive. Sweetness is recognized as

food - the fruit is ripe etc.

I started hypoglycemic and ended diabetic. The doctors used to prescribe sugar

wafers to us hypoglycemics.

Now that was brilliance. Oh well.

If you eat the American Diabetic Assn diet you will never get off diabetes

meds.

http://www.diabetes-book.com/readit.shtml

Bernstein is the guy who got glucose meters into the hands of the public. Read

what he says about diet.

Chapter 9 is a must read for diabetics.

Kirk

richby9 <richby9 wrote:

Greetings all,

Just like to comment on the 'stevia' subject. Personally I have never

used it, nor do I use sugar or any other 'sweeteners'. This has been

the case since discovering that my illnesses were related to

Hypoglycemia, (about 25yrs ago).

Over the years I have talked with many people who suffer the effects

of hypoglycemia, diabetes, obesity, general fatigue and illhealth. The

vast majority of these people do not take control of their own health,

especially related to food intake.

Sugar and refined carbohydrates attack the body via pancreas and

insulin (among others) causing many undesirable effects. Such as

severe mood swings, headaches, & cravings. People with the

above-mentioned 'diseases' usually have a big problem overcoming 'junk

food addiction' because of the sugar spike effect giving a 'false high'.

These people should not use stevia in my opinion as it only feeds

their old habit of liking sweetness, previously from sugars. It would

make it harder to change from the tendency to reach for unhealthy

choices. This is how I would understand someone saying that

" stevia is addictive " .

Smiles to y'all

Rich

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April 10, 2007

I can only speak of my own experience. No idea if it applies to

others. I have been experimenting with diet and supplements for

almost 6 years now, when I was diagnosed with type II diabetes (my

fasting blood sugar was over 360). I am almost 62, and probably had

undiagnosed diabetes for a decade or two before I went to a doctor.

For me, when I eat stevia, I get more cravings for sugar, bread,

fruit, etc. within an hour. With NO sweets, I rarely get any carb

cravings, since I tamed my sweet tooth back in 2001.

As I say, I am by no means a medical expert, but it seems to me that

the sweetness in my mouth triggers my pancreas to secrete insulin

because my body believes insulin will soon be needed. But when no

insulin is really needed, my blood sugar drops sharply, thus making me

crave carbs to balance out the extra insulin which I did not really

need to secrete.

Alobar

On 4/10/07, richby9 <richby9 wrote:

> Greetings all,

>

> Just like to comment on the 'stevia' subject. Personally I have never

> used it, nor do I use sugar or any other 'sweeteners'. This has been

> the case since discovering that my illnesses were related to

> Hypoglycemia, (about 25yrs ago).

>

> Over the years I have talked with many people who suffer the effects

> of hypoglycemia, diabetes, obesity, general fatigue and illhealth. The

> vast majority of these people do not take control of their own health,

> especially related to food intake.

>

> Sugar and refined carbohydrates attack the body via pancreas and

> insulin (among others) causing many undesirable effects. Such as

> severe mood swings, headaches, & cravings. People with the

> above-mentioned 'diseases' usually have a big problem overcoming 'junk

> food addiction' because of the sugar spike effect giving a 'false high'.

>

> These people should not use stevia in my opinion as it only feeds

> their old habit of liking sweetness, previously from sugars. It would

> make it harder to change from the tendency to reach for unhealthy

> choices. This is how I would understand someone saying that

> " stevia is addictive " .

>

> Smiles to y'all

> Rich

>

April 11, 2007

I don't agree with that at all. I have hypoglycemia, also. I

use stevia. I used to use the artificial sweetners until I realized

that they were not good for you. Stevia is safe. It is not

addictive. Yes, I like sweet things and stevia allows me to have

sweet without being harmful. And no, I don't eat other things with

sugar in them because I have used stevia. Not all brands of stevia

taste the same. I use Kal brand. I've tried other brands, but didn't

like the taste of other brands. I wouldn't give it up for anything.

, " richby9 "

<richby9 wrote:

>

> Greetings all,

>

> Just like to comment on the 'stevia' subject. Personally I have

never

> used it, nor do I use sugar or any other 'sweeteners'. This has been

> the case since discovering that my illnesses were related to

> Hypoglycemia, (about 25yrs ago).

>

> Over the years I have talked with many people who suffer the effects

> of hypoglycemia, diabetes, obesity, general fatigue and illhealth.

The

> vast majority of these people do not take control of their own

health,

> especially related to food intake.

>

> Sugar and refined carbohydrates attack the body via pancreas and

> insulin (among others) causing many undesirable effects. Such as

> severe mood swings, headaches, & cravings. People with the

> above-mentioned 'diseases' usually have a big problem

overcoming 'junk

> food addiction' because of the sugar spike effect giving a 'false

high'.

>

> These people should not use stevia in my opinion as it only feeds

> their old habit of liking sweetness, previously from sugars. It

would

> make it harder to change from the tendency to reach for unhealthy

> choices. This is how I would understand someone saying that

> " stevia is addictive " .

>

> Smiles to y'all

> Rich

>

April 11, 2007

I have know people who quite heroin by going cold turkey. I have

known far fewer people who managed to quit heroin by using methadon.

I have known many people who attmpted to quit smoking by using patches

& /or by slowly weaning themselves off the cigs. Very few of those I

have known actrually cucceeded. However, people who went cold turkey

with tobacco addictions had a much higher success rate.

So when it came time for me to quit sugar, I found it best to go cold turkey.

In those animals who make their own vitamin C, they make C out of

glucose. Seems to me that giving one's body excess C, all throughout

the day, may help alleviate sugar cravings. It seemed to work for

me.

Alobar

On 4/10/07, Kirk McLoren <kirkmcloren wrote:

> Let them " cold turkey " eh?

> Lots of us are taking a giant step to substitute stevia for sugar.

> The " habit " you speak of is an instinctual drive. Sweetness is recognized as

food - the fruit is ripe etc.

> I started hypoglycemic and ended diabetic. The doctors used to prescribe

sugar wafers to us hypoglycemics.

> Now that was brilliance. Oh well.

> If you eat the American Diabetic Assn diet you will never get off diabetes

meds.

>

> http://www.diabetes-book.com/readit.shtml

> Bernstein is the guy who got glucose meters into the hands of the public.

Read what he says about diet.

> Chapter 9 is a must read for diabetics.

>

> Kirk

>

April 11, 2007

re: post #47193

Alobar wrote:

For me, when I eat stevia, I get more cravings for sugar, bread,

fruit, etc. within an hour. With NO sweets, I rarely get any carb

cravings, since I tamed my sweet tooth back in 2001.

Kirk wrote:

The " habit " you speak of is an instinctual drive. Sweetness is

recognized as food - the fruit is ripe etc. I started hypoglycemic and

ended diabetic.

Smockinggirl wrote:

I don't agree with that at all. I have hypoglycemia, also. I use

stevia. I used to use the artificial sweetners until I realized that

they were not

good for you.

Smiles to you...

Yes, we are all different, and there may be many different reasons why

various people come up with the same illness. Its great that we are on

this forum to learn and share. Its all a part of being aware of our

choices in each moment. And the consequences of them.

I certainly prefer `natural' over `unnatural' when it comes to most

things. Some natural things are dangerous, you can die from excess

water intake for eg. Herbs are lovely, and they are also drugs.

Vitamins are essential, and they need to be in a `natural' balance.

Consuming a lot of one type is likely not to be in natural harmony.

Sugar-spike doesn't just come from sugar, it comes from everything

that the body recognises as sugar. Such as; refined flour products

(bread, pasta, biscuits, cakes) refined breakfast cereals, white rice,

milk sugar, alcohol, and high glycemic vegetables and fruits. All

these things have an insulin response.

Nature provides us with a range of tastes; sweet, sour, pungent,

bitter, salty. savory. We don't need to continually adjust natural

foods flavours to meet with an imbalanced preference.

STEVIA

The sweetness of stevia is due to a high concentration of eight

phytochemicals called glycosides. The most abundant of these,

stevioside, is over 200 times sweeter than sucrose. One form of stevia

available in health food stores is a 80-95% extract of stevioside. It

is a white powder that must be used sparingly. (homestead.com)

Stevia is very alkaline which is a good thing. Sugar abuse leads to an

over-acid body and inturn many health problems.

The Japanese tested stevia extract and found it without health risk.

It is used in their numerous food products, including candies, ice

cream, pickles, and soft drinks. (health food?) In 1988, refined

stevia extract was used in 41% of Japan's multi-million-dollar market

for high-intensity sweeteners.

Happiness and Good Health to all

Rich

April 11, 2007

Cravings for sweet is an addiction, not a habit. Like with all

addictions, best to kill the addiction rather than pandering to it.

In primative times, fruit was only available for short seasons, and

fruit was much less sweet than fruit is today.

One needs salt to live, but few are compulsive massive over-indulgers

of salt. I never have met someone who would eat a pound of salt in a

day, but I have known people who would eat a pound of sugar in a day.

In studies with rats (no URL available), sugar was more addictive

than nicotine, heroin, or cocaine.

Now, stevia is far less harmful than sugar. But my experience is

that it triggered addictive behavior in me where I started craving

" real sugar " . So I say no thanks to stevia.

Alobar

On 4/10/07, richby9 <richby9 wrote:

> re: post #47193

>

> Alobar wrote:

> For me, when I eat stevia, I get more cravings for sugar, bread,

> fruit, etc. within an hour. With NO sweets, I rarely get any carb

> cravings, since I tamed my sweet tooth back in 2001.

>

> Kirk wrote:

> The " habit " you speak of is an instinctual drive. Sweetness is

> recognized as food - the fruit is ripe etc. I started hypoglycemic and

> ended diabetic.

>

April 11, 2007

Brain needs some glucose, but any food not animal contains some carbs,

even if it is low carb. Stevia may (or may not) improve pancreatic

finction. I do not know. But, even if true, stevia is by no means

the only supplement to improve pancratic function.

Alobar

On 4/10/07, Jane MacRoss <HIGHFIELD wrote:

> Yes I know what you mean - just a couple of thoughts tho - the brain needs a

> certain amount of sugars to function - tho I suppose there are sufficient

> sugars in food to cater for this need - and green Stevia (the ground leave

> unrefined) is beneficial for the pancreas - like I understand that it is

> the only known herb that improves pancreatic function.

>

April 12, 2007

As a cook - I can't quit sugar - you just can't make the same cake without

sugar as you can with it - so I " enhance " sweetness with Stevia and bulk it

up with a sweet banana for fat and sugar substitute - works fine - but I

wouldn't be happy using anything other than Stevia to increase sweetness in

cooking

Jane

April 12, 2007

Or put your ingredients in a blender with some leaves and mix it up.

Gets well distributed and no solvents needed.

Kirk

Sara Mandal-Joy <smjlists wrote:

Was your partner tested with processed stevia or with the natural leaf?

HUGE difference. I don't think any processed food is great for any of

us, and other than the substitute of a worse substance (processed

sugar), processed stevia has little benefits healthwise, and has been

chemically messed with. Stevia leaf does have researched/studied

benefits on its own, and is a wonderful helpful herb. Its not great for

cooking or sweetning if you are just looking for the " sweet " sensation -

it IS sweet, but also has an herby licorice flavor, which complements

many things, but not everything. Would take quite a bit of it and

recipes need to be altered to sweeten a baked product. The refined

stevia is much much concentrated. You can use your raw leaf stevia

soaked in alcohol, and then use the sweetened alcohol in your baking -

recipes will still need some adjusting, and there will be an adjusted

flavor, but its one that grows on you. I don't eat any processed flours

or foods, and only use my raw leaf stevia for teas and to sweeten my

vitamin c drink - where its great. I just soak stevia leaves in water

overnight, and then use that water for my vitamin c drink and for my

tea. I can't imagine that anyone would have a negative reaction to raw

leaf stevia - I consider processed stevia fairly benign stuff, as

compared to processed sugar, but it has been chemically processed and a

sensitive body may well not want it for that reason. I cannot imagine

stevia leaf causing a negative reaction.

Sara

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April 12, 2007