cooking with Stevia

[Connie Fox]

Hi, I'm new to this list and am looking for help in substituting sugar with Stevia. Has anyone done this? I can't have sugar due to diabetes and need to cook healthier. Stevia can replace 1 c of sugar with 1/3 = 1/2 t. But do I have to add more flour or less liquids. or just do nothing?
Connie

[wallycat]

there are several cookbooks devoted solely to Stevia...
before buying them, see if you library has them (or inter-library loan them)...try a few recipes before getting a book.
Also, there are several websites that offer some recipes.

there are liquid forms of stevia as well as granules.
There's also a new product out that claims "easy use" and other such things like "new" and "best"...read the ingredients...this product has a filler to make the stevia flow easier, but they use a different sweetener/chemical...not sure how that affects the blood sugars.

[bijoux22]

Connie, have you tried Splenda? It too is a sugar substitute that claims to have no effect on your glucose levels. I have cooked with it and really like it. We have had some discussions about it that you will be able to find if you search for Splenda.

[HRJ]

Hi Connie:

Welcome to the BB. I hope you don't think this post is totally out of line -- but I'm diabetic, too (Type 2), and I read on your profile that you have been recently diagnosed.

I can't give you any info on stevia, because I don't use artificial sweeteners (except for an occasional Diet Coke).

I don't know if you're aware, but since the early '90s, the medical community has been in general agreement that people with diabetes can have sugar -- meaning you don't have to use sugar-free products.

(Doesn't mean you can't use them -- for instance, I just love the taste of Diet Coke :rolleyes: , but you don't necessarily have to do the old "sugar-free" thing). The American Diabetes Association has allowed sugar in its dietary recommendations for diabetics since 1994.

The research has shown that the effect of sugar on blood glucose is the same as that of any other carbohydrate -- a carb is a carb is a carb.

The ADA just (Jan. 2002) released another position paper on this subject. The Canadian Diabetes Association has a similar stand.

Of course, sweets such as candy and other desserts often include rather high amounts of carbs, so they still need to be eaten in moderation -- a candy bar, for example, with hundreds of carbs, will indeed send your blood sugar -- and mine -- skyrocketing.

But a small slice of cake, with, say, 30 carbs, usually isn't any more "dangerous" than 30 carbs of milk, or beans, or broccoli. Not as nutritious, for sure, but basically the same from a carbohydrate standpoint.

Here's a link to the ADA's position statement, published in the Jan. issue of the journal "Diabetes Care."

http://care.diabetesjournals.org/cg...t/full/25/1/202

For a much better explanation, in plain English, visit the Canadian Health Network and Health Canada, at
http://www.canadian-health-network....n_saine/6e.html

Now, I certainly don't know what kind of advice you were given when you were diagnosed, and I'm not a doctor; and I certainly do not want to interfere with or undermine your medical treatment in any way.

But -- I do know that many doctors, particularly primary care docs, are not particularly up-to-date on the most recent research and dietary guidelines for diabetes. I know the doctor who diagnosed me wasn't -- his nurse handed me a pre-printed "diet sheet" that was about 15 years old, and told me "from now on, your only dessert will be an apple."

And, as a result of that, I avoided all sweets, or anything that contained sugar -- but I continued eating pasta, bread, rice, cereal and other carb-rich foods in huge portions, which was just as harmful to my glucose levels as having a piece of cake.

I've since switched primary doctors, consulted regularly with a registered dietitian, and have been evaluated by 2 endocrinologists, including one at the Joslin center here in Boston. None of them follow the "sugar-free" line.

I'm not trying to portray myself as the model diabetic -- for the past year or so, I have let my diet get out of control, and I'm currently battling to try and lower my bgs with diet and exercise to avoid medication. It is a tiresome disease.

I've probably gone on here far longer than anyone wants to hear.
Feel free to send me a private message if you'd like to "talk" further.

Good luck

Helene

[Connie Fox]

Helene, Thanks for the info, what an eye opener. And what you say makes sense. I am going to go visit that site you recommended. I am still learning and have a looong way to go!! I have cut my sugar consumption in half and don't have the craving for it as I once did. In fact I can really tell when I do eat it!! There are so many things on the market that have artificial sugar in them that I really believe the real thing is better for me than all those artificial sweeteners.

I haven't had a count over 200 in two weeks, and as low at 112 so I'm feeling pretty confident I can stay off the medicine if I just keep doing what I'm doing.

How do I contact you personally??

[JHolcomb]

Hi Connie,
Welcome to the boards! I noticed that you were trying to send Helene a private message. To do that, look at the bar under her post-you'll see one tab labelled PM. Click on that, and you should get a screen that will allow you to send a message to her mailbox.

Jen

[HRJ]

Hi Connie:

I'd be glad to offer you any information or support that I can -- I know this is a very confusing disease. I'm not an expert, but I'm trying to learn all I can, as a patient.

I just sent you a Private Message -- go to the main page for the Bulletin Board, and look way down at the bottom, where it says "Private Messaging." It should indicate that you have a PM. Just click on that, and it will take you to your Cooking Light mailbox.

Hope to hear from you!

Helene

Thanks, Jen, for providing PM instructions!