Stevia / alternate sweeteners recipes ?

[madbrain]

Last week I bought some Stevia liquid, powder and some xylitol and erythritol powders as well.
So far, I tried to make a sorbet with a tiny bit of the liquid in my ice cream machine.
It was a disaster. It had no consistency, unlike sorbets that are made with real sugar.
Is there any way stevia can be used ? Do I need some kind of filler to make up for the missing cup of sugar ? Is there a healthy and cheap one I can use ?

The only thing that worked well was yogurts. I made several batches of 7 6oz yogurts with 1 teaspoon of liquid stevia total. They came out well.

 

[Wifezilla]

When sugar is part of the structure of a recipe, you need to use erythritol, NOT stevia.

 

[madbrain]

OK. Do you know a good source for affordable erythritol ?

 

[Wifezilla]

I get mine at vitamin cottage. You can also order it online at www.netrition.com. It is going to be around $8/lb. There is really no such thing as cheap erythritol.

 

[madbrain]

I get mine at vitamin cottage. You can also order it online at www.netrition.com. It is going to be around $8/lb. There is really no such thing as cheap erythritol.

Yes, unfortunately that's what I paid for 1lb of NOW erythritol. And that was before shipping which made it close to $10 (I had a few other items on the order).
It is really too much . Sugar at costco is 65 cents/lb in 50 lb bags. This is 15x more expensive. I'm all for making healthy recipes but that is a huge premium.
I wonder why it is so expensive.

 

[Wifezilla]

I pay it. The alternative for me is obesity, high blood pressure and out of control blood sugar. I only use it occasionally though so it doesn't cause a huge problem for my budget.

 

[freemotion]

I pay $22 for 8 oz of stevia, but it lasts me for several months. I also have raw wildflower honey that cost me $90 for a 60# pail and a half gallon of pure maple syrup for $20. The last two last me a year....oh, I gave a gallon of the honey to my folks, and a bunch was used in making mead. I can't tolerate the sugar alcohols, unfortunately.

Really, some things are worth the extra cost, and when you consider what you are saving by making your own treats and drinks it really is quite cheap. When you consider long term health costs it is really nothing!

I use sugar only for things that will ferment it all out....kombucha and wine. And the occasional "company" dessert or potluck dessert, if I'm not feeling too ornery. Sometimes I want more leftovers for ME so I make it the way I like it.

 

[MorelCabin]

Honestly, there are some staples in my diet that I just won't change, and sugar is one of them. I believe that if most of your diet is well balanced...and if you eat well most of the time, your body can deal with the amount of sugar in home baked goods. Its the store bought prepackaged stuff we need to be wary of.
Now that doesn't count for diabetics though Maple sugar is non diabetic is it not?

 

[freemotion]

Sugar is sugar, especially to a diabetic, unfortunately.

I agree that sugar is fine in small amounts but the average American is up to something close to a half pound a day now! A few decades ago the average was 20 lbs a year, now latest figures put it as high as 180 lbs a year! But it is the trans fats that are the cause of most diabetes, sugar causes the symptoms after the damage is done.

Sugar is thus the enemy for many people with inflammatory health concerns. One of the enemies. It's a shame. I am on the slim side but still can't eat sugar more than, say, twice a month and in very, very small amounts or I start getting multiple health problems. Two days a row of sugar consumption means a guaranteed UTI and yeast infection, and a week of weight gain, among other things. Takes the fun out of a peanut butter cup. My favorite. Formerly. :/

My former naturopath, who got me started on this nutrition path a few years ago before she moved out of state, came to my house for a WAPF potluck last Sunday. She kept commenting on how good/healthy I looked! We hadn't seen each other in maybe five years. She looked good, too. I found out that she had discovered the principles of traditional diets just before she introduced me to the concepts, so she'd lost a LOT of weight since I saw her last and looked younger, too.

 

[abifae]

The taste of sweet is sugar to a diabetic. It doesn't have to physically change your blood sugar, just tasting and smelling sweets gets the body pumping extra insulin in preperation.

I STILL do and I've been on low carb for a couple years.