Stevia and Xylitol

[Mammal]

I have recently bought 'NOW Stevia'. I must say I hate the taste! Should I try a different brand or do they all have that taste?
Is xylitol healthy like Stevia (and does it taste the same?). Also does anyone know where i can get it? Thanks :)

[Di]

I don't know about the taste of xylitol, only that tom's dental products use it to sweeten their products. I think its better for you teeth and less calorie dense.

I use pure stevia extract. 1 tsp = 1 cup sugar or 1.5 tsp = 1 cup maple syrup, so be careful! The taste is head and shoulders above the other brands, and beleive me I've tried a lot.

The US has sort of an embargo on stevia products. So no stevia from outside the country can be brought in. The quality of stevia is much better in other parts of the world, hence its booming popularity in other countries (i.e. japan and such use it in everything, coke even uses it there!).

In other words, don't give up on stevia, the bitter licorish taste is due to lack of quality in the US, but I beleive this will change as regulations loosen up.

If your using it to sweeten drinks you don't have to worry about volume or rise but if your using it for other purposes try using recipes calling for liquid sweeteners, as there volume is much easier to replace with a combination of egg replacers, fruit purees, tofu, and soymilk or water to thin it out. Just keep in mind the original volume and consistency of the recipe when using the sweetener, and try to get the batter to that point. It very similiar to gluten free baking in that egg replacers, fruit and veg purees, and thickeners like xanthan gum and arrowroot all aid the texture and rise of the final product.

Puddings, ice creams, sauces etc... don't have the additional worry of rise involved, so volume can merely be acounted for by water/nd-milk and maybe some thickener for acurate texture.

Hope that helped, and let me know if you're interested in anything else!
-Di

[tammay]

I've also had issues with stevia and I've tried a bunch of brands. Yesterday I bought the Sweetleaf clear liquid stevia (this is the brand you see most often in the green packets). The packets do nothing for me but the liquid seems halfway decent and not too much of the licorice aftertaste. I have to experiment more, though, to see how it's going to taste.

Xylitol is pretty decent too. I've been told it has sort of cool aftertaste, like sugarfree mints, but I've never noticed it. I'm going to try mixing both sweeteners and see how that works, as i've heard mixing stevia with something else neutralizes the licorice aftertaste.

Tam

[Mammal]

Di, thank you so much for all that!! It really helped! I live in europe so i have to buy it online for sure! I'll be looking for Kal's so thank you for the reccomendation!

tammay, i will try that mixing when i buy them :)

[Di]

good. let me know how it goes. I myself don't like the taste of the sweet leaf and wisdom herb brands that pervaade the markets, or the frontier naturals brand for that matter. I found myself quite dependant on splenda for a while but this is just chlorinated sugar, ground through animal bone char, and I didn't want to be a part of this for my health's sake as well as the animals. I have been since searching out the best tasting natural low-calorie sweetener and this brand of stevia has been by far more than I expected to find. I've been to lazy to post an independant post on it but I think I will now that I have seen so much interest concerning it on this board. Best of luck to you an d keep me posted - I am working on some pretty decadent vegan stevia sweetened whole-grain recipes that I think you might like, but let me know if you even like the taste of the stevia first- Di

[veggiegirl3]

Ooh! Can you post the recipes somewhere?

Use only a TINY bit of stevia when sweetening drinks and stuff; the aftertaste gets awful if you use too much. I err on the light side and add too it or it's just gross. And, I have sweet leaf right now (first time buying it), but last time I bought another brand and liked it more (don't remember which). I've onl tried the powder packets though. Oh, also, mix the drink, add it, and stir a lot more. I think for a hot cereal or something, mixing it into the liquid FIRST would help mix it more thoroghly and reduce the bad aftertaste that I get when I get a clump or unevenly mixed bit.

[Muppet]

Hiya, I try to avoid sugar (for health reasons) and have been sugar-free on and off for years!

A while back I bought some stevia from Germany and it was ok but did have a bitter taste. I only needed to use a tiny, tiny amount - any more and the taste was pretty horrible and it upset my stomach a bit. :confused:

I've recently discovered xylitol (made from birch bark) and it is amazing - doesnt affect your blood sugar, safe for diabetics, anti-candida, good for your teeth and it tastes just like sugar!!!

I can't believe it can taste so nice and be so good for you?? Has anyone else tried xylitol and what did you think? I keep thinking there must be some kind of "catch!??"

[Tigerlily]

I bought some Xylitol today. I hope I like it. I'll try it in my morning tea.

There's a warning on the package saying slowly introduce yourself to it. Why? Does anyone know?

[Roxy]

Probably gives you diahreah.

[Tigerlily]

Eww!

[rantipole]

Xylitol is a sugar from birch trees. It actually is somewhat antibacterial, because many species of bacteria can absorb it but not digest it, so it kills them. This is why it is used in many dental care products; the bacteria the cause tooth decay are killed by it.

One caution with xylitol: it can kill dogs. If you make something with xylitol, do not feed it to your dog. I forget how it kills them, but it can. I'm not sure of how it affects other companion animals, but I wouldn't risk my pet's life to find out.

Cheers,
rant

[flutterby]

One caution with xylitol: it can kill dogs. If you make something with xylitol, do not feed it to your dog. I forget how it kills them, but it can. I'm not sure of how it affects other companion animals, but I wouldn't risk my pet's life to find out.Have a look at this (http://www.veganforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11691) thread. ;)

[lozza]

I've recently discovered xylitol (made from birch bark) and it is amazing - doesnt affect your blood sugar, safe for diabetics, anti-candida, good for your teeth and it tastes just like sugar!!!

I can't believe it can taste so nice and be so good for you?? Has anyone else tried xylitol and what did you think? I keep thinking there must be some kind of "catch!??"


I use xylitol, I love the taste. It really helps, as I try to avoid sugar but end up craving it. I love love love xylitol. I put it on my porridge and in hot drinks :D it helps when I need the taste of sugar or something sweet.

and yeah, its Low GI, so its by far better for you than sugar, as it doesnt send your blood sugar levels plummeting.

The only thing to watch out for is the fact that I think its unsafe for pets. So dont feed it to dogs or cats, I cant remember why or what it does, but yeah.. be careful.

Hehe, its great, cos it looks just like white sugar so you can even fool your guests ;) hehe. the ONLY drawback is that its a bit more expensive, and you get less than a bag of sugar, BUT.. I think the benefits outweigh this, and its worth it for your health :) and its sweeter than sugar, so you dont need to use as much

:)

[Tigerlily]

I find xylitol weird. The sweetness isn't immediate, it takes several seconds to notice it. To be honest, I don't really like it in my tea because I like the sweetness to be noticeable.