Comments on: Pastel Packets

By: Juliana

Juliana — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 20:50:20 +0000

I have a Stevia plant in my herb garden, but I never use it for anything besides chewing on occasionally. I dont actually know how to use it in cooking. I usually use sugar or honey, or maple syrup in yogurt, but I keep thinking I might try out the stevia in something.

By: melissa davis

melissa davis — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 05:20:01 +0000

Thanks for sharing! Good to know the difference between actual stevia and that packet with a similar name.
People have been recently asking me my thoughts on this issue and I have to say I like to stick with what I know and trust. Honey and evaporated cane juice sugar are my faves.

By: Jenna

Jenna — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 04:31:32 +0000

If it has to be sweetened?

I suppose it depends on the need - hot tea get honey (I carry honey sticks in my purse) iced tea gets, well. There is a sliding scale there. First choice is usually the honey, next up is if I’m lucky enough to be at a restaurant with those little pats of real fruit jelly (a spoonful of raspberry jelly in cold tea is delicious), and if all else fails - sugar.

The fake stuff? Ummm. I’ll just take it black if I have to. Can’t stand the taste, can’t stand the idea, and can’t bring myself to use things I can’t spell easily and without thinking too hard about it.

By: Cynthia Manchester

Cynthia Manchester — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 21:40:29 +0000

Be careful of Xylitol in your home if you have a dog in the family. It’s highly toxic to our canine buddies

By: Candice Lyons

Candice Lyons — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 15:08:48 +0000

I don’t tear any of them — like my coffee unadulterated!

By: Cynthia

Cynthia — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:32:19 +0000

“SweetLeaf is the only all natural stevia sweetener on the market today. Their proprietary extraction process uses nothing but the highest quality stevia leaves from all over south America, and cool purified water.” This from Steve at Wisdom Natural Brands. Thanks Steve.
There don’t seem to be any health issues associated with this simple form of stevia. The patented products from Cargill and Coke are much different.

By: Cynthia

Cynthia — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:27:37 +0000

Xylitol is a sugar alcohol. It is produced by hydrogenation of xylose, which converts the sugar (an aldehyde) into a primary alcohol. Some feel that it is safe to use, including Dr. Mercola. Eaten in large amounts, it can cause diarrhea.

By: rebecca

rebecca — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:10:05 +0000

What about xylitol?

By: Wendy

Wendy — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 21:01:08 +0000

I have liquid stevia from sweet leaf at home that I’ve been using occasionally but now I’m going to see what else is in there with that stevia! It says “proprietary blend,” helpful….

By: Becky

Becky — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 20:50:31 +0000

Thank you for the information about these sweeteners. I’ve been hesistant to try them because if something seems to good to be true, it usually is. I’ll stick to my natural sweeteners and just use less of them.