Guest guest Posted January 17, 2010 Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 Marilyn, or some other veteran SCDer When Elaine said that she thought that stevia might function like a steroid in our system, did she ever elaborate what she meant by that? Like a steroid in what way? Does it raise blood sugar level, frex? Or is that all she said about it? TIA, Mara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 17, 2010 Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 At 06:52 PM 1/17/2010, you wrote: When Elaine said that she thought that stevia might function like a steroid in our system, did she ever elaborate what she meant by that? Like a steroid in what way? Does it raise blood sugar level, frex? Or is that all she said about it? She never, to my knowledge, specified what she meant by that. I can tell you that when using stevia (and I did try it), I found that I ate more of whatever was sweetened with it because my body did not get the carbs it thought it should be getting with that taste. — Marilyn New Orleans, Louisiana, USA Undiagnosed IBS since 1976, SCD since 2001 Darn Good SCD Cook No Human Children Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 This seems to be the case with artificial sweeteners. I have read that people can gain weight with them. I think it's because even the taste of sugar gets the body going to make insulin. Then you would have to eat more to keep your blood sugar up. One of the side effects I read about stevia is low blood sugar, so maybe this is what is happening. In a diabetic that would not make enough insulin, the artificial sweeteners would not have this effect. In college- (pre-SCD), I volunteered at a summer camp for children with diabetes, and all the deserts were made with artificial sweeteners. One night, a few of us could not take it any more. We found a box of regular cookies in the kitchen and ate the whole box at one time. Major craving! PJ > >When Elaine said that she thought that stevia might function > >like a steroid in our system, did she ever elaborate what she > >meant by that? Like a steroid in what way? Does it raise > >blood sugar level, frex? > > > >Or is that all she said about it? > > She never, to my knowledge, specified what she meant by that. > > I can tell you that when using stevia (and I did > try it), I found that I ate more of whatever was > sweetened with it because my body did not get the > carbs it thought it should be getting with that taste. > > > — Marilyn > New Orleans, Louisiana, USA > Undiagnosed IBS since 1976, SCD since 2001 > Darn Good SCD Cook > No Human Children > Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 > This seems to be the case with artificial sweeteners. I have read that > people can gain weight with them. I think it's because even the taste of > sugar gets the body going to make insulin. Then you would have to eat > more to keep your blood sugar up. One of the side effects I read about > stevia is low blood sugar, so maybe this is what is happening.>> In a diabetic that would not make enough insulin, the artificial > sweeteners would not have this effect.>> In college- (pre-SCD), I volunteered at a summer camp for children with > diabetes, and all the deserts were made with artificial sweeteners. One > night, a few of us could not take it any more. We found a box of regular > cookies in the kitchen and ate the whole box at one time. Major craving!>> PJThis doesn't "compute" with me. If just the taste of sugar/sweetness "gets the body going to make insulin," then the body should also be making tons of it if/when you eat honey and fruit. Stevia isn't an artificial sweetener. But I'm not sure how it "works." I guess I should do some googling about it. I, like Mara, would still like to know more about why stevia wouldn't be/isn't good for people with IBDs. n Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 At 11:10 AM 1/18/2010, you wrote: Stevia isn't an artificial sweetener. But I'm not sure how it " works. " I guess I should do some googling about it. I, like Mara, would still like to know more about why stevia wouldn't be/isn't good for people with IBDs. One of the issues is that stevia is often mixed with sugar alcohols to produce a powder that can be used like sugar. Erythritol is a popular one, which they CLAIM doesn't have the gut effects of sorbitol and some of the rest. Elaine was always concerned about people who were sugar/starch addicts replacing these foods with either artificial sweeteners like sucralose (and the bad bacteria perhaps mutating to use it as food) or replacing, say, bread with nut bread, and eating so much nut bread that they are full up and don't eat the varied diet which SCD actually provides. Elaine did say, for the autism group, that SMALL amounts of stevia might be used if there was some reason the children could not tolerate either honey or saccharin. We know, however, that children with autism do not always have the same issues that people with IBD have -- for instance, for IBDers, the pain reliever of choice is compounded acetaminophen, whereas for autistic children, compounded ibuprofen is better. For the autistic kids, the acetaminophen is an issue. For IBDers, the NSAID ibuprofen is an issue. I have found a brand of soda, I will note, flavored with stevia, but unfortunately, it includes the erythritol, and I'm not willing to risk it a double whammy of stevia and a sugar alcohol. I can state that I found a KAL brand of liquid stevia which does not appear to contain any illegals, and which I tested for a short period of time. I did not get a letter from KAL because I did not continue using the product after I determined that it did not satisfy my sweet tooth. — Marilyn New Orleans, Louisiana, USA Undiagnosed IBS since 1976, SCD since 2001 Darn Good SCD Cook No Human Children Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 If just the taste of sugar/sweetness "gets the body going to make insulin," then the body should also be making tons of it if/when you eat honey and fruit. The body DOES make insulin whenever you eat honey or fruit, because it has to use insulin to deal with the influx of sugars from the fruit/honey. I think the issue is that with stevia and artificial sweeteners, the sweet taste gets your body geared up to transport the sugars that it expects to be entering your body. But stevia and artificial sweeteners don't HAVE sugars for you body to deal with, so then you have extra insulin floating around that isn't needed, which may cause issues. That's how I understand it, anyways. Peace =)Alyssa 15 yoUC April 2008, dx Sept 2008SCD June 2009 (restarted)Chinese Herbs (not legal but helping!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 n, I have read some of the other responses and all I can say I have tried to use Stevia twice for its supposed health benefits prior to SCD. My experience was pretty much what other’s described it just didn’t work well for me.  I am not sure if maybe it is a disaccharide or polysaccharide? Is it SCD-legal? I still wouldn’t use it cause I ended up eating too much of it and it doesn’t satisfy. The only other thing I can think of is that like sugar, it is highly processed. Like it takes so much sugar cane to make a teaspoon of sugar. The Stevia maybe the same … in that it takes so many stevia leaves to make a small amount vs. honey and fruit which are more “whole foodsâ€. The interesting thing for me is that prior to SCD or knowing anything about SCD I discovered that honey was the one sweetener that worked for me. When I read BTVC it explained biochemically why that was the case.  If all this doesn’t compute for you, and its SCD legal, maybe you could just experiment with the stevia and see how it works for you. You might have a positive experience as in the end we are all individuals. In the end, your body should be the final arbiter J This doesn't " compute " with me. If just the taste of sugar/sweetness " gets the body going to make insulin, " then the body should also be making tons of it if/when you eat honey and fruit. Stevia isn't an artificial sweetener. But I'm not sure how it " works. " I guess I should do some googling about it. I, like Mara, would still like to know more about why stevia wouldn't be/isn't good for people with IBDs. n Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 If ... its SCD legal, It's kind of a gray area, though Elaine didn't recommend it. She thought it's effect on the bodymight be like a steroid, and that it was an unknown and her instinct was against, but notbased on science as the effect is still unknown (or was when she wrote the book and answered those questions). Mara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 Mara, I just read the Stevia section on the BTVC site, legal/illegal list. It does sound like one of those things that it just depends on how it works for you and your body, From: BTVC-SCD [mailto:BTVC-SCD ] On Behalf Of Mara Schiffren Sent: Monday, January 18, 2010 12:38 PM To: BTVC-SCD Subject: Re: Re: Stevia If ... its SCD legal, It's kind of a gray area, though Elaine didn't recommend it. She thought it's effect on the body might be like a steroid, and that it was an unknown and her instinct was against, but not based on science as the effect is still unknown (or was when she wrote the book and answered those questions). Mara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 I'm also interested in stevia and IBD. I used it a lot pre SCD, and I didn't find it caused cravings like other sweeteners or sugar. That being said, I definitely did notice that I would eat more/want more of whatever I sweetened with it than I would had I not used stevia on it. I've read that any type of sweet no matter what form will make us eat more, because we are biologically wired that way (to want sweets and fats). I'm like that even with honey, it stimulates my appetite. Amber > > > This seems to be the case with artificial sweeteners. I have read that > > people can gain weight with them. I think it's because even the taste of > > sugar gets the body going to make insulin. Then you would have to eat > > more to keep your blood sugar up. One of the side effects I read about > > stevia is low blood sugar, so maybe this is what is happening. > > > > In a diabetic that would not make enough insulin, the artificial > > sweeteners would not have this effect. > > > > In college- (pre-SCD), I volunteered at a summer camp for children with > > diabetes, and all the deserts were made with artificial sweeteners. One > > night, a few of us could not take it any more. We found a box of regular > > cookies in the kitchen and ate the whole box at one time. Major craving! > > > > PJ > > This doesn't " compute " with me. If just the taste of sugar/sweetness " gets > the body going to make insulin, " then the body should also be making tons > of it if/when you eat honey and fruit. > Stevia isn't an artificial sweetener. But I'm not sure how it " works. " I > guess I should do some googling about it. > I, like Mara, would still like to know more about why stevia wouldn't > be/isn't good for people with IBDs. > > > n > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 This seems to be the case with artificial sweeteners. I have read that > people can gain weight with them. I think it's because even the taste of > sugar gets the body going to make insulin. Then you would have to eat > more to keep your blood sugar up. One of the side effects I read about > stevia is low blood sugar, so maybe this is what is happening. > > In a diabetic that would not make enough insulin, the artificial > sweeteners would not have this effect. > > In college- (pre-SCD), I volunteered at a summer camp for children with > diabetes, and all the deserts were made with artificial sweeteners. One > night, a few of us could not take it any more. We found a box of regular > cookies in the kitchen and ate the whole box at one time. Major craving! > This does not make sense to me, either. Stevia is not an artificial sweetener, to start with. It is an herb. My doctor (who is very good and very alternative minded) says that stevia doesn't get any further than your taste buds and that this is why it doesn't affect blood sugar. I suppose nothing is " always " for everyone, though. I do use stevia in my tea but I have never felt I wanted to eat more, more, more of it. I suppose it just depends. I have hypoglycemia and it just doesn't bother me. I can't comment on whether it would be different for diabetes. On the other hand, I am scared to death to try honey. I'd rather stick to fruit. I have read that artificial sweeteners do rev up the appetite but they are pure chemicals so who knows what all they are doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 Mara, I just read the Stevia section on the BTVC site, legal/illegal list. It does sound like one of those things that it just depends on how it works for you and your body, I think stevia is a grey area. Elaine didn't recommend it, not because it's a polysaccharide but she was speculating that there might be something not so good in the plant sterols it contains. However, as far as I have been able to determine, all plants contain plant sterols. When I was new at SCD I did quite a bit of reading and it all indicated that plant sterols have many beneficial effects. Which is not to say that some people will use it with no trouble, and some people may not. Like anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 19, 2010 Report Share Posted January 19, 2010 On Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:09:56 -0500, Wizop Marilyn L. Alm wrote:> At 11:10 AM 1/18/2010, you wrote:>> Stevia isn't an artificial sweetener. But I'm>> not sure how it "works." I guess I should do some googling about it.Â>> I, like Mara, would still like to know more>> about why stevia wouldn't be/isn't good for people with IBDs.>> One of the issues is that stevia is often mixed> with sugar alcohols to produce a powder that can> be used like sugar. Erythritol is a popular one,> which they CLAIM doesn't have the gut effects of sorbitol and some of > the rest.>> Elaine was always concerned about people who were> sugar/starch addicts replacing these foods with> either artificial sweeteners like sucralose (and> the bad bacteria perhaps mutating to use it as> food) or replacing, say, bread with nut bread,> and eating so much nut bread that they are full> up and don't eat the varied diet which SCD actually provides.>> Elaine did say, for the autism group, that SMALL> amounts of stevia might be used if there was some> reason the children could not tolerate either honey or saccharin.>> We know, however, that children with autism do> not always have the same issues that people with> IBD have -- for instance, for IBDers, the pain> reliever of choice is compounded acetaminophen,> whereas for autistic children, compounded> ibuprofen is better. For the autistic kids, the> acetaminophen is an issue. For IBDers, the NSAID ibuprofen is an issue.>> I have found a brand of soda, I will note,> flavored with stevia, but unfortunately, it> includes the erythritol, and I'm not willing to> risk it a double whammy of stevia and a sugar alcohol.>> I can state that I found a KAL brand of liquid> stevia which does not appear to contain any> illegals, and which I tested for a short period> of time. I did not get a letter from KAL because> I did not continue using the product after I> determined that it did not satisfy my sweet tooth.>>> — Marilyn> New Orleans, Louisiana, USA> Undiagnosed IBS since 1976, SCD since 2001> Darn Good SCD Cook> No Human Children> Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund>Thanks for that input, Marilyn.I've tasted stevia, but that's about it. Honey works fine for me, though I don't like its taste in certain circumstances, especially certain types of honey when heated; they have a kind of bizarre aftertaste which I find failrly unpalatable. There are some circumstances when stevia might be useful. Last growing season I planted one stevia plant in my herb garden, mainly because I like the look of the plant and because I was curious about it. I never used it, except to rub a ieaf between my fingers at one point and taste it. the leaves are indeed sweet. It might be interesting to experiment with making a kind of tincture from the plants leaves without adding any illegals, and then seeing what would happen. Or drying them, then "reconstituting" them and using some of the liquid in a given recipe. But I don't know if I feel enough "need" for it to bother. n -- Now available. A fine gift for cat lovers:Confessions of a Cataholic: My Life With the 10 Cats Who Caused My Addictionby n Van Tilwww.wordpowerpublishing.com ; signed copies; free shipping in U.S., reduced shipping elsewhere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 19, 2010 Report Share Posted January 19, 2010 I thought that stevia is illigal because it can't be broken down and digested by humans, but bacteria can digested it very well. Lucy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 20, 2010 Report Share Posted January 20, 2010 At 12:33 AM 1/20/2010, you wrote: I thought that stevia is illigal because it can't be broken down and digested by humans, but bacteria can digested it very well. Lucy, That's certainly the case with the sugar alcohols, and things like sucralose. Elaine was wary of stevia but did not forbid its use on the autism list. — Marilyn New Orleans, Louisiana, USA Undiagnosed IBS since 1976, SCD since 2001 Darn Good SCD Cook No Human Children Shadow & Sunny Longhair Dachshund Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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