# Zero calories sugar substitute too good to be true?



## Gael (Mar 18, 2014)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...t-miracle-new-sugar-substitute-good-true.html


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## Jillaroo (Mar 18, 2014)

_I don't like the flavour of Stevia so use Xylitol it has a few calories but nothing like true sugar_  :hair:


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## Gael (Mar 18, 2014)

Jillaroo said:


> _I don't like the flavour of Stevia so use Xylitol it has a few calories but nothing like true sugar_  :hair:



I so am not into sugar substitutes. I'm just trying not to lower my sugar intake. God awful hard though.


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## Jillaroo (Mar 18, 2014)

_You are so right Gael everything seems to have sugar in it nowadays, even Kentucky Fried chips have sugar in them_   :coffeelaugh:


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## Gael (Mar 18, 2014)

Jillaroo said:


> _You are so right Gael everything seems to have sugar in it nowadays, even Kentucky Fried chips have sugar in them_   :coffeelaugh:



It's frightening when you start to investigate it!

"When you read the labels on foods in your supermarket, it's no surprise that you find plenty of sugar in products like cake mix, ice cream, jelly, cookies, and soda. But it can be downright shocking to see 12 grams of sugar in bottled pasta sauce or barbecue sauce -- and even more so to find 50 grams of sugar in a healthy-sounding bottled tea!To help you ferret out which products are surprisingly high in sugar, I embarked on a mission in the aisles of my local market. Over the course of several days, with my reading glasses close at hand, I examined hundreds of nutrition information labels to check out the sugar content in foods.
One thing’s for sure: Just because there’s a nutrition-oriented statement on the package (like "contains whole grain," "excellent source of calcium," "fat-free," "100% juice" or "25% less sugar") doesn’t mean it _doesn’t_ contain a shocking amount of sugar. And just because the brand name or product name sounds like it’s good for weight loss (Weight Watchers, Skinny Cow, etc.), don’t assume the food is lower in sugar.
So how much exactly is a gram of sugar? One teaspoon of granulated sugar equals 4 grams of sugar. To put it another way, 16 grams of sugar in a product is equal to about 4 teaspoons of granulated sugar.
Keep in mind, though, that the grams of sugar listed on the nutrition information label includes natural sugars from fruit (fructose) and milk (lactose) as well as added sweeteners like refined sugar or high-fructose corn syrup. That’s why the label on a carton of regular low-fat milk says there's 13 grams of sugar per cup. And that’s why the grams of sugar per serving in Raisin Bran (or any cereal with raisins or other dried fruit) seem unexpectedly high.







Further, many beverages that boast of being 100% juice use juice concentrate to achieve their sweet flavor. This is also reflected in the grams of sugar listed on the label.
Touring the supermarket, I found sugar shockers in 14 food categories. Here are some of the foods I found to be surprisingly high in sugar.
[h=3]1. Canned or Packaged Fruit[/h]You don’t really expect to find lots of sugar in individual packages of fruit, even if the package says "in light syrup," like the diced peaches or pears, or "made with real fruit" like the Fruit Chillers Sorbet.


*DelMonte Fruit Chillers Frozen Fruit Sorbet*: 1 small individual cup = 26 grams sugar, 190 calories
*Motts Apple Sauce* *(cinnamon or original):* 1 small serving cup (113 g) = 22-23 grams sugar, 100 calories
*Dole diced peaches in light syrup:* 1 small serving cup = 18 grams sugar, 80 calories
*DelMonte diced pears or mandarin oranges in light syrup*: 1 small serving cup = 17 grams sugar, 70 calories"


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## rkunsaw (Mar 18, 2014)

We have been using Stevia in drinks for at least ten years. It is not so good in cooking so we use sugar for that. We never buy anything that has artificial sweetener in it.


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## Denise1952 (Mar 18, 2014)

Gael said:


> http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...t-miracle-new-sugar-substitute-good-true.html



I like stevia so far.  Been using it for several years.  I like it in bulk, the real, poofy, white powder form, not green.  That's a bit of dough so now I just buy packets, safeway brand.  The powder (bulk) goes way further though for me.  Like a pinch for coffee or my oatmeal.  Never tried to bake with it but would like to do that one day.


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## rkunsaw (Mar 18, 2014)

We haven't tried baking with stevia but my wife made some candy with it once and discovered a substance harder than diamonds.:lofl:


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## Denise1952 (Mar 18, 2014)

LOL, well, doubt if I'll waste any trying then I am not against sugar, I just see where stevia saves me from depending too much of sugar.  There are lots of "types" of sugars I get it in "say" fruits.  Also, don't think I won't indulge if a piece of pie, icecream, or cake  Wow, you could suck on them for a long time, and make a piece of candy last all day!  I hate how some candy's are gone before you know it.  You may have discovered something there RK


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## Denise1952 (Mar 18, 2014)

I don't feel comfy with chemicals of any sort, although they are in things I don't realize, well, when I don't read the lable


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## visgirl1 (Mar 26, 2014)

I've used powdered Stevia for about 5 years now and I am totally pleased with it.  So much better for you.


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## Gael (Mar 26, 2014)

visgirl1 said:


> I've used powdered Stevia for about 5 years now and I am totally pleased with it.  So much better for you.



Good to know!!


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## Ruth (May 18, 2014)

I use liquid stevia, granular stevia for baking, xylitol (natural), erythritol (natural). I do not use chemical sweeteners (Splenda, etc.)


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## SeaBreeze (May 18, 2014)

You're smart Ruth, I don't use any artificial sweeteners, but if I did, I lean toward Stevia or Xylitol.


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## visgirl1 (May 18, 2014)

Stevia is 100% natural....nothing artificial about it!!!!!


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