Stevia and Other Sweeteners

We’d love to! Most people buy both the Stevia Pure Extract Powder and one or both of the blends – the Super Sweet Blend or  Gentle Sweet. The two blends shine in different ways. Each can be used as a sole sweetener, if you only want to purchase one. Some have found that our newest blend, Gentle Sweet, has been the answer to their sweetener prayers. It tastes the most like sugar and it’s excellent in treats and is friendly to your coffee. Super Sweet Blend is very potent, so it is super economical.

• Stevia: If budget is your biggest concern, THM Pure Stevia Extract is extremely economical, because a little goes such a long way. Our stevia extract IS NOT an artificial or chemical sweetener. Our extract is made from the non-bitter, naturally occurring, sweet component of the herb stevia – a glycoside called Rebaudioside A. This naturally sweet component is isolated from the stevia leaf, using a gentle water extraction process.  A very tiny amount, which we call a doonk (1/32 tsp) sweetens a tall glass of tea easily. Your smoothies, shakes and frappas should not need more than 2-3 doonks, so your pouch of stevia will last for months. It is not a conventional way to sweeten baked goods, but experienced stevia extract users can use just small amounts ¼ – ½ teaspoon to sweeten a whole batch of muffins. Single serve muffins can be sweetened with 2-3 doonks of this extract. You can try 2 doonks in your Skinny Chocolate, but many prefer Gentle Sweet for that recipe.

• Gentle Sweet (Stevia, Erythritol, Xylitol Blend): If you’re having trouble adjusting to the taste of stevia, you can sweeten those “hard to get right” treats with THM Gentle Sweet and bank on the word “yum!” passing your lips. The Trim Healthy Mama community fell in love with our Pure Stevia Extract and Super Sweet Blend, but some kept begging us for a sweetener that popped like pure sugar itself. Gentle Sweet Blend has a cotton-candy taste, but won’t mess with your blood sugar. Gentle Sweet is already powdered for you and ready to use in your favorite sweet treats. This sweetener has become the favorite of many of our newer (and veteran) THMs. Please Note: Xylitol which can be harmful to dogs. Keep all xylitol sweetened treats away from your fur babies. Canine-safe Xylitol-Free Gentle Sweet Available Here!
  

• Super Sweet Blend (Stevia & Erythritol Blend): Our THM Super Sweet Blend is the perfect combination of two natural sweeteners, non-GMO Erythritol and our organic, Pure Stevia Extract powder. Both are diabetic friendly, certified kosher, offer numerous health benefits, and have no impact upon blood sugar.  Super Sweet Blend is about four times as sweet as sugar, so no need to use cup for cup when replacing sugar in a recipe. Try ¼ the Super Sweet Blend, if a recipe calls for 1 cup sugar. Our Super Sweet Blend is also much sweeter than Truvia, so if you are used to using that, try ½ as much of the Super Sweet Blend as Truvia.  It is also twice as sweet as our Gentle Sweet. Skinny Chocolate tastes great with 2 teaspoons of ground Super Sweet Blend. Super Sweet Blend works great in all your drinks too, but as with all our sweeteners… start with a small amount in a recipe. Taste, then only add more if necessary. 1 doonk of THM Pure Stevia Extract is roughly the same sweetness as 1 teaspoon THM Super Sweet Blend. You can mix and match these sweeteners, too. Try a teaspoon or two of Super Sweet Blend and if that is not sweet enough add a doonk of Stevia Extract Powder to make the sweetness go further. This will also enable your Super Sweet Blend to last longer.

The above sweeteners are what most people use, but Trim Healthy Mama also offers erythritol and xylitol for people who want to make their own blends, or who prefer to not use any stevia.

• Erythritol. THM Erythritol is a delightful tasting sweetener that has zero impact on your blood sugar. Our purist-minded customers will love that the THM Erythritol does not contain any Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO), nor is GMO material used in its production.THM Erythritol is more like sugar, cup for cup. 1 cup of erythritol mixed with 1 teaspoon THM Pure Stevia Extract Powder allows you to make your own home made Sweet Blend or you can make any strength you prefer.

• Xylitol. Xylitol is “Mr. Won’t Let You Down” when you’re really looking for that real sugar like sweet taste. Xylitol can come to the rescue for many Trim Healthy Mamas who are still learning their stevia ropes. Thankfully, it has very minimal impact on your blood sugar. This means you can use it in delicious desserts and it won’t be cruel to your waistline.  Do remember though that xylitol does have some calories to it. You’ll want to be careful not to overdo. We do not recommend using xylitol in drinks, especially the all-day sippers. (Please Note: As mentioned above – xylitol is dangerous to dogs. Please keep all xylitol sweetened treats away from your four-legged friends.)

• Don’t use too much at first!  Always start with the smallest amount, which really does go a long way. If you use too much it doesn’t simply get sweeter, it will taste more bitter. If it doesn’t taste sweet at all, add a touch more stevia. Taste again, repeat.

• Add a little pinch of salt. This can help round the stevia flavor out, so it is more palatable. Mix and taste.  If it tastes “hollow”, add a touch more salt.

• Don’t try stevia in chocolate recipes at first – try Gentle Sweet instead. While you are still trying to adjust to the taste of stevia, you will probably find it tastes better in drinks or fruity/berry flavored recipes. Try it in the Good Girl Moonshine recipe or in the Cottage Berry Whip (page 379) Add a doonk to your plain Greek yogurt and add some berries.

• Try making the “Sweet Water” recipe, which takes more bitterness out of the stevia through fermentation. Add 1 teaspoon THM Pure Stevia extract powder to 1 quart pure water. Leave on the counter for 12-72 hours. Once this water reaches desirable sweetness (it will get sweeter the longer it sits) put it in the refrigerator and use for your recipes.

Stevia is plant-based and as with any food, certain people can have an allergy to it. One symptom of a food allergy could be a dull, but persistent headache. However, don’t get confused with initial detox headaches (or flu-feelings) when you first start the plan. That sometimes occurs when sugar is taken out of the diet. If you are only getting headaches, directly after stevia use… you may have an issue with it.

Pull it out of your diet, for a few days, and see what happens. Or, it could be the brand that you’re using. Certain people have mentioned they will react to store-bought, plan-approved sweeteners like Truvia, but won’t get the same reaction from our non-gmo THM options.

You can try straight erythritol or some of the other on-plan alternatives, if stevia is a real problem for you.

Sure! You can throw the whole leaves into your smoothies. Or, you can dry them and grind up the leaves – that will give you a basic, green leaf stevia powder. Most people find the green leaves and green powder to be too bitter, but if you don’t – enjoy!

Honey and maple syrup have also gone through “processing”. Not all processing is harmful. Essential oils are processed, to some degree, as well as certain supplements. They still have many health benefits. You can look up articles on how to grow your own stevia and process it in your own kitchen. The end result is a powder. In these methods you’ll learn that generally the processing of stevia is similar to the processing of other extracts – like vanilla.

THM Pure Stevia Extract powder has been minimally processed even to the point of not being granulated (most other stevia extracts are granulated). No bleaching is used to obtain the white powder sweetness from the green leaf.

We have sent members of our THM team twice to the area where our stevia is harvested and processed. We have documented every step, to make sure we have only the highest purity in a product. All our stevia is organic – no pesticides are sprayed. The growing areas are rotated, so the minerals from the soil are not depleted.

This topic is specifically addressed in our books – page 183 of Trim Healthy Mama and pages 112-115 of Trim Healthy Plan.  There is a study with rats, from the 1960s, that noted a downward trend in fertility. However, the researcher heading it up summed up the likelihood of this affecting human fertility…

“Professor Kruc himself says that the only reason the rats in the study experienced fertility issues is because of the overdose of the stevia that they were given.”

For the same effect to be had in humans, a 120 pound human would have to consume upwards of seven pounds of stevia in a day.

The rats were fed extremely high doses of dried, green stevia from the entire plant, not just the leaves. It’s not unusual for stems and roots to contain higher amounts of toxic components that leaves do not (elderberry is a great example of this). Many studies have tried to replicate these findings, and have not been able to find a link between stevia and infertility.

Using the principles of THM, many women have reversed their insulin resistance and become pregnant without medical intervention for the first time. There is a baby boom!

For more information, read the short article “Does Stevia Cause Infertility?”

Having said this, everyone on-plan should feel comfortable with the sweetener they choose to use. If one wants to use a little honey, while pregnant, because they can’t shake fears or concerns – that’s fine. Pregnancy is not a time for stress or worry. We do advise, however, that you not go overboard with honey or other natural sweeteners – for your own sake and your baby’s health sake. As we will outline below, high blood sugar has been proven to raise the risks of both infertility and miscarriage.

We are extremely comfortable using stevia in our own homes, although our children use honey, as well as stevia. Serene loves stevia, as a sweetener. She has had three healthy THM pregnancies, using it as her chief sweetener. This is not to say she will never experience another miscarriage (God only knows that), but nothing has made her change her mind on it. We have talked to several doctors about it, along with Dr. Redash (OB/GYN) who helps head up the THM Research Institute. He sees no reason to tell women not to use stevia but does see reason to warn women against sugary foods while pregnant.

As authors of Trim Healthy Mama, we have both suffered miscarriages – it is heart breaking and we would never wish that painful loss on any family. We have each had miscarriages, but we had them before we ever began using stevia. We never blamed our diets (which were high in honey and maple syrup at the time) or blamed our miscarriages on any particular food at all.

We had no idea as to exactly why we experienced those losses, but due to our knowledge of the high incidence of miscarriage, we simply grieved the babies we would never hold and accepted it as one of the parts of life where you may never have an answer to the “why.”

An article entitled, “Miscarriage Statistics”, adapted from the book, “Hope is Like The Sun” states…

“Sources vary, but many estimate that approximately 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage; and some estimates are as high as 1 in 3. If you include loss that occurs before a positive pregnancy test, some estimate that 40% of all conceptions result in loss.”

Solid evidence does back up certain reasons though, at other times – only God knows. Chromosomal Abnormalities – the sperm and the egg meet up, but cannot line up because one is faulty. This accounts for 60% of miscarriages with Immunologic Disorders coming in second.

While many women have wonderful full-term pregnancies, in their late thirties and forties, it is estimated that up to fifty percent of pregnancies end in miscarriage in that age group. So, age plays a factor. So does a thin uterine lining, lack of progesterone, and a host of other reasons. Stevia usage is not on the radar in the scientific world of miscarriage and infertility.

One thing is for sure… while there is no evidence to back up this notion that stevia causes infertility or miscarriage – there are many studies pointing to high sugar as a reason for both miscarriage and infertility. While we would never say, “Sugar caused my miscarriage! Or, Sugar caused my friend’s or sister’s miscarriage,” it is good to know the facts.

This article, “Sugar May Contribute to Infertility”, refers to a study that reveals that women with insulin resistance (which results in high blood sugar) are 4-5 times more likely to have a miscarriage.

The American Diabetes Association says that high glucose levels can increase a woman’s chance of miscarriage anywhere from thirty to sixty percent.

According to Dr. Christine Lee, in an article entitled “Diabetes and Fertility”, high blood sugar also creates an increased risk of having a baby with birth defects. She says…

“During the first few weeks of pregnancy, when a baby’s vital organs are just beginning to form, high blood glucose can cause damage to the embryonic cells.”

Can I use other sweeteners, besides the THM brand?” el_id=”1494188789331-1900f8fc-8d15″]Yes, you could try “Just Like Sugar”. It is a product with chicory root as the primary sweetener. Chicory root is also known as inulin but can cause stomach bloating and discomfort for some people.

Monk fruit extract (luo han guo) is another sweetener that could be tried. Just be sure that the “fillers” are on-plan and avoid any with sugar, dextrose, or molasses (like NECTRESSE™). Also note that it must be the extract and not the fruit itself, which would be too high in fructose.

Brand name products like Truvia, Zsweet, Pyure, and Swerve are also considered “on-plan”.  Again, just be sure to watch out for off-plan ingredients.  Pros: these brands have on-plan ingredients, negligible calories, and are gentle on blood sugar. Cons: if you are a purist, check to make sure any stevia blends, like those mentioned above, do not contain GMOs. Also, with these sweeteners, you’ll have to use about double the amount (of what you’d use with THM Super Sweet Blend) to get the right amount of sweetness.

Xylitol – Pros: tastes great with chocolate recipes, if you cannot get used to stevia. It is gentle on blood sugar. Cons: toxic to dogs, 10 calories per teaspoon. (These calories can add up, so best not to use in your all-day sipper recipes, but fine for baking.) May cause digestive upset in some people.

Most liquid stevia drops are also on-plan.

First off, remember THM is forgiving. It is not a list of rigid rules that you must beat yourself up over if you fail to comply. But, there are many sweeteners that won’t do your body any favors and we do encourage you to avoid them in your daily life. It doesn’t matter if sugar is organic, non-gmo and comes packaged in a very earthy looking, expensive box – it still ignites your blood sugar and won’t do your health any favors. Best to avoid all forms of sugar, agave, maple syrup, fruit juice concentrates, fructose, dextrose, dates/date sugar, and nectar.

Artificial sweeteners to avoid (and certain sugar alcohols):

• Acesulfame potassium
• Aspartame (Equal, NutraSweet)
• Maltitol
• Maltodextrin
• Maltose
• Saccharin (Sweet-n-Low)
• Sucralose (Splenda)

There is no doubt that honey is a Biblical, medicinal food and does offer health benefits. But, it also has significant impact upon blood sugar. Raw honey, in small amounts (about 1 teaspoon daily), is on-plan even in weight loss stage. It can help with allergies and has many healing properties. If you are at goal weight, go ahead and include some honey – if you want, but don’t overdo.

Even the Bible mentions in Proverbs 25, “…a little honey is good, but too much makes a person sick”. The way most people use honey these days is in the form of… TOO MUCH! It doesn’t matter how naturally sweet it is. Honey can ignite blood sugar and that causes countless other health issues.

Growing children, who do not have weight issues, are far less insulin resistant than most of us adults. They can tolerate honey more easily. You can let your children have it in moderation if they do not have weight issues but they may also want to enjoy some of your stevia sweetened treats.

Coconut sugar has about the same effect on your blood sugar as raw honey does. It sits in the mid-thirties, on the glycemic index. Same guidelines apply to it. It is a natural sweetener that is more gentle on your blood stream than regular sugar, but it can be easily overdone and contribute to weight and high blood sugar issues. It also has significant calories.

Everyone needs to make the THM plan their own. While daily honey sweetening would go against the core weight loss principles of the plan, if you want to have a rare honey or coconut sugar sweetened treat, now and then, you can do it. That would be simply doing the plan your own way. Each mama needs to feel comfortable with her own approach to THM.

While many of us love our daily stevia sweetened desserts, we understand not everyone cares about constant treats. An infrequent treat made with these other natural sweeteners should not have to derail you from the plan… as long as you feel it does not induce another cycle of sugar addiction.

Well, in a way the blogger is right! But the way the article is written is very deceiving.

On the THM plan, E meals offer our bodies the fuel of glucose – that is simply blood sugar. Yes, we need blood sugar, in healthy amounts. Constantly suppressing, by going too low-carb for too long, is a pit fall. But, you don’t need to eat sugar to get sugar in your blood. You don’t need to eat honey to fuel your body with sugar either. Both of those options spike blood sugar, when used in the manner that our modern society does.

The whole grains that we encourage – the fruit, the beans, the sweet potatoes – are much safer ways to get healthful amounts of sugar to fuel your body. And remember, we are setting up a carbs in – carbs out cycle with THM. You don’t shove sugar into your blood stream at every meal, especially with fat – that leads to weight gain. Weight gain leads to a host of health issues. We fuel with E meals. Then we let our body use that up before we fuel again.

All things in moderation. Sugar stuffed cells are a sure way to an inflamed, insulin resistant body.

You can find Truvia at the grocery store, but you’ll only want to use the one that comes in a little tub or packets. Don’t get the bag that says “Baking Blend”, as it contains sugar.

There are many explosive blog posts that circle around on the internet warning people against Truvia. Many of these blogs have some falsehoods mixed in with some truths. Each person should do their own research and not be changed with the wind.

You can find horrific information about almost every food. There will be some new blog bomb every day about something. For instance, there are articles that say salt, in any form, is poison to the body. Then you can find articles that say we absolutely need the trace minerals in a good, quality sea salt.

Just because a food, supplement, or sweetener is “allowed” on-plan… it does not make it a requirement to use it. There are MANY items or products that may or may not pass your own personal preferences, tastes, or digestion.

Each person needs to weigh the possible risks. Carefully weed through the huge wealth of information (available to us on the internet) and decide what has enough truth and immediate threat to be concerned about and what risks are minimal. Also consider if those risks are less than being at an unhealthy weight and also what is realistically doable in your family and financial situation.