sweeteners?
Posted by chickpea27 on Sep 15, 2007 · Member since Jul 2007 · 465 posts
are there any calorie free sweeteners that are vegan?
i've heard that splenda isn't vegan.. and if it's not, please don't go into details because i've had it in the past.
can i buy any in the supermarket?
I would recommend NOT using calorie-free sweeteners. Artificial sweeteners freak me out...how are there no calories ???
I know some people use Stevia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia), but I would just stick to a natural sugar (agave nectar is often recommended to diabetics because of it's low glycemic index). Or use fruit to sweeten things when applicable. Even using some cinnamon in place of sugar will work (I do this in my oatmeal) because it plays off of the natural sugars and makes things taste sweeter.
Just my two cents... ;)
can you buy stevia like in packets at the market?
I know some people here have complained about the Whole Foods brand of stevia having a bitter aftertaste & not tasting too great... I think that kind comes in packets, but I've never tried it. I'm lucky because my first experience with stevia was fantastic (it was love at first taste! :D)... I would HIGHLY recommend SweetLeaf-brand stevia, which comes in both liquid & powder, as far as I know. (But I've only tried the liquid.)
http://www.sweetleaf.com/
It is not an artificial sweetener (as those also freak me out...); it is made from grapefruit seed extract. I have bought the "Plain" & the "English Toffee," and I love both!! They have many more flavors, and they're listed on that website.
I found mine at my local co-op, but I'm sure it is sold at Whole Foods or other larger health food stores, as well. It comes in a small-ish bottle with a little eye-dropper type thing to drop the liquid into your coffee, tea, etc. My bottles were $12-ish apiece, but they have something like 500 servings per bottle! Depending on the flavor, I think about 4 drops is equal to a teaspoon of sugar. It's well worth it!!
Hmmm... recently I've been using ZSweet.
They don't list themselves as vegan on their website, but the main ingredient (erythritol) is produced by yeast. The rest is supposed to be fruit extracts...
I use agave nectar. I have some stevia but the bitter aftertaste is a bit much. My stint with splenda is OVER!
what is- stevia? *confused* stevia isn't made from grapefruit seed extract- its made from stevia! it might sometimes have grapefruitseed extract in it as a preservative/antibacterial agent though. hmmm.
either way, stevia is great in the right stuff (like drinks) if you buy the right brand (high stevosides, low aftertaste) and in the right amount (like less is more) but its really challenging in cookery- i use xylitol there, which is probably not technically vegan- as its been animal tested, (but so has stevia- so has almost everything!) and not calorie free- but its way lower calories than sugar, and comes with good side effects against germs/bacteria/fungal infections.
what is- stevia? *confused* stevia isn't made from grapefruit seed extract- its made from stevia! it might sometimes have grapefruitseed extract in it as a preservative/antibacterial agent though. hmmm.
I'm a dork. I didn't even realize I wrote that! :o I have no idea what I was thinking, but I might have meant to say, "Besides stevia leaf, the only other ingredient is grapefruit seed extract" . ;D Oops! Thanks for catching that!
mm why isnt splenda vegan!?!?
mm why isnt splenda vegan!?!?
I think it's vegan; it's just not very good for you.
ooo ok! thanks lol.. i was like ohno!!!! ive used it b4!! haha
ooo ok! thanks lol.. i was like ohno!!!! ive used it b4!! haha
haha. same here. i read that "animals go through pain when processed" but that made no since. i guess artificial stuff just isn't good.
splenda does claim to be natural. not 100% but its still better than sweet n low and other stuff.
how can you use stevia in baking?
how can you use stevia in baking?
DO NOT!!!!
It tastes awful in baked goods.
splenda does claim to be natural. not 100% but its still better than sweet n low and other stuff.
Splenda is really no better then Sweet and Low, maybe even worse for you. They've obviously done some amazing marketing....and it's worked. Most believe that it's derived from sugar w/o the calories....well for the "truth" read here:
http://www.truthaboutsplenda.com/factvsfiction/index.html
Quote:
"Fact: Johnson & Johnson claims that "Splenda is made from sugar, so it tastes like sugar". Johnson & Johnson wants consumers to think that it is natural sugar without calories. The truth is that Splenda is not natural and does not taste like sugar. The sweetness of Splenda derives from a chlorocarbon chemical that contains three atoms of chlorine in every one of its molecules. The manufacturer of this chlorinated compound named it sucralose. "
There's nothing wrong with using Organic Demerara Sugar (a sugar free from bone char)....it's vegan, and used in moderation, not bad for you. ;)
PS: I wanted to add...they test on animals as well. :-\
"Fact: There has not been a single long-term human study to determine the potential health effects of Splenda on people. The FDA relied on a few short-term tests when it reviewed the safety of Splenda for human consumption. Worse, these human tests were all conducted by the manufacturer of Splenda, hardly an unbiased source. The vast majority of tests reviewed by the FDA to determine whether Splenda was safe for human consumption were conducted on animals, including rats and rabbits."
thanks for the info, but thats not what i was hoping on finding out. :[
Allow me to address the whole Stevia-taste-bitter problem: Buy KAL Stevia Extract Powder! No bitter aftertaste and great for beverages and baking. I've made brownies and pies with this baby and it rocks!
In the summer, I like to use it in unsweetened flavored seltzer or green tea. It's also great in unsweetened almond milk. Use your imagination but always, always get the KAL version. :)
And no, I'm not an employee of KAL. ;)
everyone should use it, i mean it has no calories. seriously.
ill never touch sugar again.
everyone should use it, i mean it has no calories. seriously.
ill never touch sugar again.
No. Way. I will never touch that stuff. Totally artificial junk that has been proven to be bad for human health... Plus, as mentioned above, they test on animals. :-\ Not only do they test, but they use incredibly cruel methods, that are COMPLETELY unnecessary. There is nothing wrong with using organic sugar/natural sweeteners every once in awhile, so I don't feel a real need to go for the artificial sweeteners, especially at the risk of my health.
(I hope I don't sound like a brat... :-[ I just feel very passionately about Splenda & aspartame. The stuff is poison, and it worries me how prevalent they are...)
Ditto JC. I think splenda is the devil. And the folks that work there that push it, "it's made from sugar...". yeah, they add chlorine to sugar, that's the part they forget to promote. My future MIL puts it in EVERYTHING, so disgusting. Not that I would ever use it, but the testing on animals seals the deal for me. I used it for a few months when I lived w/ the future in-laws, and then I figured out that it was giving me killer migraines. No bueno. I'll take evaporated cane juice and all the calories any day :)>>>
Oh lord. +1 for artificial sugars being the devil. They are awful. Splenda and aspartame both. My mom drinks multiple diet pops every day and it makes me so sad and angry. And she suffers migraines as well (she's also big on dairy, but of course she won't eliminate either of these for the sake of her health). I'm not interested in drinking a chemical (aspartame) which turns into formaldehyde in my body and is likely a carcinogen, thanks. I'll go ahead and regulate my sugar intake.
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