[Sca-cooks] Stevia was Re: Agave syrup

Susan Fox selene at earthlink.net
Fri Aug 7 12:07:24 PDT 2009


Speaking of Stevia:  at a farmers market a couple of weekends ago, I 
found a stevia plant and took it home. Price was about the same as the 
other herbs he offered.  Nibbled on a leaf and WooHoo!  Sweet! So far, I 
have managed not to kill it.  Care seems pretty easy, about the same as 
the basil plant next to it. Plenty of sun, plenty of water.

I'd watch the carbohydrate count in agave.  It's got enough carbs to 
ferment, after all, and thereby hangs one of the great exports from 
Mexico.  :-)

Cheers,
Selene



Elaine Koogler wrote:
> I'm a type 2 diabetic, and my diabetes is not that severe...I'm not on
> insulin but rather a drug called glipizide.  I know I can do just fine with
> Splenda and other artificial sweeteners, as well as stevia (brand name that
> we find is "Truvia").  I do have to watch carbs in general (white flour,
> white rice, etc.) as well as certain fruits and veggies (corn, pineapple,
> bananas and most dried fruit) because of the high amount of sugar they
> contain.  So I may find some agave syrup and see how that works.
>
> Thanks for all of your help...
>
> Kiri
>
> On Fri, Aug 7, 2009 at 11:07 AM, Deborah Hammons
> <mistressaldyth at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>   
>> One of the favorite buzz words for diabetics is the glycemic index.  Gotta
>> see where everything  ranks to see if it is ok to eat. Makes my head hurt.
>>  Each diabetic is really a unique case.  If you work closely with your
>> doctor, dietician and educator, there are many foods you think would be
>> taboo that you can eat.  A good quick scan of the product label for total
>> carbohydrates and sugars will give you an idea.  If the carbohydrate number
>> and the sugar number are almost the same, probably not good for a diabetic
>> if it is over 25.
>> The agave products I have seen don't have the label information yet.
>>  Supplements don't have to.  Although it does tout the glycemic index of
>> 27.
>> With honey at 83 and sugar at 137, it seems pretty low.
>>
>> Something I have found is that stevia makes strawberries juice.  Like sugar
>> when making strawberry shortcake.  Splenda and the other artificial
>> sweeteners don't.  Stevia is pricey at best now that the FDA regulates it.
>> Might make a good research project to use "herbal" sweeteners, artificial
>> sweeteners, and sugar in the same dish to see what they do.
>>
>> Long time diabetics get to know what sets them off, up or down.  My other
>> half bottoms out if he eats pork or lamb.  I would say do a left handed
>> trial.  If your doctor says it is ok, use something with agave in it early
>> in the day, testing before, and 30 minutes after.  Then 2 hours after. And
>> I
>> mean just substituting it for the sweet you would normally use. If your
>> numbers don't change appreciably, you body probably tolerates it.
>>
>> Aldyth



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