I’ve talked quite a bit lately about my new love for stevia. I’ve always known it was a great choice in a real food diet, but I just couldn’t learn to like it. Now that I’ve figured out how to use it correctly, I really am loving it!
The trick is to find a good brand of stevia, and to avoid using too much. Too much stevia, and your treat turns from sweet to bitter.
I love that stevia is all natural – it’s an herb that is naturally sweet. I love that it provides us with sweet treats that are completely sugarless. And I love that it isn’t an artificial sweetener (like Splenda or NutraSweet – those must be avoided!!).
Many have asked what kind of stevia I like and where I get it. You may not be surprised when I tell you that I order it from Vitacost, one of my favorite online resources.
What is my favorite brand of Stevia?
NuNaturals is the brand that tastes the best to me. I prefer either the NuNaturals Alcohol Free Liquid Stevia or the NuNaturals Clear Stevia. So far, I’ve not experimented much with powdered stevia. Therefore, I’ve only used stevia in liquid recipes, not in baked goods. Once I figure out how to do that well, I’ll definitely pass on the information!
How Can You Get Stevia For Free?
If you are a brand new customer with Vitacost, you can click through these referral links to sign up for an account. Doing so will give you a free $10 coupon code to use on your first order of $30 or more. That makes a bottle of stevia absolutely free to you!
Does Stevia seem expensive to you? It really isn’t. This is because you use just a few drops of stevia to add sweetness to a recipe. A little bit goes a lonnnnnnnggggg way. Sweet! (literally)
Now, go get yourself a free $10 to use on Stevia (or really, whatever else you might like for free). Then you can enjoy making all these guilt free, delicious, real food recipes like Homemade Chocolate Frappe, Chocolate Whipped Cream, and several new recipes that I’ll be sharing in the upcoming weeks that I’ve learned to make with Stevia. :)
We have been using this brand for probably 5 years. I buy the packet/powder version and it does seem a bit pricey, but I attribute it to the packaging. I had a friend try to tell me recently that what I was buying was “fake sugar” and “sugar substitute”, but I think I have my research right and this is a natural alternative to processed sugar. Now I’m confused all over again. BUT, what I will say is a little goes a long way, and NuNaturals is my favorite brand (and I’ve tried a few different brands over 5 years). We’ve got 3 coffee and tea drinkers in the house now (5 years ago, it was just one — me!), so this is our choice for morning wake-up sweetener. I have never found this brand to be bitter, but everyone who converts to stevia needs to know a little goes a long way.
Thanks for sharing! So far we haven’t liked the brands we’ve tried, But I like the idea and that it lasts a long time .We’ll give nunaturals a shot.
Hi Laura – I just wanted to share some information that I have learned with my research and discussions with dieticians/health educators on this subject…The only truly natural stevia is the green powder – any other form is highly processed. It does not impact blood sugar which is good but is still highly processed and extremely sweet – giving the stomach the indication it is getting sugar, thereby, releasing digestive juices, which then have no sugar to digest. For this reason it can cause bloating, stomach issues etc. Like artificial sweeteners, it is also much sweeter than sugar so tends to impact our sensitivity to sweets and need for more highly sweetened foods. Ultimately it would be better to use real sugar, dates, honey, maple syrup etc unless one is diabetic. That said, it is obviously better option than artificial sweeteners. Hope this does not sound offensive :-)
I have used stevia as well though I knew it was not as good as it was purported to be – had to dig to get some info that was enough to sway me from the pleasure of the sweetness in my tea without added calories!
Thanks so much for this info! I have some green powder stevia that I have yet to experiment with. I’ll definitely look into this more!
I buy the pound container of NuNaturals NuStevia White Stevia Pure Extract from Vitacost and use it in my sweet iced tea–less than 1/2 teaspoon for a whole gallon. Since I drink almost one gallon every day, I feel it’s a better choice for me than sugar (I’d need about 2/3 cup of sugar for the same amount of sweetening). It doesn’t taste exactly like sugar, but I think it’s a close match–at least for sweetening to that level. I obviously don’t sweeten mine like traditional Southern sweet tea. :)
I use orange-flavored liquid stevia to help reduce the sourness of apple cider vinegar/lemon juice water.
We buy the 1 lb. container of NuNaturals white stevia pure extract powder as well – 1/4 teaspoon to sweeten a gallon of our sweet tea. We have been cutting soda out of our diet so tea has been a good alternative for us. We never drank a lot of soda to begin with, but we are now down to when we eat out ( about once a month) and when we make pizza – we are getting there :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-p5lxS_V-5Y
I found this to be very helpful last year when we grew our own stevia. Stevia powder is naturally white. Plus, the ability to have something natural and sweet without the carb count of sugar, maple syrup, or honey has been wonderful for shedding unwanted pounds.
I would like to know if anyone has used stevia to make jams and jellies. I would like a more natural way to make jams and jellies with our fresh fruit. Thanks.
I have used stevia for years. Both liquid and powder. Would love to bake with it, but, don’t known how much to put in. SO happy you are figuring this out and so happy you are willing to share with us. Thank you Laura! :)