Journal Entry for diana

Scary! Thanks for posting, I was under the impression, like many, that it was a "good" sugar.

Interesting, I was wondering about the make-up of agave. Any news on stevia?

yes, I got this article today from The American Dietetic Association:
http://www.nj.com/homegarden/entertaining/index.ssf/2010/03/stevia_is_put_to_the_test_as_t.html

That's kind of a lopsided article. Better to Google for realy scientific research if you want some more reliable data. And Nikki, Stevia is kind of a weird case. It's been used for a long time in Japa show more

That's kind of a lopsided article. Better to Google for realy scientific research if you want some more reliable data. And Nikki, Stevia is kind of a weird case. It's been used for a long time in Japan with no significant issues, but the FDA here, an entitiy know for be ultra-paranoid, has decided that it's not a safe food additive because of some sketchy prelimary research done in Europe. It's one of those cases where you really have to do your own reading and make you own conclusions. I do that a lot and rely on my scientific background to help me make decision. I use stevia, agave, raw sugar, molasses and honey. I avoid al lthe heavily processed or artificial ones. I don't drink soda and I don't eat commercially prepared sweets. Moderation...that's my motto!
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Yep, you're right. So here is the bottom line from The ADA:
BOTTOM LINE: Studies have demonstrated, and FDA concurs, Reb A-based sweeteners are considered safe for
consumption as a tablet show more

Yep, you're right. So here is the bottom line from The ADA:
BOTTOM LINE: Studies have demonstrated, and FDA concurs, Reb A-based sweeteners are considered safe for
consumption as a tabletop sweetener or an ingredient in foods and beverages. However, the studies supporting the highly
purified compound Reb A should not be attributed to other stevia-derived sweeteners until approved by the FDA. At this
time, no data exists that Reb A-based sweeteners offer a clinical advantage over any other non-nutritive sweeteners,
although studies are ongoing to test whether there are natural plant compounds that offer some additional health benefits.
While the sweeteners are marketed as “natural,” there is no official FDA definition of “natural.”

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