This is the longest group of responses I have seen. Thanks Real Age for making it possible. I use a procduct called "NU-STEVIA White Stevia Powder." It claims to be a natural plant extract. It is distributed by NUNaturals, Inc of Oregon. It has been evaluated by the FDA.I buy it from a health food store at $9.99 for packets of 100. Another brand I tried was very bitter-I thought I was getting a bargain, 2 for 1-not so! I use 1/2 packet in a 2-cup mug of green tea and it is awesome-no bitterness. I did bake with it once but did not like the results. Guess I'm just spoiled!!! I hope that after all my bloviating about this super product noone tells me I'm wrong to trust it. I have been using it for about five years. The info says it is even safe for diabetics. I make lemonade for my 8 yr old diabetic gr-daughter using Stevia and she loves it. The lemon is supposed to be good for diabetics (actually, any citrus) I have seen her blood sugar level normalize when she drinks her lemonade. YOU DOCS please tell me I am not imaging this!!!

There's a product name Fructose - Natural Sweetner, 100% Pure Crystalline Fructose made from corn and manufactured by Estee. The sweetner is found in honey, fruits and berries. It is an alternative to ordinary sugar(sucrose), which use for baking,cooking,desserts, cereal

I certainly like raw organic sugar in my coffee and tea but I have found that agave tastes great too, expecially on hot oatmeal in the morning. I do not necessarily believe everything that I read here on the internet but do know that anything artificial is probably no good for you. Has anyone heard about the product "JUST LIKE SUGAR" that is made from chicory root and orange peel? It is totally natural, tastes sweet like sugar and does not give you a sugar high either. It is even KOSHER too!! This product may be the way to go right now in order to get away from aspertaine which is sneaked into our food on a daily basis, much to my surprise. The night time radio show "Coast to Coast" had a doctor on the show a few nights ago and she spoke about the dangers of aspertaine and what it does to the human body. So I guess agave is not so bad afterall.

I am surprised that no one has mentioned maple syrup. It is one of the best sugars one can eat and one of the most healthful. There are studies being conducted as we speak and the scientists are finding out that maple syrup is one of the best sugars. I have been using maple syrup and maple sugar for many years. At my house, we put it on crepes, pancakes, French toasts, grapefruits, yogurt, salmon, and many more. I substitute it for brown sugar in recipes and the recipes come out tastier. If one is to eat sugar, it might as well be the real thing. I have always been scared of any artificial sweetener. I try to stay away from anything that contains high fructose corn syrup. I make everything from scratch so I know what is in the food we eat. All the sugars are high in calories. It does not matter much which one is being used. The secret is to eat it in moderation like every thing else. That has been my motto for many years.

what about xylitol? does that affect blood sugar? can people with yeast problems eat a little without risking yeast infections?

I have used Agave syrup but now use sweetfreedom from the dietfreedom .co.uk web site , I only need a little of it and it costs less than Agave and is a bigger bottle
It was developed by the team from DF and is low GL and GI
I use it in my tea and for baking as well and also on cereal great stuff
If you use Zylosweet ( Contains xylitol Used in chewing gum ) and bake with it and have dogs please do not let your dogs eat any of it as it is lethal to them and can send them into a coma very quickly

I would like to know what sugar substitute is least detrimental to good heart health. Will Splenda have the same effect on arteries as sugar?

Hey Penny and others,
You must be young and/or have never heard of diabetics. Sugar or honey may be OK for you, but not for someone who is a diabetic...

Hey guys how about zero 0
0 Calories
0 Glycemic index
0 Artificial
Has anyone heard about this sweetener?
Is it healthy or bad?...

I have used Splenda for quite some time now with the approval of 2 of my doctors, but if there is something even better, such as Agave (which I had not heard of) I would really like to try it out. By being on Splenda for the time I have been, my triglycerides, cholestoral and all tests have shown exceptional for the last 2 years. I exercise regularly as well. So it will be interesting to try out the Agave as long as it does me well too.

I stopped using Splenda because I tended to crave more sweets after using it. After getting off of the Splenda I'm not constantly looking for something sweet. I am only eating "real food" and staying away from anything artificial.

I USE STEVIA GLYCERITE. IT IS DELICOUS AND WAY BETTER THAN PLAIN STEVIA. NO BLOOD SUGAR ISSUES.

This was interesting. I have used agave for a few years and appreciate its low glycemic index and the fact that because it's so sweet I use less. It is helpful in helping me cut down on my use of sweetners altogether. I wish I liked stevia but unfortunately, I can't stand it...yuck.

Regarding chemical artificial sweeteners- why would we continue to put anything artificial into our bodies? Conflicts of interest in the studies performed on aspartame and the way in which its approval was obtained is an ongoing controversy. I believe that if we went back to the way our grandparents lived we would be better off. Less processed foods and chemicals, more fresh fruits and vegetables and exercise is just common sense.

Is honey really healthy for us. LIke anything else can we us to much?

What about Pure cane sugar, would like to hear more.

I began using light Agave in my tea in the morning's and I like it so much better than sugar or honey and certainly better than artificial sweetener's. I found Stevia hideous. To each his own I guess.

will try the agave sweetner hope it doesn't affect my heart like the phenyaline that is in so many products now a days.

As for stevia causing infertility, my sister has used stevia for years, and has seven children. She is hypoglycemic and it doesn't affect her blood sugar in any way that she notices.

For those who use Splenda as I used to do. I had a friend tell me she had used Splenda on her ants beds to kill them. I live in the country and we have lots of ant beds along with gophers. I used some Spenda on my ant beds and within 2 days they were either gone are dead. I think they just move to another location myself with anything you use. So for me and my family we use Splenda only to kill ants and we are going to use on the gophers to see how they react. Have a good day.

I recently tried Agave at the Grocery store given as a free sample in coffee. It was good and I bought some. I think I still like the taste of honey in coffee, tea, smoothies better. As for the artificial sweeteners, I won't use chemicals, hence the word "artificial". Our bodies were not meant to be bombarded with chemicals. It is going to show up sooner or later as a health problem. Who knows, even cancer. I'm sticking to as much natural stuff as I can.

FWIW, I've used both Splenda and saccharine (sweet-n-low) for literally YEARS with no adverse effects, so I pay no attention to the stuff about them being "dangerous"--they haven't been to me, I don't have any bladder problems or anything like that. The taste of caramel sweetness doesn't go with *everything* one would want sweetened, so keep your agave and I'll stick with Sweet-n-Low and Splenda.

(Mind you, if I can get proof it was tested on kittens--not just somebody here saying so--I may rethink the Splenda.)

Thanks for the lowdown on Agave, & to the person who put in about stevia, But I just think I'll do without. I grew up on a high salt, high animal fat, high sugar East European diet, and have gradually changed it all. To the person asking about splenda, aspartane etc... I've run that gauntlet and believe they are all dangerous; (bladder irritation, bladder cancer, neurologic and optiocal conditions,saccarine kills cockroaches). There are no magic plants or products. Knowledge, understanding and good moderate exercise are the key. Remember it's a gradual process though... Like eating an elephant... one teaspoon at a time. Trying to do it all at once is too challenging you would tend to fall back into old ways. Pick a one or two doable improvements to do for a while and then add another etc. Sincerely Val

About Splenda and your bladder, I have been diagnosed with I.C., and it is on the list of bladder irritants. I have tried using it, and it definetly does irritate.

As a physician I would find it hard to conceive that anyone would need to use so much Agave as a sweetener to raise concern about amount of fructose being consumed. We are talking about microgram amounts and not the milligram amounts of high fructose corn syrup consumed by many people. This is an important distinction and getting details on how much agave in micrograms (mcg) you would need to sweeten a cup of coffee or tea would be important to contrast with the amount of fructose associated with the metabolic syndrome.

I think people should stick to the basics...real sugar. If you r worried about weight, incorporate a daily walk or other form of exercise. Besides, do you know that thousands and thousands of rabbits and cats(kittens) were killed developing Splenda?? I think I will stick to the REAL thing!

Honey is a great sweetener... but it is very high in calories. Using a pure form of honey can merit you some benefits of bee pollen, which is great. Although it does spike the blood sugar, it does much less damage than plain white sugar. It may also boost the metabolism. So using honey is a great idea... but as with everything else; use is moderately and watch those calories. Over time you can actually train your taste buds to crave less and less sweet/calorie heavy food.

what about stevia??Nutrivia?
I use it many many tiems a day? how safe is it?

Information about Splenda.

What constitutes a complex sugar?

I would like some information about the dangers, if ny, on Splenda.

I too have problems with chemicals in artificial sweetners and water. I am lucky and live in a rural area and have a well so I can bring my own water to work. I was surprised that agave is a high fructose syrup. especially since it is pushed in the "natural" foods stores as the perfect sweetner.

I think its safer to use honey. It was used by John as he ate honey and locus.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned "just like sugar" which is made from orange peels and available in the US.

Hi:
I have a body that does not like chemicals, I itch terribly when I use just about any kind of sweetener. I also get severe abdominal cramps and cold sweats. So I try to stay away from Splenda and aspartame and all the others. I have recently tried stevia but I use very little of it and don't know if causes me any discomfort. What is in artifical sweeteners that cause me to itch til I open my skin in sores? Does anyone else have these chemical problems. I cannot even drink city water that they add chemicals to make it pure to drink. Just not for me. I have to buy spring water for all cooking and drinking that I will eat! Guess my body just don't like chemicals.

I love cooking with agave and have found that there is some people are a bit short sighted in their scope of using agave. You really can completely replace sugar in all your daily cooking, baking, canning, etc. Not just something to dump in your coffee in the morning. After using blue agave for years I've found a company making a blend of White Agave and Blue Agave that is simply amazing to cook with. The brand is Xagave and I buy it in my local Kitchen Kneads store. Compared to the common blue agave that has a slightly nutty taste, this blend is superior and has really helped me change my lifestyle. I've used agave as part of my diet plan over the last two years and am happy to say I'm under the 200 lb mark for the first time since high school!

I think it is the sugar lobbyists that prevent Stevia in the states and have been successful at keeping its profile low here in Canada although we can get it and restaurants are starting to serve in instead of an artificial sweetener. It is a beautiful plant and you can just take a leaf and eat it to taste its natural sweet flavour. I would love to know what it does to the body's blood sugar levels but my guess is that it does very little.

To the Article on Agave, I believe that ,as with all things, common sense, everything in moderation. Listen to you body, pay very close attention to cravings. For instance, lately i have craved both eggs and tuna, and in your article about those two foods you explain that they contain alot of B12. The results follow your explanation, my memory has greatly improved. Again my body sent me a clue and I listened, this has happened often in my life. Again,moderation , I don't over do it. Pay attention to you body's language.......

Yes the Stevia plant is beautiful - you can take a leaf and eat it to taste the simple sweetness it provides. Please let us know the scientific realities of this plant. Honestly if processing makes it harmful you could add the leaves to a smoothie for example.

What do you think of HONEY?

I have read a few articles about stevia possibly causing infertility. I don't think they have proved yes or no on the issue....so for no I am choosing to not use it. Better safe than sorry.

This is very confusing. The article says that agave sweetener is bad for you and all the posts say that Stevia and Truvia are approved and good for you. I thought they were one and the same????

I would like to know if Splenda has an effect on the Bladder. I have read that Aspartame does but I was not sure if Splenda also fell into that category.

I have been using stevia for years, the vanilla flavored lately. As far as trevia is concerned I have read it is not completely stevia, but it is close as it uses most of the same plant.

Mistake in my email in letter just posted!

almost two years ago, I used blue agave after hearing Dr. Oz say he used it on the Oprah show. I researched it and ended up buying it online. I am a big tea drinker and like it sweet. Almost 2 years to the day that I was in menopause, I had a period. It was VERY light and lasted 3 days. I went to my Gynocologist, who advised me to have an ultrasound because bleeding (in menopause) is a symptom of uterine cancer. Everything came back normal. Upon googling "problems with agave" afterwards, I found that it has "abortive properties." My only suggestion is to use it at your own risk - especially women.

I have borderline diabetes. (Type 2 runs in my family). To minimize blood sugar fluctuations, I exercise, watch my weight, and try to follow a healthy, balanced diet. I have been using Stevia in a concentrated powdered form, that I purchase online or at Trader Joes. I use Stevia to supplement natural sweeteners - I can use very little honey or sugar that way. Stevia is now also available retail in supermarkets, packaged in single use packets, as Truvia. I have been following the research carefully. Here is a scientific research paper reviewing several studies - so far no toxicity noted: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T6P-4SHMCN2-9&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=9dd19d59be312d34c01985f635f498a3

For those who have inquired about Stevia, it's perfectly safe for everyone including diabetics, hypoglycemics and those on a low sugar / sugar free diet. There ARE however varying degrees of 'bitterness' in SOME brands if you add too much.

I prefer to use Stevia in liquids or pudding like items. For the plain flavors, Body Ecology's liquid Stevia is honestly the BEST tasting on the market!! It is NOT in any way bitter and a little goes a LONG way.

For flavored versions, I like Sweet Leaf's brand liquid stevias...they have vanilla, rootbeer and such that my family adds to mineral water in lieu of 'soda'. If you add too much though, it has an odd taste and can get bitter on you.

For baking purposes though, stevia does NOT work. It gets bitter and is not pleasant.

For baking, some prefer Xylitol. It's a good 'non sugar' sweetener and as long as you get the type that is derived from BIRCH TREES, it is safe and actually good for your teeth as it's been said it prevents cavities. However, you have to work your way up to build a tolerance as many people have excessive gas or loose stools if they consume too much too quickly.

For baking goods or for 'sprinkling' sugars or powdered sugars, I LOVE Body Ecology's Lakanto!!! It's a combination of Luo Han Guo (Chinese low glycemic fruit) and fermented NON GMO erythritol. It tastes like a mild maple - brown sugar, it bakes 1:1 in place of sugar (ie: if you use 1 cup of sugar to bake with, you'd simply use 1 cup of Lakanto), it does not feed pathogenic yeast so it's a wonderful alternative to those who suffer from candida / yeast infections, is safe for diabetics and hypoglycemics. It has no side effects and is safe to consume unlike other unsafe sweeteners on the marketplace.

My family loves it 'powdered'. I whirl some up in my mini processor to make it into 'powdered sugar' and sprinkle it over their gluten free breads or strawberries for a treat.

As of now, you can only get Lakanto from stores who sell Body Ecology products or their website at www.bodyecology.com
I keep hoping that they'll soon carry it in stores so that it's more accessible but their stevia & Lakanto are so wonderful that it's worth ordering.

can someone tell me the effect of pure honey taken for a sweetener

I remember reading years ago in a magazine somewhere that Stevia is the "Sweetner from Hell" I can't remember why it was described that way but I do recall the comment. Has anyone heard any negativity about this product.

I've been prone to low blood sugar for a while, so I eat almost no sugar. I have been using Stevia, and I like it very much. I've read that it's good for you, and I think it works very well for sweetening things like tea, coffee, yoghurt... etc. It dissolves best in warm liquids. I have even baked with it before. I definitely recommend it. You can get it at Whole foods. My favorites are liquid Stevia (Whole Foods brand), and powdered Stevia.
I wish you all lots of good health!