A word about Stevia - Life is Sweet. Sugar is not.

The more people who begin to eliminate sugar from their diets, the more questions I get about Stevia, the all natural, herbal sweetener. Recipes call for varying amounts of stevia, and, depending on the source of the recipe, a disaster may be imminent if you are inexperienced with the varities of stevia on the market.

If you can find “Spoonable” brand Stevia, equivalencies are not an issue. Just use the “Spoonable” brand measure for measure with the amount of sugar or "sweetening power" called for in your recipes. It is still important to taste your recipe and adjust the amount of stevia accordingly. Too much Stevia may taste bitter. Cinnamon is a helpful addition to reduce bitterness or aftertaste, especially as your tastes change.

I can no longer recommend using xylitol of any kind for any recipe. Here are some frightening insights from Sarah, the Healthy Home Economist:

"While it is true that xylitol is a naturally occurring substance, manufactured xylitol is another matter entirely.   Commercially available xylitol is produced by the industrialized process of sugar hydrogenation.   In order to hydrogenate anything, a catalyst is needed, and in the case of xylitol, Raney nickel is used which is a powdered nickel-aluminum alloy.Can we say heavy metal residue?  Xylitol doesn’t seem quite so warm and fuzzy anymore, does it?  . . . .While there is currently no literature on any detrimental health effects of consuming hydrogenated sugar, it is important to note that hydrogenated fats and oils were used for many years before the very damaging effects to health became widely known. . . . Given the violent industrialized process that is required to produce a hydrogenated sugar like xylitol, it would seem wise to avoid it based on the very poor track record of hydrogenated foods in general!"

I like KAL stevia, a concentrated powder brand which has one of those teeney-tiny spoons in the jar . . . Each of those teeney tiny spoons is equal to about 1 (real) Tablespoon of sugar. When a recipe calls for a cup of sweetening power or 1 cup of sugar, I add about ¾ of a REAL teaspoon of the KAL powdered Stevia. KAL brand is available online or at Whole Foods. It also comes in liquid form, where 5 drops equals approximately one Tablespoon of sugar.  In Canada, the "NOW" brand is nearly the exact equivalent, and also comes in powdered or liquid form.

Too much stevia in a recipe is never tasty. What I usually do when I am preparing a recipe for the first time is this:
I mix the dry ingredients together (i.e., the almond flour and/or flax meal, the baking powder, the flavourings such as cinnamon, and the stevia, going easy on the stevia if I am not sure. (You can always add stevia, but you can't take it out once it's in there.) Then I taste the dry mix, and add stevia if I think it's necessary.

The bottom line:  Read, taste, and adjust your recipes to suit yourself and your family.

Stevia is often sold as a nutritional supplement and not as a sweetener or food additive. Look for it at Wal-Mart, GNC, Whole Foods, and other health food stores. Check the ingredients.

Do NOT use stevia which contains maltodextrin (a corn product, which will, as you know turn to sugar once you begin to digest it).

I look forward to all your comments and questions.

Life is sweet. Sugar is not.