 EBurrell 10 years ago | Ok. Thank you so much for the clarification. |
 Ossie-Sharon 10 years ago | Hi, EBurrell. Nectresse is fine, and Stevia extract is excellent. |
| EBurrell 10 years ago | What Stevia brands do you recommend? What brands of Stevia Syrup should I get? I can try finding it on the website. For the Monkfruit, I bought Splenda Nectresse, is this ok? Also, is Stevia extract good? It looks like the ingredients are as follows: Stevia (Stevia Rebaudiana) (Min. 80% Glucosylsteviosides[32mg]) Extract in a base of water and 11% Alcohol. |
| Ossie-Sharon 10 years ago | Hi, EBurrell. Stevia in the Raw is actually not recommended because it is a processed form with undesirable additives. Monk fruit is not available in a syrup, but just use the powder in similar amounts as you would Stevia (1/8 tsp to 4 drops). |
| EBurrell 10 years ago | The brocoli butternut muffin is in my plan. I can’t find stevia syrup anywhere. Is Stevia in the raw ok? The recipe said I could use monkfruit sweetner, but it looks like its in the same form as Stevia in the raw. Did I purchase the right monkfruit or should I have been looking for monkfruit in a syrup form? |
| Ossie-Sharon 11 years ago | Hi, ldsuave. Unfortunately, there will almost always be an element of unsustainable farming of just about every food product, whether it be coconut sugar, quinoa, etc. There are coconut sugar manufacturers who are though to give special attention to sustainability. Beyond that, there are alternative sweeteners that the program recommends, such as monk fruit and xylitol, as well as Stevia. |
 ldsuave 11 years ago | I’ve read that coconut sugar depletes the supply of coconuts as it is made from the bloom or sap. The removal of sap lends the tree to be non-productive for bearing coconuts. I’d rather keep the coconuts for oil, milk and fruit. |
| Ossie-Sharon 11 years ago | Hi, Gana. Agave is not the optimal choice, as it does have some undesirable effects on the liver and on blood lipids. If you don’t like Stevia syrup, try xylitol or coconut sugar (you can make a liquid version of both). |
 gana 11 years ago | Can you substitute agave nectar for stevia syrup? |
 1Shelly 11 years ago | Thank you Ossie for your help. |
| Ossie-Sharon 11 years ago | Both Stevia and monk fruit are stable in baking.
Aspartame (which is probably what were in the diet sodas) is made from amino acids, which are not heat stable. |
| 1Shelly 11 years ago | I am curious about Stevia (and even monk fruit) about whether when heated via baking items, does it change in chemical structure and if so, is that good for us. I am thinking about when the soldiers were in Kuwait during the Iraq war, that diet sodas were sitting out in the heat and it was known, later, that the chemical structure of the sweetner had an effect on the soldiers (at least so it was thought). Any research on chemical structure change with heat regarding Stevia or monk fruit? |
