Stevia while pregnant? - Page 2

[thefreckledmama]

Originally Posted by bemommy

. I will have a little bit of Agave nectar on occasion.

You might want to read this article re: Agave Nectar... http://www.foodrenegade.com/agave-nectar-good-or-bad/

OP: If I were you, I would stick to a sugar sweetened soda if/when the craving comes along. Out of all the available options of sweeteners, it's the lesser of the evils-and barring GD or any specific health problem, has a long standing history of being relatively safe-as opposed to newer processed sweeteners that haven't been around long enough to know for sure. Virgil's sodas are super yummy, and (at least in the kinds I have had) don't have any questionable ingredients. Our regular grocery stores carry it in the natural foods section.

I wouldn't ever take the "I used it last time and everything turned out ok" approach to determine if something were genuinely safe. My mom smoked with all of her pregnancies, and we were all born healthy, but I wouldn't use that to say smoking is safe during pregnancy, KWIM?

[NWmt_mama]

I lived in rural Paraguay, where Stevia is native. It is called "ka'a he'e" in the native language, which literally means sweet leaf. It is made from a leaf of a plant. They use it all the time - pregnant or not - and I've never heard anyone use it as a contraceptive. I don't know what they do to refine it and sell in the U.S. In Paragauy they just use the leaves.

[mamacatsbaby]

Originally Posted by Jelinifer

Could you make your own beverages to fix your craving and cut out the "added" sweetner? I've been wanting soda and kool aid type stuff... and I've found that if I mix seltzer water with some kind of fresh juice that I make in my juicer (or even store bought 100% juice) it kills the craving without having to worry about if the drink has HFCS, sugar, Stevia...etc.

This is what we do in my house when we have cravings for sweet carbonation. Quite delicious .

[RedOakMomma]

What about all the carbonated fruit juices out there? Our co-op has several varieties and they're fantastic, and I've seen them at local grocers, too. No HFCS, just juice. Some of the "Switch" brand ones are fantastic...like soda, but better than soda.

[cocoanib]

Originally Posted by Jelinifer

Could you make your own beverages to fix your craving and cut out the "added" sweetner? I've been wanting soda and kool aid type stuff... and I've found that if I mix seltzer water with some kind of fresh juice that I make in my juicer (or even store bought 100% juice) it kills the craving without having to worry about if the drink has HFCS, sugar, Stevia...etc.

Go with this OP. That way you won't have to worry about sweetners and things.
Whenever I want something fizzy and sweet, I add crushed up fruit or some fruit juice to my pellegrino.
Mmmm, it's so good and refreshing!

[CorasMama]

Originally Posted by whoabethy

this webiste makes stevia seem bad - but i have no idea...
http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pre...alsweetner.htm

This info is out of date. Stevia is now approved as a food.

Originally Posted by bluebirdmama1

I have heard that the white version of stevia is fine while pregnant, but I wont use it because it has to be processed to become white, and then the toxin gets removed. I don't use the green powder because I think it is gross.
I imagine that the soda that has stevia is the processed form of stevia.

what toxin? But yeah, the straight herb is gross. The white or liquid form is just a simple extract, not any more processed than any other herbal extract.

Originally Posted by Ashes

Thanks for the info Elka!

Has anyone seen the movie Food Inc? Lots in there about how corn is in SO much of our food. Michigan Mama, I have no idea how you find foods you can eat.

VERY CAREFULLY!

OP, I can't eat any corn, either. And I drink water with flavored stevia drops every day. Granted, stevia is so sweet that that amounts to 20 drops per day. My amniotic fluid is totally normal levels, same as my last time when there was no stevia. IMO, stevia is totally safe. And it's not an artificial sweetener. It's just a non-caloric one.

I use flavored stevia in sparkling or flat water, because I can't handle plain water (don't know why, I love water by itself when non-pregnant.) It's how I manage to keep hydrated!

[Pinoikoi]

Has anyone tried xylitol? My midwife says it is actually good for pregnant women because it is good for bones and is low on the glycemic index. I know it is in some gum (like xylichew) maybe it can be found in some soda?

ETA: Here is some info on xylitol and this place sells soda flavors.. I have a soda machine at home, so I have made soda myself in the past (I know Sears sells the machines now also), but I haven't tried this company for syrups yet.

http://www.naturesflavors.com/default.php?cPath=164

[moonglowmama]

I use stevia (actually Sweet Leaf packets) to sweeten my RR/Nettle tea a few times a week. It takes just the tiniest amount to sweeten a beverage and imo it's better than sugar, because it doesn't affect your glycemic index. I would think that like all herbal treatments, if you wanted to use it to increase amniotic fluids, etc, you'd probably have to take quite a bit of it, and probably in the leaf state- that's just an educated guess.

[Jelinifer]

Originally Posted by Pinoikoi

Has anyone tried xylitol? My midwife says it is actually good for pregnant women because it is good for bones and is low on the glycemic index. I know it is in some gum (like xylichew) maybe it can be found in some soda?

ETA: Here is some info on xylitol and this place sells soda flavors.. I have a soda machine at home, so I have made soda myself in the past (I know Sears sells the machines now also), but I haven't tried this company for syrups yet.

http://www.naturesflavors.com/default.php?cPath=164

The gum I chew is sweetened with Xylitol (B Fresh.) I brought it to my midwife and got the okay to continue chewing it daily while pg.

[Lavender Mom]

I am 29 weeks and have baked with stevia twice in the last week. Each time I have eaten the baked goods I have experienced stomach cramps! I think I will lay off the stevia and stick with other sugars.

[Starry-eyedMom]

Originally Posted by Pinoikoi

Has anyone tried xylitol? My midwife says it is actually good for pregnant women because it is good for bones and is low on the glycemic index. I know it is in some gum (like xylichew) maybe it can be found in some soda?

ETA: Here is some info on xylitol and this place sells soda flavors.. I have a soda machine at home, so I have made soda myself in the past (I know Sears sells the machines now also), but I haven't tried this company for syrups yet.

http://www.naturesflavors.com/default.php?cPath=164

I use Xylitol and I love it. It doesn't have a strange aftertaste like stevia seems to. I have read that dentists love it because it helps fight cavities! I wasn't sure if it's allowed during pregnancy, but it's encouraging to read the other posters who do.

[is it puppies?]

xylitol=poison (but so are most fake sugars)

I have dogs so I won't bring xylitol into my house, it is toxic to them. I have read stories of dogs getting into a pack of gum and dying from it. I can't imagine it's that good for us, then, either... but that's just a guess. I try to avoid all fake sugars when I am not pregnant, am avoiding them even more now (although I am back on coffee, so preaching would be the pot calling the kettle black...)

http://www.dogtopics.com/29/xylitol-...ning-our-dogs/
http://www.ehow.com/about_5374687_xylitol-dangers.html
http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/xylitol.asp
http://www.xylitolforyou.com/FAQ.html

and fake sweeteners in general(a very interesting read):
http://products.mercola.com/sweet-deception/