After the Soft Drink and "Real Sugar" Threads I thought:

- I am somewhat addicted to some Soft Drinks (seems I need Cola and Red Bull to survive) but actually allergic to the Sugar-Free counterparts (I guess Saccharin and Aspartam).

I recently read about Stevia (which is banned in the EU) being hip in the States (and according to Wikipedia also sold in AU, HK, UAE - pretty much anywhere ex-eu on my next trip ^)

Maybe that would be an alternative for me to prepare sweet drinks such as iced tea myself, without getting sick or too fat...

Do you like it?

In what form is it sold? Tablets (like coffee sweetener), Powder, Liquid?

Any certain brand names, or could I just ask for Stevia in the next best Target, Walmart etc.?

Thanks

There are two 'major' brands now that are a processed stevia to remove the naturally bitter aftertaste, they are Purevia and Truevia. (Minute Maid and Tropicana and their owners Pepsi/Coke both had extensive hand in their development process and ensuring sales for their low sugar juices)
I use them but am a bit skeptical of the process I have my eyes open however, there is also Stevia in the Raw from the same company that makes Sugar in the Raw, and it is more pure, raw form.

I would also recommend to you to check for a Xylitol based sweetener, it is natural and VERY good. I have used it extensively, it is also popular in Asia, AND it is a naturally beneficial anti cavity aid, and natural toothpastes are many times now based off xylitol, and work REALLY well. I use NOW Foods Xyliwhite, and burt's Bees all natural fluoride free toothpate made with Xylitol. Many dentist are finally opening to the natural anti cavity benefits of xylitol and recommending parents to have children chew xylitol gum once a day.

"Ideal sweeteners" (a brand) are xylitol based, but watch some of them, they blend with surcalose (splenda) on a few.

I just saw for the first time and bought, small packages of Agave nectar sweetener as well. I have used Agave nectar as a replacement for honey and corn syrup for years now, so it will be interesting to try it in tea and other places, but I haven't opened it yet.
Here it is: http://www.xagave.com/Individual-Agave-Packets/

You've been able to buy Agave nectar in bulk at our local Costco for over a year now. It's a different kind of sweet, but it's still very pleasant, especially in tea.

We've also used it on top of Greek yogurt.

I have bought it that way for years as well, but small packages easy for travel is a new thing

I really enjoy using Agave, there is one company that is doing Maple Agave as well, makes a great syrup for whole grain pancakes!

Gotcha. Misread your post.

Are you able to use sucralose (derrived from sugar). As I understand it, people who are ok with sugar tend to be ok with sucralose.

Splenda is the brand name, and I believe you can buy it in the UK as well as the States, in granular and tablet form.

I tried Stevia in the US and I didn't like it. It has a licorice aftertaste which I don't like. The best alternative for sugar I found was Splenda which emma69 mentioned. It is made from real sugar with a small change to the molecular structure so that the body can't digest it. It is mixed with fructose to become a powder and therefore has some nelgectable calories. It is still seen as a zero calorie product in the US because it is under certain limit imposed by the FDA.

Sucralose (brand: Splenda) still has (well, to me anyway) a nasty aftertaste, not much different from aspartame or saccharine. Also agree that Stevia in pretty much all forms has a very strong licorice aftertaste.

Though true diabetics might see a SLIGHT difference in blood chemistry between agave and say, sugar, agave is still mostly fructose hence: sugar. It's not really very different from honey, although it's frequently touted as having a low glyecmic index and hence "better" for you, but I've read articles challenging that. I regularly cook for a neighbor who is diabetic and stopped using it because of the uncertainty.

Both erythritol and xylitol (sugar alcohols) are available in granular forms for sweetening things like coffee or tea. They have no impact on blood sugar levels so they are sometimes recommended for diabetics. Some people have, errr, unpleasant side effects from sugar alcohols, although not usually from the teaspoon and smaller doses used to sweeten coffee or tea.

Xylitol has much less 'unpleasant' than erythritol, in fact I've never had any issue with Xylitol, nor has anyone I've been around. On the other hand I once made some fudge with maltitol, and another time with erythritol....it was like exlax fudge

The best I've found for avoiding aftertaste is a blend of either sucralose + acesulfame or aspartame + acesulfame. The latter seems to be the replacement for just aspartame in most newer-recipe diet soft drinks, and is quite a great deal more palateable to me.

I love stevia and have completely forsworn sugar in my tea and coffee. I now travel with it, to places where I know I won't find it (recent trip to Eastern Europe) or if I have a 1-2 day trip during which buying it wouldn't make sense.

Love the stevia. ^

BTW here's the product I use: http://www.sweetleaf.com/

I use the packets, each one of which contains 1 gram of inulin soluble fiber for an added health benefit.

I've tried most of the stevia products. I really enjoy Stevia Extract in the Raw powder in coffee and tea. SweetLeaf Liquid is good too, but I notice even less aftertaste in the powder.

Splenda is OK, but the whole "just a molecule away from sugar" is just marketing hype (salt is "just a molecule away" from explosive, highly reactive sodium, for example). It's a synthetic chemical like any other artificial sweetener.

It's all over the US and it has been for the past 5+ years. Almost uncommon to go to a restaurant and not see a yellow packet of Splenda available. I can recall seeing Splenda available maybe as early as 2002/3.

Stevia != Splenda