Stevia rules, fuck the FDA!

[Howard Alan Treesong]

Stevia is a totally awesome 100% natural zero-calorie sweetener! 

You can buy it at Trader Joe's but it's labelled as a "dietary supplement" instead of a food additive or ESPECIALLY a sweetener. Why?  Because the FDA is under insane pressure from the awful NutraSweet cartel and has thus unfairly BANNED this perfectly safe, ultimately delicious sweet treat! 

Read more about the storied history of this WONDER FOOD at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia

GOOOOO Stevia! 

Japanese residents, feel free to share your stories about how awesome Stevia is in this thread.

[BobbyRobby]

FDA is scum.

Can you make ice cream with Stevia?  I want to try it.

[jiji]

I used to use this in my coffee just about daily, and then I went off it for a while after my supply ran out. I picked up another box of the little packets the other day, and it seems so much more bitter and overpowering to me now. I don't know what the deal is.

I do know that my girlfriend put together a taste-test project for a statistics class, and out of cheesecake made with aspartame, sucralose, and stevia, I'll be damned if the stevia cheesecake didn't taste the best.

[BobbyRobby]

I don't know if you're referring to stevia, as it is a natural sweetener like sugar

[Howard Alan Treesong]

yeah, I find that I can use one pack of stevia to two packs of sugar/splenda/whatever

and yes it's ALL NATURAL so it's good for you, like shrooms

[Howard Alan Treesong]

Interesting...I actually assumed with a name as shitty as Stevia it had to artificial.

Edumcate yourselfs: Stevia is the name of the plant: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia

Coca-Cola actually recently announced they are hoping to change over to a natural sweetener derived from stevia that they are trademarking as "Rebiana": http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070531/bs_nm/cocacola_cargill_dc_2

The recent ethanol/biodiesel craze has sent corn prices soaring, so Coke wants an out. If it means pressuring the FDA to re-legalize Stevia THEN EVERYBODY WINS! Except NutraSweet. But fuck NutraSweet.

[LiuKangBakingAPie]

Interesting...I actually assumed with a name as shitty as Stevia it had to artificial.

It's always better to assume than to actually read what you're fucking replying to.

[BlackMage]

Interesting...I actually assumed with a name as shitty as Stevia it had to artificial.

It's always better to assume than to actually read what you're fucking replying to.

stop being an ass!





















that's my job 

[GilloD]

I used to grow this stuff. It SUCKS as a sugar alternative. It's got a weird taste and unpleasant lingering on the palate. Still, the story of it's exclusion from American shelves is classic FDA fuck up. You can get a pot of it at a Garden Store, it grows pretty well in most conditions. It's a great breath freshener, too.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

I used to grow this stuff. It SUCKS as a sugar alternative. It's got a weird taste and unpleasant lingering on the palate. Still, the story of it's exclusion from American shelves is classic FDA fuck up. You can get a pot of it at a Garden Store, it grows pretty well in most conditions. It's a great breath freshener, too.

Do you grow your own sugar cane too? ;P

[GilloD]

I used to grow this stuff. It SUCKS as a sugar alternative. It's got a weird taste and unpleasant lingering on the palate. Still, the story of it's exclusion from American shelves is classic FDA fuck up. You can get a pot of it at a Garden Store, it grows pretty well in most conditions. It's a great breath freshener, too.

Do you grow your own sugar cane too? ;P

Would if I could! Nah, Stevia just grows like an herb. Simple shizz.

[MrAngryFace]

I dunno, if there's a chance of toxicity, it wouldn't really have an impact until they rolled it out nationwide and a few people died. Its hard to know how safe it really is.

[GilloD]

I dunno, if there's a chance of toxicity, it wouldn't really have an impact until they rolled it out nationwide and a few people died. Its hard to know how safe it really is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acesulfame_potassium They use this shit in everything nowadays.

As with sucralose, aspartame, stevia, saccharin, and other sweeteners that are sweeter than common sugars, there is concern over the safety of acesulfame potassium. Although studies of these sweeteners show varying and controversial degrees of healthfulness, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved these for use as general purpose sweetening agents, with the exception of stevia which is restricted to "dietary supplement" labeling. Japan, for instance, has approved stevia as a general purpose sweetener and it is found in many products. Other sweeteners that are banned in the USA are used in other countries, such as cyclamate, and vice-versa. Critics of the use of acesulfame potassium say the chemical has not been studied adequately and may be carcinogenic.

Toxicity is hardly an issue with these goons. It's pure politics.

[MrAngryFace]

Man, you guys sure pick bizzare political battles.

[GilloD]

Man, you guys sure pick bizzare political battles.

Dude. It's about what you eat. What you put in your body. Nothing could possibly be more important. The FDA would probably approve toxic waste at this point.

[Howard Alan Treesong]

I dunno, if there's a chance of toxicity, it wouldn't really have an impact until they rolled it out nationwide and a few people died. Its hard to know how safe it really is.

40% of all sweeteners in Japan has been Stevia for the past 30 years. So, there you go.