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If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you may recall that I used quite a bit of stevia back in the day. I used it in chocolate milkshakes, my morning tea, sugar-free desserts, and even my salad dressings. I basically used it all day, everyday.
You may have noticed that I don’t use stevia in my recipes or daily routine anymore, so I thought I’d take a moment to share why.
Why I Started Using Stevia
First, let’s talk about why I tried stevia in the first place. I embarked on my first Candida Cleanse in 2011, following the protocol laid out in Natalia Rose’s book, Detox 4 Women.
While following the program, I cut out nearly all sugar (even the natural sugar found in fruit) and satisfied my sweet tooth using stevia instead, because it is marketed as an all-natural, zero-calorie sweetener that isn’t supposed to impact your blood sugar or feed yeast overgrowth. (And killing off yeast overgrowth is the goal of a Candida cleanse.)
I followed this protocol strictly for 30 days, and then stuck with the general guidelines for several months afterwards before incorporating more fruit, grains and cooked starches, and animal protein into my diet again. Even when I returned to a more “standard” diet, I continued to use stevia because it was such an easy way to sweeten things throughout the day. I carried a bottle in my purse at all times!
However, I started to notice a few things after using stevia for several months, even long after my diet returned to normal:
- I craved more sweetness. At first, it took a while for my taste buds to adjust to the flavor of stevia– I actually didn’t like it right away. But once my taste buds adjusted, I couldn’t get enough of it. I started using it in everything, and I noticed that the more I used stevia, the more I wanted it. At one point, just 2-3 drops of liquid stevia was enough to satisfy my sweet tooth in a mug of tea or over a salad, but as time went on I found myself adding much more than that to my drinks and meals to get the same satisfaction. In a way, it felt like the sweetener was skewing my taste buds and I needed everything to taste sweeter to enjoy it. I also found myself craving desserts all day long, and when once a small piece of dark chocolate would satisfy my evening sweet tooth, I soon needed to eat the whole bar to feel the same sense of satisfaction.
- I lost my period. The real tipping point for me was the fact that I lost my period while using this much stevia. Though some people could write off a missing period as a sign that the body is “detoxing,” it was a big red flag for me– particularly because I wanted to get pregnant in the near future and hadn’t had a period for nearly 6 months at that point. I was willing to do anything to regulate my cycle again, so I decided to give up stevia completely, to see what would happen. My period returned within 4 weeks, and I was overjoyed! I actually tried adding stevia back into my diet again, just to see if my cycle was affected (and because I was a total stevia addict) and my period disappeared for another 2 months… so that’s when I decided to give it up for good. Of course, I can’t say for sure that it wasn’t something else that caused my cycle to be out of whack, but because pregnancy was my priority at the time, I wasn’t willing to take chances. (On an anecdotal note, two of my close friends also had issues with their cycles and recently decided to give up stevia as an experiment, even though they didn’t use it frequently– and they both saw their periods return within a month.)
- My gut-instinct told me to stop using it. Most zero-calorie sweeteners, even natural ones, have always had a “too good to be true” feeling to me, and my gut instinct has always been to NOT use them. My mom is actually allergic to aspartame, so I’ve always steered clear of the mainstream artificial sweeteners to be on the safe side, but I’m not totally convinced that all zero-calorie sweeteners (even natural ones) don’t still contribute to excess insulin being released into the body. The body is programmed to release insulin when your mouth tastes “sweetness,” so if there is no sugar for the insulin to metabolize, I’d worry that it would remain in the blood stream and potentially lead to hypoglycemia, which comes with side effects of anxiety and hunger.
I also find it interesting that Elaine Gotschall, author of Breaking the Vicious Cycle, has deemed stevia “illegal” on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD). She notes that stevia’s molecular structure resembles that of a steroid, and therefore it probably has physiological effects on mammals– it’s just hard to tell whether those effects are good or bad. And while stevia is marketed to have zero impact on blood sugar, my mother (who is Type 2 Diabetic) has found that stevia does, in fact, spike her blood sugar similarly to any other sweetener. So, I take all claims with a grain of salt!
It’s also worth noting that some cultures may have once considered stevia a form of birth control. I was advised by a mentor to stop using it before I wanted to get pregnant, which is what led me to even consider that it might be affecting my cycle in the first place. If it can affect my hormones to the point that it might be affecting my fertility, I don’t feel that it should have a regular place in my diet. (However, I do know several women who have gotten pregnant while using stevia liberally– so it definitely shouldn’t be considered a form of birth control, as it doesn’t affect everyone the same way.)
Clearly, what’s right for me might not be what’s right for anyone else, but I did want to address why I no longer use stevia in any more of my recipes, and why I don’t offer modifications using stevia. I do think using stevia leaves, from a fresh plant, might be a totally different story, since the sweetness wouldn’t be nearly as concentrated as using the commercial liquid drops and powders– which are processed to an extent. I can only speak to my experience with using the liquid drops, which as far as I can tell, are fairly concentrated.
For those of you who do still want to use stevia, you can still find some of my older recipes here.
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Reader Feedback: Have you tried stevia and if so, do you still enjoy using it?
Yes, I too fear that the sweetness causes an insulin reaction despite no actual sugars being present. My tastebuds have also adjusted to the higher level of sweetness as I use it daily (12 drops!) in my plain yogurt. I have suuuuch a sweet tooth and fear diabetes. I’d hoped this was a way to find a happy middle, but I had that same thought about insulin. My mom always used lots of artificial sweetener and now has diabetes. I don’t know how much actual sugar she ate as well (suppose I could ask) but correlation, if not causation is there.
It hasn’t affected my period, which seems like a red flag even if you don’t want kids.
Ugh, why are there no easy solutions when it comes to health and nutrition?
Nothing of what you have said in here is backed up by any medical claims or actual clinical trials, so I find it quite absurd what you are quoting. Example when you stopping bleeding could be a million and one things, none of which have to do with Stevia. Japanese (arguably the most healthy race in earth) have been using Stevia for over 10,000 years as a sweetener, with no documented side effects. Proper scientific clinical trials also have not replicated anything of what you have mentioned.
I myself have been taking Stevia for 10 years as has my partner with zero side effects as well.
Coming from a medical background the things you have mentioned (as well as your mother) can be so so many other things it is very VERY unlikely to be Stevia.
The ONLY thing I would caution your mother on is having a meal high or even moderate in carbohydrates does not work well when taken with artificial or natural non sugar sweeteners, as the body does get confused how to process this getting sweet (but non insulation spiking sweeteners, artificial or natural) with carbohydrates and does hinder the way it can process them, that may be why your mother is getting those issues, that said it could be a load of other things.
My friend who is a type 1 diabetic (so a lot worse than type 2) has no issues with Stevia. My partners mother is a type 2 diabetic and has Stevia also no problems.
So on a personal level and a medical one there is just no evidence of what you are quoting to be correct or true.
Thanks for your comment about Stevia.I’m menopausal so no worries in that are but I just don’t like the taste .The sweetners you now use seem more natural too me.And though I’m only one person your recipes and the sweetners you use are why I love your recipes.Got so tired of seeing so many recipes using the other sweetners.One page is called Sweetashoney but doesn’t use honey in the recipes??To each their own and like you said what works for some may not work for others. God bless
I was told to use Stevia in everything because of a diabetes type 2 diagnosis. I wasn’t happy to use and even pointed out that the stuff you buy in the supermarket isn’t natural. What they have done is identify the molecule that gives stevia its sweetness. From there it has been synthesised or man made.
Anyway in the U.K. we have a shop called M&S which sells clothing, housewares and food. Until recently M&S cordial contained no artificial sweeteners, colours or flavouring. It was just ordinary fruit sugars. I bought this because artificial sweeteners are pointless when you drink a glass you need another because of the bitter aftertaste and dry mouth. Not great for a diabetic.
Last week my career said that M&S had changed the packaging and the product now contained Stevia in what should be a cordial without sweeteners etc….l. The reason that the supermarkets and producers have put these sweeteners in is because of a sugar tax. The law was passed and a date was set when drinks would have lower sugar levels. However, what happened was not the sugar tax was meant to do. Instead of lowering sugar over a period of time so that by the time the tax officially became law then there should have been less sugar in the drinks. What did the supermarkets and producers do? Reduced the sugar and then top up the sweetness with artificial sweeteners. Aspartame being the worst offender. Sets off my asthma.
Some producers such as Coca Cola and M&S took the stance that the consumer had a choice and it was upto them to chose. M&S has now broken ranks with the stevia introduction.
Anyway I started to drink the cordial that afternoon and early evening with dinner. Within an hour I had erupted in hives all over my body. Initially I had assumed that it was something I ate or the antibiotic I was on for kidney stones. Anyway I did an exclusion diet to work out what had caused the hives. I stopped the antibiotic, excludes sugarsnap peas and any legumes from that family as I had eaten these with my meal that evening. Next day the hives were worse and got scratched to hell during the night. I thought that I had shingles, no wasn’t that. Then I thought it could be gutate psoriasis as it attacked the same areas I have arthritis with. But stevia rash is setting off a full body reaction and the joints are being affected because the white blood cells are also attacking the arthritis. I would steer clear of the ingredient glycerols of stevia because this is the manmade version of the sweetener.
The last thing was the cordial. As soon as I stopped drinking this the hives started to wane. On one arm the hives disappeared. This morning I am mostly free of hives.
I then read about ragwort sensitivity in which the body incorrectly assumes that you have ingested ragwort and the bodies little helpers go out of their way to get rid of the offending intruders. In the U.K. you can now find ragworts that have been introduced from north and South America.
My gripe is that if this was known why o why isn’t their a medical warning on the products that contain stevia and the other artificial sweeteners like you have with medications. I biologic I took didn’t mention at any point that this medication can cause cancers, make you seriously ill or it could kill you. After my brush with a serious infection that could have killed me, their is now a big sticker on it to say in capitals “THIS MEDICATION CAN KILL YOU”. Now it wasn’t because of my serious illness being reported to the medication regulator onmthr8r yellow book scheme. Apparently I wasn’t the only person to become seriously ill on this medication hence the change. I was left with damaged legs.
What I didn’t understand is that I have used xylitol for a long time no problems except it is very sweet.. nice on strawberries and ice cream. The diabetes nurse I should stay clear of xylitol and Erythritol. Both are natural sugar alcohols obtained from natural sources ie birch trees.
I started using stevia about 2010, I think. I used it religiously for 12 years. I slowly started having issues. Bowls became loose over time, fiber didn’t seem to work, and the kicker was in 2020, I started having major panic attacks where my brain basically told me It’s time to hang it up. For 2 years, I struggled with diet, cutting out things I enjoyed and trying not to end up in the ER again. Doctors were predictably useless and their best advice was for me to get counseling and take anti-anxiety pills, even though I insisted it was something wrong with my gut. At this point, my heart was affected and my ears started ringing constantly. I started to give up hope and believe that maybe my gut was dying. I started reading about all the things I was consuming and what could be causing bad gut problems. Then I found it: a medical journal article on stevia where experiments showed it has a bacterial growth inhibitor effect and that it affected good and bad equally. And I stopped dead in my tracks. I had been dumping this poison into me. It’s been 2 months now and my bowls are becoming more solid, my heart feels normal again and i’ve been having more frequent feel-good days that I haven’t had in years. Stevia is the devil.
Ugh… autocorrect on phone… should be “bowels”
OH MY GOD!, Out of all the responses I’ve made so far on this platform to people, this unbelievable! From the person in the UK to yours! I’ve been have gut issues also and I didn’t realize that stevia also does this. I actually stopped for good a few days ago so now I’m trying to find a way to cleanse it from my system, because my family has used it for several years, now using organic monk sugar that has no Erythritol.
I have been using Stevia and my blood pressure went low and had some heart palpitations so stopped using it.
In 2010 I vowed not to ever use stevia. This was because of a researcher who is evaluating Stevia as to whether it was safe for people. Please for the first days when it was discovered. Well the statement that got me from this medical researcher about Stevia was that ,Stevia grows tumors on rats.” I bought some sugar-free drink and I was drinking it during work. I honestly assumed that it was sucralose in the drink. I only had it for about 3 days but everyday something kept falling on my face. I was talking on the phone and I was like “what is this to keep falling on my face?” I looked down at my desk finally and saw that it was my hair that was, falling, out. He created a bald spot on and on my right temple that I’m only just now filling in with bamboo shoot extract and other treatments 11 years later. It was disturbing because my hair is extremely thick and 4 ft long and I’ve had to wear a headband on my head ever since. I don’t know my hair fell out but maybe Stevia depletes the body of your B complex vitamins because when you are depleted of your B complex vitamins like B1 and B2 your hair falls out. I don’t care my family of crazy thick hair will instantly throw out anything that contain stevia. Side note I went back to Costco and complains about the stevia in the drink and the person who was passing it out as a sample got angry and she’s like “it doesn’t make your hair come out!” Then she took off her baseball cap that was part of her uniform and my child start shaking my arm and said, “Mommy look!” I turned around and looked at her while she had her head off and she had one hair for every quarter of an inch on her head you could see her red scalp I’ve never seen anything like that I seen thin hair but not that thin. That confirmed it for my whole entire family not to ever touch stevia. That’s just my experience.
I have hypothyroidism and tend to steer clear of both gluten and sugar for an optimal feeling of good health. At the beginning of this year, I was introduced to Zevia, the soda that uses stevia as a sweetener. Like you, my tastebuds were not overjoyed initially but what I should have paid attention to is my stomach’s reaction, it didn’t like it, at all. After a mere four weeks of consuming 12 ounces of Zevia per day, every hormonal symptom I’ve ever had with my hypothyroidism came roaring back, including spotting between periods. I haven’t used stevia AT ALL since mid-February and am still experiencing estrogen dominance symptoms during and following ovulation. The first month was ROUGH, the second month unpleasant, I’m hoping by month three of being off it, things will be back to normal. Some might call all that coincidence but I’ve been paying close attention to what my body tells me regarding the food I eat for seven years now and it HATES stevia. Those of you who swear by the organic raw stuff can keep it, I’ll keep my health, thank you.
I had heart arythmia to. I was going to see a cardiologist intill I started noticing after I had stevia it occurred. I discontinued & it stopped completely. I would put it in my coffee then would drink stevia drinks like zero water. I will say daily use of stevia is not good for you. I really liked the flavor but I’ve found Splenda is sweeter with very little.
Hi Megan – this is a great article! Thank you so much! What do use in place of stevia now? Are your cookbooks up to date in regards to ‘no stevia’ in the recipes? It would be very helpful if you explained the quantities you substitute in recipes for ‘sugar’ or ‘stevia’ with whatever you use.
Thank you and best wishes.
Hi Janie! I use sweeteners that do have calories, like coconut sugar, maple syrup, honey, and dates. All of my 3 cookbooks reflect this, since I stopped using stevia before writing my first book. 🙂 Hope you’ll enjoy the recipes!