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?
Thank you for this post. I have never heard that stevia could potentially stop your period. Im 48 so it has alo ed down but I wonder if I would have them more often if I stopped using stevia and if the stevia could be pushing me towards menopause earlier. With proper food combining, how would you sweeten a green smoothie? I usually put avocado, lemon, ginger, celery, parsley, red lettuce, cilantro and cucumber in my vitamin with a little liquid stevia. Dates would not be good for food combining and honeubhas too much sugar. Maybe xylitol or do I have to go with none? I try not to add oranges because of the sugar.
Any advice would be very helpful!
Thanks!
Honey has too much sugar I meant.
Fruit and greens can be properly combined in a smoothie, so I add fruits for natural sweetness. I wouldn’t be scared of the sugar in an orange. I feel like you’d be missing out on a great source of vitamins and minerals if you avoid fruit. Have you seen the studies I’ve referenced in my fruit post? There was one where participants consumed 20 pieces of fruit a day with no negative side effects. I’ve found that eating fruit keeps me mentally calmer when it comes to making food choices, without obsessing about what I’m going to eat next, so I feel best when I embrace it.
https://detoxinista.com/should-you-limit-your-fruit-intake/
Thank you so much for your reply and I just read your post on fruit. I thought fruit should be eaten on an empty stomach (Body Ecology Diet? I see in your food combining chart that we should pick from one category and then combine with veggies, so you think it’s ok to add both avocado and another fruit to my green smoothie? I do eat fruit, but usually I try to have it as an early morning or afternoon snack on an empty stomach. Thanks again!
Yes, avocado is technically a fruit and combines in several categories (starch and fruit), and leafy greens can be added to anything.
Wow, I found your Stevia story very interesting .
I have never been an artificial sweetener user and when Stevia came out I was skeptical.
I’ve seen it in small doses here & there, a high-end protein powder and turmeric gold milk….
It’s used a lot in the leaf form as you to be an actual way to kill the bacteria of Lyme disease
(Which I have)
But I had always heard of the false sugars having a back lash to our insulin as you also pointed out.
So, I completely agree w your decision to stop using or not ever using it as a sugar substitute.
Thank you!
I also recently stopped all wild blueberries and raspberries in my coconut milk and whey protein smoothies because all sugars including bananas, blueberries etc ..feed Lyme.
I read what you wrote about blueberries detoxing the heavy metals from the brain and body.
Heavy metal removal is key in detoxification of Lyme disease.
I’ve been feeling worse after stopping my blueberries and raspberries.
I started making unsweetened coconut milk and 1 green banana with rolled oats + my usual cinnamon, chia, flaxseed ing
They taste ok. I had heard green bananas aren’t as sweet as rupee ones ????
But your description of bananas and wild blueberries changed my entire look at what the Lyme diet should be.
I have really had worsened brain cognition since stopping my blueberry and normal banana use.
Do you have a specific Lyme diet?
I wish you did…. 😉
You’ve really grasped the whole detox idea.
I was drinking a detox tea and stopped so I haven’t been certain what is makingme feel so bad.
You think those teas don’t really work?
I’m so glad I found you!
I stopped my Calicum Magnesium supplements too.
Just for lack of money only.
I know its a good supplement.
I really am having a difficult time with my memory…
It feels worse w o blueberries and my usual supplements, does that make sense to you?
Thank you so much for your great advice and explanation.
Carolyn Hamilton
I’m glad you’re finding the posts helpful! I’m not an expert on Lyme disease, but perhaps you’ll find this episode useful from Medical Medium: https://soundcloud.com/medicalmedium/medical-medium-lyme-disease
(He’s responsible for my love of wild blueberries and celery juice!)
I am so glad to have found your site!
That sounds unusual… I’ve been sugar free and using stevia for over a year now and I’ve had none of the mentioned problems. The only thing that happened since I’m on a AIP (SF, DF, GF), is that I was craving sweets and carbs because I cut them off. My body didn’t have the usual fuel and the non-carbs food didn’t leave me feeling full. So I had to find proteins and put them in all my meals to feel full (thanks for powdered proteins!). But after a few months, it’s been all good. I still crave sugar every now and then (especially before my periods, it’s always been that way), but nothing I would find alarming.
Since I need to be on an AIP diet for health reasons (not because I want to), I trust that my doctor, who has treated lots of people with my condition has done a lot of research on whether or not Stevia was alright. Elaine Gotschall has a lot of what ifs. While I always doubt everything a little, if she has to make such bold claims, she should back it up or we might see yet another ban on alternative sugar products like Stevia went through years ago.
It is entirely possible you are reacting to it, I don’t want to diminish that claim, just like some people are allergic to things most of us aren’t allergic to. Trust your gut. But part of me still feels like we could have done without the “maybes” of Elaine Gotschall… It can create fear where there’s none.
You weren’t actually using stevia though but a stevia extract. Or was it Truvia or something like that? Not the same as the plant stevia. It definitely sounds like you were using way too much too.
Correct, I wasn’t eating the plant. And it was not Truvia. I was using it in a way that many other people do, so that’s why I shared my experience with it. A lot of people choose the convenience of stevia in packet form or the liquid drops, like I did, but like I mentioned in my post, I’m sure using it straight from the plant would be different.
I’m wondering if you have tried “Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener with Erythritol” and what your experiences are. I bought a bag and made some hot fudge sauce. Just tasting it, it tastes good to me with no aftertaste.
Monkfruit and Stevia are chemically similar. Stevia is a diterpene glycoside and the monkfruit is a triterpene glycoside. If one has sensitivity to stevia, they will likely experience it from monkfruit as well, as the body sees them as similar.
Whoa: “It’s also worth noting that some cultures may have once considered stevia a form of birth control.”
Many points hit home for me:
• dependency
• my concept of “nourishment”
• my tendency to cope through restriction and control over said “nourishment”
• Hypothalamic Amenorrhea for 12 years
Thank you for this post.
Stevia is always adulterated. Nothing comes as stevia 100% pure. Always read the label before buying. So now I grow my own and have no problems
Can you please tell me what kind of stevia you were using when this happened? Did it contain anything other than stevia?
I ask because I just started the Trim Healthy Mama diet and they rely heavily on stevia, but they say that the kind they use is very pure and safe.
Since we are trying to conceive, this is important.
Thank you for any help you can provide.
Best,
Melissa
I used NuNaturals brand most often. Their powder has no additives, and the liquid uses vegetable gycerin as a preservative. If I were to try stevia again, I would personally only stick to the green powdered form and make sure there were no additives. Or even better if I could grow a plant and just use the fresh leaves.
Megan I really appreciate your reply. I’m enjoying your site and have just ordered one of your cookbooks. Can’t wait for it to arrive 🙂
I appreciate and resonate with your words…I have never been able to get on the stevia train because it tastes overly (sickeningly) sweet to me. Your symptoms/side effects from its usage are interesting.
Wow, this is surprisingly amaizing. I use Stevia leaves for sweetness and a natural concentrated molasses form for drinks every once in a while, but I think the real problem always is the processed versions of everything. Processed means added chemicals and for me at least I go organic and natural form all the way, just like nature intended us to take it anyways, because she is our mother after all… Thank you for this post, it is eye-opening.
I’m not a stevia addict but I do use the liquid drops when I start to feel guilty anot sugar intake. I’m not as concerned about my cycle as I am anot managing my autoimmune disease, which is directly correlated with hormones. So, good to learn from your article that I may benefit from eliminating it all together. Thank you for the info!
I also stopped haveing my cycle too, but I blamed it on keto. But unlike you I’m thrilled it stopped. Im 42 don’t want kids and hate hate hate my periods!
Hello Megan! I am a graduate of Dr.T.Colin Campbell’s Center for Nutrition Studies & eCornell’s Plant based nutrition courses. I have my certificate in plant based nutrition. I highly recommend some of your readers educate themselves on what a “real scientific study is”, as many people seem to quote this like the bible to prove their points, making themselves look uneducated or misinformed as many studies out there are paid for by the food companies to “prove” whatever they want us to believe.There is little real science behind them. Dr. Campbells book, The China Study will help anyone wade through the huge amount of misinformation out there from food, environment, diseases,, pharmaceutical/supplement, “scientific study” industry etc. This study is the largest and most comprehensive health and nutrition study ever conducted in the entire world. He has decades of research-studies in the thousands that say the same thing over and over again-the truth never changes, but the people wanting your money will change it to suit what they are trying to to sell! That is why we think “why is it healthy one day and bad for us the next?” Because it is how the food industry works to confuse you. Any group of real studies that can prove beyond a doubt what they are trying to feed you is harmful is not going to be met without resistance by them…and the counter-study is born….with nothing scientific about it. Which hurts genuine scientific studies.
The food industry wants to confuse us, they want to cloud the truth with their biased, “pop science” studies. I rarely comment anymore about these things, I know better now and so can everyone else. Get the book! Or read about Dr. T. Colin Campbell who is a true leader in nutrition-he is a renowned researcher and biochemist.
That rant was not against stevia, but the food/health industry in general. My job is to educate people, but it is tough with all the brain washing going on these days. We need more people like Megan for one thing. 🙂
Megan, you are right on the money with what you say here. I loved Stevia also, but in my courses I learned how to sift through all the garbage to find out what studies are sound and long term as well. Stevia is not a wonder food, all things in moderation to be sure. But there are some experts who are concerned, as there have been NO LONG TERM STUDIES (I repeat, no long term studies) YET ON THE SAFETY OF STEVIA. And some trusted names in the health field who have nothing to gain money wise have their radar up, and say we need to study this more carefully over the long term due to the things they are only starting to learn about the long term use of this plant. Everyone jumps on the bandwagon too soon, and I think we should at least agree there does need to be long term studies, which always gives us a clearer, more accurate picture of the safety of anything.
I consumed stevia for many years, in different forms -which can also make it unsafe in certain forms I am discovering-learn about your types of stevia and how it is taken from the plant-even the “experts” who promote stevia agree there. I am an actual healthy person-I don’t get sick, no colds, never an ache or pain (I am a 51 year old fit vegetarian).After a year of kidney pain and many tests later, including a CT scan-NOTHING was found.But something was irritating my kidney, on the right side. I do not eat overly processed food, I manly eat all whole,fresh foods and home grown veg, and fruit for me. So I knew it wasn’t that. I drink only water and teas. I started being more careful, and eliminating some types of tea over a month (even natural things can be bad sometimes too) and nothing.
I eliminated the stevia finally, for a month as well. Well, bingo! I noticed a big change after 2 weeks. By week four my kidney was not bothering me anymore. I loved Stevia, but I didn’t consume a lot of it. But, I did consume it EVERY day with my 2-3 cups herbal tea. So it just goes to show, there are many such stories like mine out there if you start looking around. So down the road when our doctors start keeping track of this, that will prompt a long term study, or maybe even be part of one. Although I am reading there may be one gong on soon. Everyone is different, but if you do an unbiased look around, you will read of some red flags with stevia use. Some ways of manufacturing it are not safe, so do some research on that if you are someone who wants to use it.
I am sorry for writing a novel here, but Megan is doing a good thing letting others know this information. As a health coach, I wanted to add to it after reading some of the comments postedhere. So if you have some of the issues mentioned in her message, or like me you have an ache/pressure/sometimes an uncomfortable pain in the kidney’s…..listen to your body and start the process of eliminating things over a 30 day period-you might be suprised! Always go to your doctor first of course to rule out a serious condition. It has been months now and my kidney is fine, and I stay away from Stevia altogether after what I went through. I have read of people complaining of headaches and body aches too until they stopped taking it. Maybe a teeny amount every few days or so would not bother me at all, but I am not going to chance it. So thank you Megan for braving the masses by posting your (intelligent) truth. The un-truths surrounding food today are unbelievable and annoying to those of us who make nutrition our way of life, and all because companies for the most part just want our money and use every trick in the book to get it. Sadly, many, many people buy into the misinformation. And so they unknowingly do “free advertising” for these unscrupulous companies with their ignorance.
We need to educate ourselves against the mis-information that most of the food industry tries to “force feed” us, (no pun intended), and achieve our optimal health by learning what exactly optimal health really is. Knowledge is power, and a little goes a long, long way….
I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment. I commented above on side effects from stevia (took a few days for me to figure out the cause), and on cessation, the symptoms (cardiac arrhythmias) went away. Of note, I’m an MD, and was able to pick up the arrhythmias at work. My father is a retired PhD food scientist who briefly studied stevia and monkfruit prior to retirement. The industry did not do much human ‘testing’ as stevia is a ‘natural’ product. Monkfruit and stevia are chemically similar, so if one has adverse effects from one, they likely will with the other.
Please share comment, what type of stevia that you are using.
I am using natural stevia leaf. After 3 months, i dont have craving and other problems yet. Daily dosage : 6- 15 leaves.
Thanks
I hate the taste of stevia.
The world is obsessed.
So hard to find powder
Drinks of any type that doesn’t
Add it. Completely frustrated by
It. I would rather have
Something completely unsweetened
And add what ever sweetener
I wish to add.
Thanks for the blog. I was looking for a sugar-free natural sweetner for electrolyte drinks at home. (One which didn’t affect gut bacteria like sucralose.) Shortly after trying several preparations of Stevia, I had palpitations and dizziness. I’m a physician, and checked my EKG; I had developed runs of short VTach, which were extremely concerning. Took me a few days to associate this with Stevia (“its natural!!”) and stop use. All the arrhythmias went away with cessation. I ended up having a further cardiac workup (lab work, stress echo), which revealed no heart issues. It was all the stevia. Of note, Monkfruit is chemically similar to stevia. I think some are much more sensitive to stevia than others, but really, best to just retrain the palate to avoid sweeteners in general. I am.
I’m trying to recover from HA and can completely relate to this article. There isn’t much research on stevia as it hasn’t been mainstream for as long as other sweeteners. Once I acclimated my tastebuds to stevia other sweets didn’t cut it. How long did it take to adjust to normal sweet tastes? Do you prefer honey, maple syrup, or table sugar to sweeten the daily tea?
It doesn’t take long for your taste buds to adjust– maybe 1 to 2 weeks? I prefer dates for sweetness when I can use them, like in the case of my Earl Grey latte here: https://detoxinista.com/london-fog/
I was wondering if stevia contained caffeine because every time I took it I would have difficulty falling asleep.
Stevia I can’t stand the after taste
OMG thank you for posting this! I switched to stevia two years ago, at the height of my ‘health’. I was down to 15% BF, doing IF, and cyclical keto carb cycling. And working out fasted 2x a day. I’m far from that now and my binge eating, which yes, I did every so often growing up, has now gotten worse and worse and worse. I relate to the chocolate thing – I sometimes eat half a bar a day because I’m just not satisfied or I’m anxiously needing to eat something sweet. I’m cutting out stevia TODAY and hoping this will help. Thank you.
reading these comments has been an eye-opener. I switched to stevia about a year ago for dental reasons. I read this blog post after a search for gallstones issues with stevia. I am having horrible nausea every day, often affecting my sleep. it’s an issue that goes along with gallstones, but also seems to be related to something I am consuming. also I have the bumpy itchy skin that someone mentioned, and have felt parched at times, very dry mouth, especially when sleeping, which was mentioned by another commenter.
I think I’ll cut the stevia out now and see what happens. there’s also the possibility that soya milk is the cause, but I’ve been drinking that for years with no particular issues.
been off the stevia for over a week now. The strong feelings of nausea I was getting passed after two days. Can’t believe it was the sweetener that was making me feel so bad. Would never go back!
your period loss was coincidental. There is absolutely nothing wrong with stevia. I’ve been using it for years and did NOT find it addictive. It does not affect my hormone balance,
And while stevia may show an increase in insulin, ALL foods do, and it actually scientifically is shown to decrease insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is the precursor to diabetes. Insulin is SUPPOSED to show up when we eat things because it helps process the foods we eat. I want to encourage you to do some actual research on actual studies, not just rely on some person who says it “looks similar to” a steroid, or anecdotal stuff. a little knowledge , without the rest of the story, can be a dangerous thing.. or just cause unnecessary fears
Except that substituting stevia for calories could cause enough fat loss to stop periods. I missed mine for years when I was just too thin, sans stevia.
Stevia is ANTI hyperglycemic according to studies. So while yes it raises insulin as ALL food consumption should do, it also helps prevent insulin resistance. There are at least two, probably more, studies which show this to be true.
“It is postulated that the Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni plant could benefit the community medicinally through several different pathways, all eventually leading to its anti-hyperglycemic qualities” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3845826/
I also had this problem from taking too much stevia. The only research I could find said whole stevia was worse than the extract for reducing fertility. This research on fenugreek has one section in the discussion(p4 of 6) which talks about stevia. https://bit.ly/33gyUKV
Thank you so much for sharing!
Hi. I’ve been using stevia for many years, since 2009 both as a liquid drop and more recently, growing the plant and drying leaves. Prior to using stevia I was extremely ill with many mysterious health challenges, like so many of us these days. The stevia was a lifesaver for me, as I cut out starchy foods, legumes, grains and then finally realised fruit was causing all sorts of problems in my life. Even lemon juice!
I had dreadfully heavy periods every 3 weeks for 44 years (except when pregnant and fully breastfeeding of course) , and the stevia did not alter this in any way, had happily birthed four children and finished breastfeeding by the time I began stevia. Gratefully I slid into menopause with no issues.
I do not crave sweet things more with having stevia but less. Nor do I crave stevia. Before trying stevia I researched A LOT, and was convinced this was something I should try.
Two years ago, I did an entire month without stevia and then reintroduced it, there was nothing interesting or otherwise to report.
As to daily use, I have about four hot drinks per day with stevia drops. For my sweet treat (as I cannot tolerate anything sweeter than organically home grown veg) I make a “Fudge” from nuts, coconut oil, 100% stevia powder and cacao. Buzzed up in the elderly vitamix (23 years and counting) and freeze the mixture in silicon molds.
As I am able to dry the stevia leaves from the plants, I add that to hot water for a herb tea. I have to be careful with lots of other herbal leaves as they have a delayed effect. For instance, lemon balm, the most gentle of all system calmers, takes more than 8 hours to work in my system. If I have a cup of lemon balm tea at night, the next morning I cannot get up!
To nourish my system I had to convert from a 100% plant based diet as I was extremely ill, and to work out what my body needed for nourishment. I thrive on vegetables, nuts, coconut, and stocks and broths and natural fats, a little avocado is ok as is a little coconut milk. Not soy, it seems to aggravate things, unless it is cultured as in miso. Eggs occasionally.
This is the healthiest I have been my entire life. Especially in the warm summer temperatures, when I my energy returns!
I hope my experience with stevia adds to the interesting conversation and discussion. The most important thing I have learned in 47 years of trying to gain good health is that EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT. No matter that you LOVE the idea of being say, vegan. Your body might not like that. If you crave the idea of being Keto, but your body wants starches, then you had better listen! Also, food and drink is just one factor for all of us. Let us thankfully remember all the other healing gifts we have from our Creator: Sunshine, Love, Fresh Air, Clean Water, the ability to be physically active in some way, the ability to choose to walk away from substances and habits that are harming us, and to forgive ourselves and others as we are forgiven. Aroha
I have been using stevia for 8 months. I buy organic packets at Wegmans. I haven’t had any side effects whatsoever. So, perhaps because everyone is different, it wont be the same on everyone. I was told by my Lyme Dr and my Holistic Dr, to drink as much as I want , that it kills bacteria and Lyme hates it!!
I had a severe reaction to Stevia. Hives covered my body, cramps, shivering as if I were running a fever, and, opposite of you, my period started. I feel there should be a pregnancy warning. I’m not sure if I were pregnant that I would not have lost the baby.
As I’m drinking a cup of coffee with stevia, first time using it, I read “some cultures have used it as a form of birth control” I proceed to dump my coffee out right away, yes I get it, everyone’s body is different but I am not messing with THAT, I have a27 month old beautiful little girl, I am 38 and still need to find prince charming lol annnd I’d like at another beautiful child one day so thank you very much, I appreciate you. Hugs from Canada 🤗🇨🇦😘❤️
hot Flashes. Night sweats. Leg cramps. Moodiness. All stopped when I quit stevia! It’s a hormone and it messed me up!!
So what do you use as a sweetener?
Dates, fruit, honey, maple syrup, and coconut sugar. No zero-calorie sweeteners.
Liquid Stevia use GLICERINE as carrier, which is very sweet.
I discovered spraying rose water and glicerine over my face, my lips tasted very sweet. That is why switching from powder to liquid stevia , gave me headache.
I’m speed reading this as I have a few seconds before another kid finds me, but the lack of a period seems more linked to testosterone dominance and a hormone disruption. I’m very curious if this is linked to women with insulin resistance and PCOS. I remember seeing stevia banned on the PCOS diet within a book on reversing PCOS. Anyone with PCOS know of a study or link between the two?
HAve you found any new research against Stevia and its effects on estrogen? I have had ammenoria for 2 years. Now taking it seriosuly i am trying to build body fat. I also think that stevia may be effecting it hugley. I amnow begining ot omit from my diet.
All the stevia I have seen is also combined with artificial sweeteners, alcohol sugars like erithritol etc and I even saw one with glucose as the added ingredient. I don’t know about other people but any of those artificial sweeteners fill me up with gas till I feel like a hot air balloon and am not fit to be in public till the effects wear off. And I agree that eating really sweet things just makes you crave it all the more. The only time I am able to lose weight and feel clear headed and healthy is when I ditch sweets almost entirely. The old saying There’s no such thing as a free lunch unfortunately is true. Just found out about your site and looking forward to trying some recipes.
Stevia is dangerous… I recently went to the er after I had an episode where I couldnt remember my daughters name or some simple words. My brain couldnt sort it out, it’s hard to explain. Anyways the dr said everything looked great w my blood and ct scan. For some reason I felt like it was the zevia I drank everyday… I was up to having 4 cans a day! I did some research and turns out stevia can cause brain problems. I thought I had a stroke! Be careful..it is addicting!
Interesting read on Stevia. My intuition has always said to stay away from it. Now I’m wondering if you have any comments or information on PURE monk fruit. Not the stuff with additives.
My gut-instinct is to stay away from any sugar substitute with zero calories, but I haven’t had the chance to research monk fruit yet. I personally only use sweeteners that do have calories, like dates, honey, and maple syrup.
This is so interesting! A few days ago I swapped out the junk food sugar like Reese’s for natural “healthy” chocolate bars with just cacao and stevia. I also started putting a few drops in Lifeway plain kefir. Prior to this I was having mild night sweats and hot flashes (I’m 52), but for the past 3 days they increased greatly! I’m having hot flashes all day long now! The only thing I changed was adding in lots of stevia throughout the day, and removing most of my regular cane sugar sweets. So I googled if Stevia affected hormones…and came across your article. I would have never guessed it, but it appears it’s likely the cause of my increased night sweats and hot flashes and for sure is having a hormonal effect on me! I’m going to stop today..after finishing up the chocolate bar I still have left. Thanks for sharing!!
Hi, and thanks so much for an interesting article on a subject few people are addressing! For me, nearly every sweetener causes me to feel nauseous and get a headache, including this nstural darling called stevia. So I do my best to avoid it. There has only been one source I’ve been able to tolerate, and that is a superfruit juice infusion from Young Living called Ningxia Red. Perhaps their stevia ingredient is less processed than other stevia-zweetened drinks on the market? As a distributor, I’m planning to explore this. Thanks again. Tonight was my 1st try with coconut flour, and your recipes helped me understand what was going on with my banana spice bread! However, i only used it for about 1/3 of my total flour needed. The rest was Einkhorn. Btw, what is your favorite einkhorn flour?
After giving up Stevia, did you find you had to budget your calories (eg. eat less) to maintain the same weight?
I think it sort of balanced itself out once I started eating more fruit. The fruit made me have less cravings all around, so I wasn’t eating as much at night or reaching for extra snacks/treats. In general, I just stopped thinking about food (and sugar) a lot less, which has been really nice!
Stevia had negative effects in my family: My 8-year old got super dry eyes and unquenchable thirst. I started having heart arrhythmia! Probably both problems are because stevia is a natural diuretic, so I was draining my body’s magnesium and other electrolytes. We’re fine now!
Have any your clients noticed any differences in their menstrual cycles from sucralose? Also, hear of anyone getting long periods from Stevia use? I discussed this with my doctor and she was not concerned. I am 47 years old. I dont use artificial sweeteners often but noticed they are in some things that I consume.
What was your base ingredients included in your bottle of stevia?
You may add heart palpitations and stomach aches to your list of stevia side effects.
The NJ Diet required only Stevia as a sweetener. After a few months, I found myself
getting an EKG for heart palpitations, and seeing my internist about a chronic tummy
ache. I was deemed fine but then decided to google “stevia stomach aches” and I found
that stevia can cause those AND rapid heartbeat. I gave it up immediately and all went away.
I just went off stevia a few days ago. I loved Splendid and used it to excess for a long time, finally stopping because I got a terrible bladder disease some experts think might be linked to Splenda use. So I started using stevia and loved it. The same as you, I started using more and more. Oddly I was gaining weight while still walking at least 5 miles a day and eating very healthy. So I decided to stop the stevia. My cravings are far less now, my food more satiating, and I really don’t miss the sweet taste in my green tea. I’m glad I stopped.
You were using liquid Stevia ? Check the bottle. If it’s not over 300 times sweeter than sugar, it’s a mix of OTHER sweeteners and a tiny bit of Stevia. Check the ingredients and I’ll bet Stevia isn’t listed first. It’s not the Stevia that’s giving you those symptoms.
Thank you for your post. I, too, was told that stevia was the ONLY safe sweetener on the candida diet, and I had HORRIBLE side effects… even so-called healthy protein powders did a number on my digestive system (extreme bloating, itchy skin, immediate yeast infection, headaches, irritability, etc) that would last for SEVERAL DAYS after consuming even a small amount. By small amount, I mean a single scoop of protein powder. Doctors should NOT recommend stevia to ANY patients because I never, in my life, experienced such disastrous effects with sugar from a banana or any other natural sweetener like honey or maple syrup or any fruit for that matter. Stevia is a DANGEROUS substance that our bodies cannot break down.
Yes, I have used stevia for 3 yrs, going on 4. It was great in the beginning, because I am allergic to other sweeteners and sugar tends to cause me to have more pain and inflammation. Just recently my spasms has gotten aggressively worse and found that once of my medications was causing the additional aggravation. After stopping that medication and recovering, the spasms kicked back up. Then I decided to research Stevia and boom, it mentioned steroidal affects. Immediately realizing that I am allergic to steroids, I stopped the Stevia and the spasms started calming down. My main question now is, “how do I detox from Stevia”.
Thank you so much for your article. I started using Stevia, Monkfruit and Erythritol about 4 months ago and cut out sugar, but have maintained the same overall level of carbs as I was eating before, but now only eat unrefined carbs and lots of vegetables – definitely the healthiest I’ve ever eaten. But I have found that my sugar cravings are worse than ever & I’ve found that at first I needed 4 stevia drops in my coffee and now I’m up to needing 12…and I missed my period last month for the first time in my life. Could be coincidence but the fact that I’m craving sweets more than ever alone is enough for me to say goodbye to all these so-called natural & healthy sweeteners.
Did you notice any lip swelling or blisters while using stevia?