My basic knowledge of science told me that to digest and absorb an object would require SOME amount of energy, and that 0 calorie labels must be some sort of marketing trick.

Thanks for clearing things up!

I also use Truvia. Got it at Walmart. But I am addicted to diet pop.

Just a point. Stevia is banned in the UK other than for pharmaceutical use.

Also, no-one responded to my question about Xylitol, which is what I use, has a low GL and is also thought to actively promote healthy teeth. Also goes by name Xylobrit and Xylosweet. Perhaps it’s not available in the US?

Regards

I’m just now reading this a couple of days late, but I wanted to say this is good information to make us stop and ‘think’ instead of mindlessly using these things in quantity. But I also wanted to say Joel, that you are a very good writer. ;) Thanks!

I AM SURE YOU HAVE ANSWERED THIS QUESTION BEFORE, BUT HERE GOES…
DOES SPLENDA CONTRIBUTE TO SUGAR CRAVINGS? THIS IS A HUGE ISSUE FOR ME, IF SO I GUESS I GO COLD TURKEY?
THANKS FOR BEING YOU!

There is a brand of Stevia in California called “truvia,” and it is the purest blend next to 100% Stevia, which can be very expensive; it’s ingredients are: Erythritol, rebiana, natural flavors. (Rebiana is the herbal ‘name’ for Stevia. It contains no calories, but 3 grams of natural carbohydrate, from the 3 grams of Erythritol, which is a natural sugar. If anyone has any other information on it, please advise! THX! :-)

There are some very good points brought up here! It’s always very important to pay attention to what you are putting in your body, as well as how much!

Years ago I always wonder why on packets of 12 cookies in 2cm diameter they labelled as 2 pcs per serving. I don’t think anyone would eat only 2pcs such a haandy food. Abt 1 year ago I came to know about this trick. Because reading the label & comapring the declared serving size is consuming ridiculous time, I changed my diet to 90% fresh foods.

@Alexander – Thanks Alexander, yup, I was referring to using pure stevia – I buy it in one kg bags. The first time I bought it I checked the ingredients list and made sure stevia was the ONLY thing in the bag – mine is produced in India.

Actually, I didn’t know stevia packets mixed with other junk were being sold! Indeed, if you are using those, back to Joel’s great comments: read (and understand) the label!

@anne – Get a US postal address that can re-mail packages to you (like http://www.usglobalmail.com) – Prograde ships to this US address (often free shipping within the US), then you re-ship it to yourself in Australia. I’ve been doing this from Dubai for about a year, costs a bit more on shipping, but allows us non-US residents to get the products we want!