I believe sugar is the bad guy when it comes to causing inflammation in the arteries, so for years I've used canderel and similar sweeteners

Then I heard about Truvia which is made from Stevia leaves. It was horribly expensive but does anyone know if it is worth the price ?

[Seahorse]

Tesco have their own brand made from Stevia leaves and it's a fraction of the price of Truvia. It looked the same to me. I have heard good things about stevia.

[MikePollard]

Baldly, no!

Why bother?

Don't get me wrong, I'm as susceptible as the next guy to a chocolate eclair, and one occasionally won't hurt me any more than out hunter gatherer ancestors coming across a bees nest and the honey reward would.

It was a treat for them, as is the eclair is for me. The trouble is, we with our sophisticated ways have unlimited access to multitudes of hives and we are being stung as a consequence!

[suki65 in reply to MikePollard]

Rubbish I can't have anything at all with sugar it raises my cholesterol so quickly .trying to find alternatives xylitol seems to be working at the moment everyone is different 

[sandybrown]

Hello,

Sugar, it is in everything!. When I saw in the news paper, cubes of sugar was given on very fruit, fruit drinks and all other products to demonstrate the quantity of sugar, it opened my eyes!. Five a day fruits went our of the window.

Berries are looking good. Have managed to avoid sugar in coffee and tea. Children are now following this. Once in a while like the hunter gatherer I do enjoy some sugary products.

[Penel in reply to sandybrown]

If you are going for 5 a day, best to make it vegetables, but remember that the fibre in fruit means that it does not spike your insulin like table sugar.

[malcolmp in reply to sandybrown]

Where do you get the idea that five a day means five bits of fruit a day.This is a total misconception caused by lumping your five a day as fruit and veg.The correct interpretation is 3 veg to 2 fruit per day.But todays guidance should be closer to 4 to 3 because of the poor quality of the fruit and veg that most people consume.This is due to soil degradation and over storage.

As for stevia it seems to be a safer alternative to sugar than all the other sweeteners on market at the this,which is why a lot of soft drinks companies are taking a lot of interest in putting it in there sodas.

[suki65]

has anyone tried xylitol instead of sugar this is supposed to be better for you

[Hidden]

On a slightly different tack, what exactly is meant by high glycaemic foods. I hear this so often and am never entirely sure what is high and what is low. since my health check [scare!] and discovery of hypertension I have lost way over a stone and my bmi is now 21. I'm fine with that and feel great. What's more after 2 months on Ramipril, [4 weeks of 1.25 and now into the 3rd week of 2.50] my BP appears to have dropped to 124/73. Am off to docs tomorrow so will find out more. My main point is this: I'm not sure but I am attributing the weight loss to low carbs, I haven't eliminated them totally but pasta no longer features and neither does breakfast cereal with milk. Nor do cakes and biscuits feature except in very small amounts. So low starch and sugar [ I know starch turns to sugar anyway]. Instead I have a boiled or poached egg -my neighbours free range ones. I'm sure the NHS eatwell plate wouldn't approve but I think that's a load of rubbish anyway. I feel satisfied until lunchtime and never get a hunger pang so am happy with that. Also we do eat fish, all sorts, at least 3 times a week, often more, and very little red meat. For years and years I have been an on/off member of weightwatchers but fell out with them in January when the pay clerk was sitting there, fat as you like, munching a packet of WW crisps. They must be fine if they have the WW branding mustn't they I suddenly realised that WW was a complete con!

[Penel in reply to Hidden]

Well done with the weight loss, gardengnome. Eliminating breakfast cereal and pasta means that you have taken out processed carbs, lacking in fibre, and possibly full of sugar in the case of the breakfast cereal. Starting the day with protein is a huge plus, we also have eggs in a variety of ways. I have a probiotic yoghurt with fruit and nuts I add myself, if I need something quick. Low carbs have definitely worked for me too, and my husband (after his health scare).

High glycemic food is food that causes a swift, often high insulin response, so it is implicated in causing diabetes, obesity, and also raising LDL cholesterol. High GI food tends to be the "white" food and processed food.

[Penel]

Fructose may be low GI but as an additive it's really bad for your health. It may not raise your insulin but it is metabolised in your liver. Too much will cause non alcoholic fatty liver disease. The stuff is toxic.