Do you heart soda made with real sugar?

[doodle]

Do you heart soda made with real sugar?

If yes, are you able to find it often? I have found Dew throwback just once by chance at local gas station but don't really know where to look.

 

[hard@work]

I drink throwback from time to time, keep a case of it on hand in case I want a sugar / caffeine spike. Occasionally I do drink something with HFCS but generally avoid it 99.95% of the time. Cut most sodas out of my diet entirely once I realized how they were affecting me both physically and mentally. I'd recommend Jones soda or seltzer and juice if you want a real good pure sugar drink. Otherwise, I'd recommend water. Most people do not understand that in a 24 hour period 1 gallon of water will give them twice as much energy as a six pack of soda.

 

[Chester Copperpot]

it tastes much better but after watching that sugar: the bitter truth video I realize theres no difference in how your body digests either one,... theyre both the same.

 

[AFTFNJ]

No Soda! Grapefruit juce + Apple cider vinegar popping.

 

[Romulus]

yes I love me some throwback. But my wife said the same thing on water - it increases you metabolism.

 

[Kludge]

Couldn't notice a difference between HFCS Dew & Throwback, so I don't really care either way. Both are better than aspartame, at any rate.

 

[ItsTime]

I like the dew throwback, it does not have a shitty after taste like the non sugar one. Im proud to say I have cut back my soda drinking a ton.

 

[chudrockz]

I like the throwback pop, especially the Dr. Pepper and Pepsi. But it's usually so much more expensive than regular, we just don't purchase it.

Chudrockz = cheapskate

 

[Romulus]

I bought a bag of Stevia, but after doing more research, the FDA has not approved the sweetener from the plant in its natural form - only a highly refined version of it. It tastes just like Splenda. So I'm calling BS on it. Sounds like another bait and switch scam so I'm pissed I paid $6 for that bag.

Plus it claims to have the sweetness of 5 lbs of sugar in a little half lb bag, BUT says its 'cup for cup' when using in place of sugar. The whole 'Stevia, Truvia crap is probably just rebranded SPLENDA. It sure taste the same.

 

[jclay2]

I bought a bag of Stevia, but after doing more research, the FDA has not approved the sweetener from the plant in its natural form - only a highly refined version of it. It tastes just like Splenda. So I'm calling BS on it. Sounds like another bait and switch scam so I'm pissed I paid $6 for that bag.

Plus it claims to have the sweetness of 5 lbs of sugar in a little half lb bag, BUT says its 'cup for cup' when using in place of sugar. The whole 'Stevia, Truvia crap is probably just rebranded SPLENDA. It sure taste the same.

From what I have heard, the decision is not decisive on stevia at the moment. I looked into it a little bit a go, as my fiance is a diabetic, and I am still mixed about it.

 

[Romulus]

NutraSweet > Splenda > Stevia

seeing a pattern? It has 0 calories. It's a chemical afaik. Just proceed with caution.

 

[Valli6]

NutraSweet > Splenda > Stevia
seeing a pattern? It has 0 calories. It's a chemical afaik. Just proceed with caution.

Stevia isn't a chemical. It's a plant.

The leaf can be dried and pulverized for use, but products like PureVia and Truvia process it, by extracting the steviol glycosides (the sweet part). It's not bad in coffee, but it doesn't taste as good as real sugar. I think it tastes a little better than the chemical sweeteners.

The only reason it hasn't been around longer, is because the manufacturers of chemical sweeteners kept lobbying to keep the FDA from approving it - even though it's just a leaf. They don't want the competition of a "natural" product. The law that's been used to stifle it's use, is one that was intended for chemically-concocted food additives and shouldn't apply to a dried leaf or herb.

The species Stevia rebaudiana, commonly known as sweetleaf, sweet leaf, sugarleaf, or simply stevia, is widely grown for its sweet leaves. As a sweetener and sugar substitute, stevia's taste has a slower onset and longer duration than that of sugar, although some of its extracts may have a bitter or licorice-like aftertaste at high concentrations.

With its steviol glycoside extracts having up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar, stevia has garnered attention with the rise in demand for low-carbohydrate, low-sugar food alternatives. Because stevia has a negligible effect on blood glucose, it is attractive as a natural sweetener to people on carbohydrate-controlled diets.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia

 

[Andrew-Austin]

About a month ago I tried some sugar sodas for the first time, and they are significantly better, but I've quit sodas altogether since then.

 

[RSLudlum]

Stevia isn't a chemical. It's a plant.

Yes, I have a Stevia plant growing in my garden that I planted 3 years ago and it is once again setting new stems and leaves right now. The leaves are quite sweet freshly picked and a good addition to a cup of tea.

 

[Romulus]

Stevia isn't a chemical. It's a plant.

The leaf can be dried and pulverized for use, but products like PureVia and Truvia process it, by extracting the steviol glycosides (the sweet part). It's not bad in coffee, but it doesn't taste as good as real sugar. I think it tastes a little better than the chemical sweeteners.

The only reason it hasn't been around longer, is because the manufacturers of chemical sweeteners kept lobbying to keep the FDA from approving it - even though it's just a leaf. They don't want the competition of a "natural" product. The law that's been used to stifle it's use, is one that was intended for chemically-concocted food additives and shouldn't apply to a dried leaf or herb.

I know, but what's on the shelves at the store, named 'Stevia' is not from the plant.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stevia/AN01733

Stevia is an herb native to South America. The leaf of the stevia plant contains compounds that give it sweetness. It's not actually stevia itself that has approval for use as a sugar substitute but rather only certain highly refined stevia preparations that contain rebaudioside A — an important distinction to be aware of when you're looking at stevia products.

Sugar substitutes are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as food additives. The FDA has declared certain highly refined stevia preparations as "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS), which means that they can be used as sugar substitutes. These highly refined stevia extracts may cause mild side effects, such as nausea or a feeling of fullness.

So while the FDA has not approved the plant, they've approved a highly refined synthetic version. Big surprise there!

 

[Valli6]

I know, but what's on the shelves at the store, named 'Stevia' is not from the plant. ... So while the FDA has not approved the plant, they've approved a highly refined synthetic version. Big surprise there!

Yeah, finding out that Truvia is made by Cargill/Coca Cola, and PureVia is made by PepsiCo, does make me concerned about what goes on during "processing". I hope to grow my own, and plan to do some research to find out how I could process it for use myself, maybe using some traditional herbal method of extraction - (assuming that makes it taste better, as I've heard). According to wikipedia:

"This crude extract contains about 50% rebaudioside A; its various glycoside molecules are separated via crystallization techniques, typically using ethanol or methanol as solvent."

I have read that you can use Everclear (95% alcohol - legal in 28 states) for an herb-processing solvent. And this interesting old book (Fenner's…) from 1888 explains some ways to process plant materials for use.
(pdf of Parts I and 2)
http://www.swsbm.com/Fenners/Complete Formulary-1-2.pdf
(other pdfs covering Parts III-VI; lots of great info
http://www.swsbm.com/HOMEPAGE/HomePage.html

Back on the topic of sugar-soda, I've been buying Pepsi Throwback which is available sporadically in my area. At first, I felt it was not addictive like the HFC kind, and I actually seemed to lose a few lbs when I switched- but now I find this isn't totally the case. I'll have to lose this habit too! :o I have to have something to drink throughout the day besides water - I'm thinking real lemonade with stevia might be a satisfying alternative.

 

[hard@work]

Well, I don't know if you have all considered dropping soda and all sugar drinks completely - but you should. It's one of the best things you can do for your health and believe it or not your mental well being. Sugar drinks, including fruit juices (not in high moderation), are a huge source of calories with no nutritional content. Half to a full gallon of water a day should be an average intake for most people.

I know the idea of leaving behind liquid candy is absurd to a lot of people. But you are maintaining or adding tens of pounds of fat to your body per year, that's a fact.

/endpreaching

 

[Romulus]

Yeah, finding out that Truvia is made by Cargill/Coca Cola, and PureVia is made by PepsiCo, does make me concerned about what goes on during "processing". I hope to grow my own, and plan to do some research to find out how I could process it for use myself, maybe using some traditional herbal method of extraction - (assuming that makes it taste better, as I've heard). According to wikipedia:

I have read that you can use Everclear (95% alcohol - legal in 28 states) for an herb-processing solvent. And this interesting old book (Fenner's…) from 1888 explains some ways to process plant materials for use.
(pdf of Parts I and 2)
http://www.swsbm.com/Fenners/Complete Formulary-1-2.pdf
(other pdfs covering Parts III-VI; lots of great info
http://www.swsbm.com/HOMEPAGE/HomePage.html

Back on the topic of sugar-soda, I've been buying Pepsi Throwback which is available sporadically in my area. At first, I felt it was not addictive like the HFC kind, and I actually seemed to lose a few lbs when I switched- but now I find this isn't totally the case. I'll have to lose this habit too! :o I have to have something to drink throughout the day besides water - I'm thinking real lemonade with stevia might be a satisfying alternative.

I just don't trust what they are pushing as 'Stevia'. It's a bait and switch. Nutrasweet 3.0.

Anyway, I just use sugar and drink lemonade or kool aid all day. Ive cut out HFCS and I'm not 'hungry' and 'snacking' all day. Its great.

Plus I'm taking in tons of water too.. so its a win win the way I see it. Remember the sugar industry is an import so thats why you have all these other industries like HFCS, etc up against it.

 

[Zippyjuan]

Check the label for anything with Stevia. Many are using other artificial sweetners with it. I am with the "just skip sodas" crowd. Too much sugar is not better than too much artifical (or other) sweetners.

Even TruVia and Pruvia don't have the stevia extract as their first ingredient. That is Erythritol. They also include "natural flavors" whatever that is.

 

[Dr.3D]

For those who don't know, water is a chemical as is everything we eat and drink. Everything is made of chemicals.