Any doctors out there? Another question about stevia.

[vmartennis]

Well, still looking for an Atkins-friendly doc.. Every once in a while I will read in a blog where someone found a doc that is educated in Atkins and agrees with him. Where are these docs? Any in California? Bay Area?
So, I'm wondering about Stevia. I know it is not considered an "artificial sweetener", but a plant that is processed into powder or liquid. I also have learned that Stevia does not change blood sugar levels. Sugar and other sweeteners and artificial sweeteners do. I wonder if Dr. Atkins would approve of more than 3 packets a day. I don't see Stevia mentioned in DANDR....only Splenda which is a derivative of cane sugar. What do you all think? Veronica

[Georgiana]

Re: Any doctors out there? Another question about stevia.

I also have learned that Stevia does not change blood sugar levels. Sugar and other sweeteners and artificial sweeteners do.

Not exactly... Studies suggest that erythritol doesn't either.

I wonder if Dr. Atkins would approve of more than 3 packets a day. I don't see Stevia mentioned in DANDR....only Splenda which is a derivative of cane sugar. What do you all think?

If you want to use more than 3 packets of stevia in one day, I think you have a sweet tooth that needs to be starved. 3 packets of stevia have the sweetness of 2 tbsp (6 tsp) of sugar. That's a lot of sweetness there!

All sweeteners are limited to 3 packets per day. This includes stevia sweeteners.

[vmartennis]

Re: Any doctors out there? Another question about stevia.

I have used stevia in the past but it wasn't in packets. It was in a jar. I remember using two quick taps of the jar into my coffee. It is incredibly sweet, you don't need much. I didn't realize that stevia packets were so sweet. If I were using white sugar I would only use a teaspoon for coffee. So I don't really require a lot of sweetness. I'll see how it goes. I have found, miraculously, that I can look at sweets and not be tempted. My sugar craving seems to be virtually absent. I use Splenda for my coffee (1 1/2 packets per 12 or so ozs. of mostly decaf coffee) and I drink diluted pure cranberry juice, no sugar added type..(8 ozs. of water or seltzer water to one T of cranberry juice...which is very concentrated and bitter) with a packet of Splenda. Coffee and crn. juice are two beverages I hope I won't have to give up but they are so bitter w/o sweetener. I am not familiar with erythritol. What is it?
Has anyone tried soy milk for their coffee? Very low carb content. Don't know a/b taste though. I am trying to find a type of creamer that is even less than 1 gram per T, such as cream. Maybe soy... we'll see. Thanks for your help. V

[atkinsgal08]

Re: Any doctors out there? Another question about stevia.

Cranberry juice isn't allowed on Induction.

Soy milk isn't allowed on Induction.

Heavy cream is 0.1425 net carbs per Tbs. and is allowed ... 2-3 Tbs. per day.

Erythritol is a sugar alcohol:

Erythritol - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Georgiana]

Re: Any doctors out there? Another question about stevia.

I drink diluted pure cranberry juice

Cranberry juice? On Induction? Did you check the Acceptable Foods List in DANDR?

Has anyone tried soy milk for their coffee?

Soy milk is not allowed on Induction. See the Acceptable Foods List.

[liv]

Re: Any doctors out there? Another question about stevia.

For doctors you may want to check here
List Of Low-Carb Doctors

[atkinsgal08]

Re: Any doctors out there? Another question about stevia.

Maybe it's the use of the word "Atkins" that makes the doctor "unfriendly". It's quite possible that the doctor doesn't have a clue what "doing Atkins" is!

What doctor wouldn't agree that eating whole, unprocessed foods, no sugar, no refined carbohydrates, heart healthy fats, lots of vegetables, low glycemic fruits was a good way of eating?

[Aways2Go]

Re: Any doctors out there? Another question about stevia.

For those on rung 3 (nuts), you can try plain unsweetened almond milk for coffee cream. If you aren't making your own, watch the label for additives. What I have right now has 1 carb per 8 ounce cup, so for a few tablespoons in a couple cups of coffee, the carbs would be rather minimal. I have not noticed any stall in weight loss related to use of almond milk thus far, even after drinking a cup of it just as a test a few times. I'm not a big fan of soy milk as most soybeans grown in the U.S. are genetically modified unless you are buying organic, plus I am not at all convinced of the overall health benefits of unfermented soy products and try to avoid them in any large amounts or with any regularity.

Admittedly, almond milk is much more watery and does not provide the thick richness of regular cream. I probably use twice as much almond milk in one cup of coffee than I would with cream. However, I was having a little too much cream and cheese daily (a combined total of about 3 ounces a day seems to be a limit for me right now to still lose consistently) and find this an easy way to trim that back... as long as it turns the coffee some lighter color I can deal with it, LOL!

I have used stevia in both liquid and powder forms for years - I don't like it in coffee though, always got a bitter aftertaste, so I just learned to like unsweetened coffee a long time ago. I too, used to drink water spiked with a few tablespoons of the unsweetened cranberry juice, either by itself or with maybe 6 drops of liquid stevia or with lime juice in addition to or instead of the cranberry, and think I drank a lot more fluids because of it. Sure, it doesn't fit the profile of "pure plain water" but I still think it was helpful back in my pre-Atkins days in getting enough fluids in daily on an overall basis. I have always had to remind myself to drink more plain water. Once I move up on the OWL rungs, I will probably add a glass or two of that a day on top of my daily plain water intake just because I like it. Hope it won't cause a weight loss stall for me but will have to test to find out. I suspect it won't, because I was losing weight regularly during the time I used to drink this near daily, but you never know. Maybe I would have lost more or faster without it. I'll find out in due time.

[vmartennis]

Re: Any doctors out there? Another question about stevia.

I can't imagine Dr Atkins saying no to a tablespoon of unsweetened cranberry juice, no sugar, less than 1 carb. As a matter of fact, in his first DANDR he tells the story of a woman who came to his insitute. Her initial menu included cranberry and blueberry juice because of their nutrient value. For those of you who like cranberry juice, and can have it on other rungs, it is great for those days when you have eaten a lot of salt, it really helps in the reduction of cellulite. "Just Cranberry" @ Trader Joes or any major supermarket. Only lightly sweetened.

[Georgiana]

Re: Any doctors out there? Another question about stevia.

I can't imagine Dr Atkins saying no to a tablespoon of unsweetened cranberry juice, no sugar, less than 1 carb. As a matter of fact, in his first DANDR he tells the story of a woman who came to his insitute. Her initial menu included cranberry and blueberry juice because of their nutrient value. For those of you who like cranberry juice, and can have it on other rungs, it is great for those days when you have eaten a lot of salt, it really helps in the reduction of cellulite. "Just Cranberry" @ Trader Joes or any major supermarket. Only lightly sweetened.

The Rules of Induction are very clear: "eat absolutely no fruit". Which means no cranberries are allowed on Induction. One can get proper nutrition by eating only foods from the Acceptable Foods List.