Truvia: NOT the perfect sweetener, but....

Drats. We've started using it and I thought it would work out but after researching a bit more, I've found out it has side effects. It may have something to do with the erythritol and apparently it can cause some people to have stomach problems. Some people have also reported having MORE carb cravings... not what you want if you're diabetic. Other reported side effects were mental confusion, fatigue. I'm not sure we'll stick with Truvia, but if we don't experience any of the side effects, it might be worthwhile to manage his diabetes. We haven't used it much yet, and I generally don't like to add too many unknown sweeteners to our cooking.

Here's a link to an article I found useful in helping us make a decision regarding it's use:
Purevia/Truvia controversy

I try to stick with tried and true white sugar. However, knowing NOW that less refined foods are actually easier for the body to process, I think I will be using less refined sweeteners when possible. Here are a few I'll try:

• regular stevia sweetener when I can find it
  
• organic agave nectar
• brown “turbinado” cane sugar, we use this occasionally. Maybe we'll use it more often.

I'm sure white sugar will still manage to make it's way into my meals since the rest of us don't eat many sweets anyway.

So I'll be adding a few recipes using some of those natural sweeteners, sometimes including Truvia for my DH. Today's recipe:



Cucumber Wakame Salad (Namasu):
2 japanese cucumbers or one regular one
sliced carrots
a little bit of wakame (soak in water to rehydrate it)
1/4 c. rice vinegar
1 1/2 packets Truvia
a pinch of sea salt

Dissolve salt and Truvia in the vinegar. Slice the cucumbers into chunks and carrots into rounds. Squeeze out the wakame, mix it all together with the dressing and let sit in the fridge for an hour or so before serving.
Optional chores: Remove the seeds by slicing the cuke in half then scooping out the seeds with a spoon. Looks nicer.
You can also grate some fresh ginger to add more spice to this one... it's really good.

Diabetes... what a chore

Okay... DH is finally accepting the fact that he needs to do something about his health or he will be on insulin in a few months. We're praying it's not too late. I've been trying to get him to eat healthier, more veggies, less rice, more fiber, less refined foods... and get some exercise.

He's been eating healthier meals (whatever I pack, rather than buying fast food) and we've been trying very hard to do the diabetic plate thing. 1/2 veggie, 1/4 protein, 1/4 starch, a glass of milk, and a fruit. It's a big improvement. In the past 2-3 weeks, he went from 260 to 245. Oh... and he tries to take a 30 minute walk on his days off. I'm going to try getting him to take a walk 5x a week, or at least on days when he doesn't have overtime.

But he's craving sweets now. So I've been researching stuff like Splenda, Nutrisweet, and Truvia. I've ruled out using Splenda and NutriSweet artificial sweeteners. There are side effects. Truvia appears to be a safer alternative. It comes from the stevia plant and is used in several other countries as an alternate sweetener to sugar. This week we'll be trying it since we found some when we went grocery shopping at Safeway today. It's a bit pricey, but if he likes it, we'll continue using it.

Here's more info... Truvia.com . They also have recipes to try and info on how it can be used in baking and cooking in place of sugar. Maybe I can convert some of our favorite recipes too...