Okay there is conflicting information out there about the use of Stevia and pregnancy prevention. I'm not saying that is what is causing anyone to be infertile but because of the mixed information out there I just wondered what others truly knew about Stevia. Currently I decided to concentrate on losing some weight instead of trying to get pregnant. If it happens it happens but I surely don't want to do anything that would affect a potential baby. I'm losing weight the "natural" way. Watching what I put into my mouth and portion control and when my treadmill arrives I will be walking or excercising. I can't do much excercise because of my back-it's a family curse ;()( Stevia seems like the best thing to use as far as anything alternative to Sugar!!! Is there anything I could use comparable? I think what I read for the most part the amount consumed on a daily basis is not enough to cause any type of pregnancy prevention at least that is what they determined in one study with animals but they don't say how much is too much either ;()( The only thing I truly would want it for is my green tea that I drink in the mornings.
I as well as trying lose weight before getting pregnant again (not preventing anything). I am doing weight watchers and i don't do artificial sugar. I use real sugar in my tea.....a tablespoon is only a point.
I have a Stevia plant in my back yard, good to know my eleven year old who grazes on it won't get pregnant! :p That was sarcasm if that wasn't obvious though she does graze on it.
I googled it and found most sites say the studies are flawed, one site says it aides in conception, what I can conclude is that Stevia in normal amounts has no effect on your ability to conceive.
The study that says small amounts, the person conducting the study admitted giving the rats an amount that could have been considered an overdose to get the fertility results he reported and never proved whether the results would be the same in humans. So any normal amount is safe.
Could you post links to the credible studies you're quoting? I've never seen anything other than marketing "studies" by sugar companies showing any problems with Stevia (which is extracted from plant leaves).
I had to come back and update my post because I just went and searched for Stevia side effects. There appear to be the same number of studies saying it hurts your chances of conception as studies saying it helps. What's interesting is that there are TONS of studies saying that eating more than a teaspoon of sugar a day negatively affects conception. So really... I think you just have to take a deep breath and realize that no one substance is going to make that much of a difference - it's your overall health that matters. Do what you can to lose weight (because pretty much all studies agree that's one of the most important things you can do for your fertility) and then focus on getting pregnant. And if you put a teaspoon of sugar in your coffee or a teaspoon of Stevia, it's not going to matter. Good luck.
Good for you that you're already being concerned about baby's health but don't let yourself go nuts over this. If you're having one or two small packets a day of just about anything (other than rat poison) you will be fine. We get crazy about this stuff. My mom's generation was smoking, drinking and having coffee (GASP) through their entire pregnancies and the human body is so amazing that we all survived. (Although my mom always stopped smoking during her pregnancies as it made her feel more sick.)
Have your tiny amount of stevia each day and if baby is meant to come at this point you'll get pregnant. The best thing you can do pre-pregnancy is eat lots of green leafy vegetables to bulk up on folic acid. It's helps their tiny nervous systems, brain and spinal cord develop properly.
Good luck mama!
Wow, I use stevia all the time for sweetening coffee, tea etc and I let my kids use it for 'sweet' milk as an alternative to chocolate milk etc. I don't know of anything comparable, but I am going to check into this!
Don't know much about Stevia, but I do know that green tea has been linked to neural tube defects. If there's a possibility you might get pregnant, I would cut out the green tea all together and drink another type for now. Good luck with your weight loss!
I haven't heard that about stevia, but as much as I love the idea of stevia I just can't get used to the taste!
I have resolved to have no more than 4 teaspoons of sugar, daily, in my coffee or tea (sometimes I give up coffee). That is 60 calories.
My younger son used to love "Zevia" which is a soda sweetened with stevia. But we've even cut that out due to not wanting to drink from aluminum cans or plastic.
Good luck - hope you can find something natural that works for you.
I think the below article will shed some light on the sweetners. You can also search her blog for more info. Let me know what your thoughts are after reading.
I too am praying to get pregnant and loosing about 15 lbs before it happens, good luck!
http://kimberlysnyder.net/blog/2012/02/07/what-foods-you-...
There's no effect based on QUALITY stevia (or rebbiana, from the sweetest part of the plant), and probably not from any stevia (assuming it's not mixed/treated with anything harmful). Well-conducted studies have shown no issue whatsoever.
You can buy top quality sweetener on line - I can give you the referral if you want. Top company, stellar inspections from the FDA, cited for good manufacturing practices, and so on.
