That said, I wonder why Stevia isn't considered to sweeten drinks? It's very sweet, it's natural like sugar (meaning it's not synthetic or lab-grown), it also has zero calories, and it doesn't taste icky!
Why is that relevant? That's orthogonal to whether it is healthy or unhealthy. There's no reason, based on that information, that I should expect it to be any more or less toxic than Splenda. I mean, the wrong 100% natural mushroom will kill you pretty dead.
[1] http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/cfrs...
Honestly, other than fear of 'teh chemicals,' I can't think of a reason.
You are making the false assumption "natural" foods are a correlated group as far as health goes. This is empirically false (ignoring the fact that natural has no scientific definition to begin with). Studying sucrose won't inform you of the dangers of cyanide though both are "natural".
The exception is if we can prove the two operate under the same fundamental mechanisms within the body. But there's nothing different about natural growing plants and man made substances under this sort of research. A molecule is a molecule.
The post you replied to has already refuted your argument. We evolved with poisonous mushrooms in our environment and our body's "means of dealing with it" are to die. That's hardly the gold standard for biological responses, don't you think?
(Not trolling, seeking honest clarification)
But, looking at what generations of long-lived people tend to eat[1] is probably a reasonable guide to nutrition and health. Manufactured/artificial stuff simply isn't on that list since that stuff hasn't been around long enough to be part of a multi-generational study.
[1] https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_buettner_how_to_live_to_be_100...
The fact that it's present in large quantities in at least one living organism shows that it's not fundamentally incompatible with life. And that's especially true in this case, where (according to Wikipedia) there is a 1,500 year history of human use. So all else being equal, I would expect it to be more likely to be safe than some random chemical with no basis in nature.
Out of the 2,000 species of mushrooms in North America, there are maybe 10 that are deadly poisonous. You think your chances of dying after randomly mixing up some unknown chemicals in a lab are really less than 1 in 200?
You should consider getting some liquid sucralose. I agree that splenda is yucky, but that's largely because of the fillers that make the volume measurement manageable. Pure liquid sucralose, which is nothing but sucralose and water, tastes exactly like sugar to me. Seriously, put both in some lemonade and I'd never be able to tell the difference.
Personally I don't know how much this taste is in the purified compounds themselves. I know many of the early "stevia packets" also exhibited these same sort of characteristics, but it seems to have lessened over time. (Then again, some of this may be due to reformulation. For instance, Truvia switched away from pure stevia-compounds to stevia-compounds-plus-erythritol several years ago if I recall.)
IME, the liquid stevia preparations produce better results than any of the powder forms. I use it in my coffee exclusively and have tried 'em all.
WRT the question, then, about stevia's relative lack of popularity: I think it comes from the aforementioned anise-like note, which seems to operate below a threshold in smaller amounts (such as to sweeten coffee), but at larger amounts (such as soda (pop)) this secondary flavor presents clearly.
Since, for example, one 12oz (355ml) Coca-Cola has 39 grams of sugars (!), the amount of stevia required to equal this level of sweetness goes well into the range where the undesirable anise note becomes present.
I've tried a couple of different stevia sodas and, yeah, they just aren't that great. (Since I rarely drink soda, when I do partake I usually go "full leaded," as they say. Life's too short, and all that...)
That's just my working hypothesis as a stevia fan. YMMV.
(Disclaimer: IANA chemist|biologist|nutrition scientist|&c).
cyanide is also natural
Cyanide is a very good case in point; bitter almonds will kill you in a relatively nasty way (confusion -> vertigo -> seizures -> apnea -> cardiac arrest) if you eat 30-50 of them. At lower doses, chronic exposure causes paralysis, hypothyroidism and liver and kidney damage.
The problem with vitalism is that it's unfalsifiable; that doesn't mean that it's wrong, simply that science doesn't have the ability to refute it.
So your analogy really should be between lab-synthesized vitamin C and a piece of citrus fruit. The fruit is going to be better for your overall health because it's got more in it than just L-ascorbic acid. For example, it's got fiber, which is likely to slow down the passage of the vitamin through your digestive system, which will help you absorb more of it for an equal dose.
Joe Public> I have a headache.
Folk Medicine Dr> Here, drink some willowbark tea.
DrugCo Chemist> No, take this aspirin. It's chemically identical to the active substance in willowbark tea, but much more convenient!
Joe Public> My headache is better, but now my stomach hurts. That never happened with the tea.
DrugCo Chemist> Oh, you have an ulcer. You're a sick person. Take this antacid medicine!
Joe Public> My stomach feels better, but now I'm constipated.
DrugCo Chemist> Wow, you're really sick... here, take this laxative!
Folk Medicine Dr> All these unnatural drugs are killing you. You should really just take the tea.
Joe Public> Yeah, I think you're right. Natural is better.
Also, you're the one talking about magical vital properties, not me. It's a well-established fact that substances in combination can have a different overall effect than they do in isolation. There's nothing magical about it.
Homeopathy is an absolute scam. And yes, there are scammers who take advantage of the 'natural is better' idea to sell useless products.
Wouldn't be surprised if sugar companies had something to do with that.
I long for a Stevia-powered Coke Zero...until they realize Stevia also causes horrible things in humans :-/
http://money.cnn.com/2014/10/02/news/companies/coke-pepsi-st...
In the Bay Area, they're available at Sprouts and probably Whole Foods as well.
And they do use it to sweeten drinks. Go to any higher-end grocery store and you'll find weird-brand drinks with it, for weirdos like you who apparently can't taste the ick.
What does cilantro taste like to you? To some people, it tastes like soap, to others it doesn't. There's a gene which controls this.
There are various mixes and types of stevia out there. You should find the varieties.
I wonder how much of this is how much people are used to: if you keep drinking diet soda for years and years and "acquire" a taste for it, maybe then real sugar will taste weird to you.
www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/06/11/481641640/more-than-ever-americans-are-dying-by-accident
I'm kind of baffled at this comment.