Thanks for this. I already checked it out a little bit on the internet. Sounds intresting. I am doing good on the low carb diet but I really miss sugar in my coffee. Sweetnlow just doesn't cut it. For breakfast I make a milkshake with fake eggs, vanilla & Sweetnlow but it would be much better if I could use sugar. Maybe stevia is the answer.
I am soooooooooo late reading this thread, but something you may want to consider in addition to, or instead of Stevia, is Whey Low (www.wheylow.com). It's an all-natural, low-glycemic sweetener. It isn't calorie-free. (The guy who "invented" the stuff says it's really only 1 calorie a teaspoon but government guidelines of some sort make him list it as 4 calories a teaspoon; sugar is 15-16 calories a teaspoon.)
FYI, from Whey Low Web site:
Is Whey Low effective for low-carbohydrate dieters?
Because of their low glycemic index, Whey Low Granular, Whey Low Granular Packets, Whey Low Gold, Whey Low Powder, and Whey Low for Ice Cream are all ideal for low-carb dieters. The available carbohydrate count or impact carbohydrates for Whey Low in combination with dietary carbohydrates is only 1 gram of carbohydrates per 1 teaspoon serving. The carbohydrate count for table sugar is 4 grams per teaspoon.
http://www.wheylow.com/faq.htm Whey Low is great because it's a measure-for-measure sugar substitute, so it works just like sugar in baking and candy making!
I tried Stevia years ago and it left an awful aftertaste in my mouth. Somebody told me I may have used too much. (I used the drops.) So, now that I've been ordered onto a High Protein/Low Carb diet, I may give it another shot.
I can't tolerate ANY of the artificial sweeteners out there. Or Splenda (I think that's the name of the "change one sugar molecule sweetener).
If anyone has a recipe for making Mountain Dew syrup, I will love you forever!!! ;)