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!!! ;)