I go to the local Ruby Tuesday's restaurant for lunch quite often. While at lunch with with employees a few weeks ago, one of my brilliant programmers (Chad) brought the following to my attention...

(Is there any difference between the pink stuff and the blue stuff?)

The Blue Stuff...

<img src="http://herballure.com/Images/Misc/RubyTuesdays_Aspartame/BlueStuff,FrontAndBackHL,r75,h800,w255.jpg">

The Pink Stuff...

<img src="http://herballure.com/Images/Misc/RubyTuesdays_Aspartame/PinkStuff,FrontAndBackHL,r75,h800,w255.jpg">

"(Is there any difference between the pink stuff and the blue stuff?)"

ya pink stuff has a prettier package <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Good point <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Very typical of the parasitical American plutocracy and its facade of "Freedom"© by pretending to offer variety when in fact it's all the same poison. The same can be said of nearly every facet of Terrorist America's monopolistic empire, whereby consumers are forcefed the pseudo-notion of "choice" by offering 100 brands of toilet paper. At least the toilet paper isn't lethal, though if you're purchasing Kleenex brand products, you're helping to assist the butchering of our withering, dying planet. Check them out on Greenpeace's website.

I would be interested in the opinion of those more knowledgeable on these things than me on this sugar/sweetener that I saw when shopping yesterday and made a mental note of the website:

http://www.perfectsweet.co.uk/

Is it safe?

PS on the aspartame issue - I find it quite sad that a lot of people opt for diet pop/soda with the impression it's healthier when actually they might be better off with the non-diet. Regular Coca Cola (from the original company) doesn't contain aspartame (or at least didn't) where as Diet does. I used to love Dr Pepper for a treat, which was aspartame free, but now they have started putting it in <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

6 years ago I started developing hypoglycemia type symptoms; ie if I eat simple sugars I get really bad headaches.

I read this was a symptom of mercury poisoning;
I had pretty much phased out drinking soda myself (only had it on the rare occasion) but after the headaches I stopped altogether; had to cut down on the fermented grape stuff too <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I use Stevia.

Good Stuff!

From what I've read, Stevia produces insulin.

I have been diagnosed with PCOS (poly-cystic-ovarian syndrome) in my opinion because mercury is mimicking the symptoms, but this condition is rooted in Insulin Resistance - which means the body is making too much insulin already. To reduce the amount of insulin made by the body, those with IR need to reduce the amount of insulin-making foods (hence need to reduce carbs). Thus I don't think Stevia would be good for those who have IR - or maybe even those with mercury toxicity if it causes IR.

I've also read concernes that Stevia is toxic, but as they gave the animals the equivalent of 600 times the amount a person would consume, the findings are extremely doubtful.

PS For those who don't make enough insulin, though, it could be good <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I looked up Xylitol, which is what perfectsweet is made of, and found this article on it:

http://www.laleva.cc/food/xylitol.html

Apparently it doesn't raise insulin levels and has health benefits of helping prevent tooth decay, reducing risk of Osteoporosis, and oral and ear infections.

This product has only been on the market for about a year, according to their site. I think I will give it a try <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Actually, Insulin Resistance means that the body has become "resistant" to the normal effects of insulin in the blood, leaving blood sugar levels too high, which in turn causes the body to have to produce more insulin to try to balance the body's blood sugar levels. So, the root problem is the body's decreased sensitivity to insulin...too much insulin is a manifesting symptom of the underlying problem.



The reason for this lengthy explanation is to correct the misinformation that Stevia produces insulin. Several respected peer-reviewed medical journals have published studies in which Stevioside, the active ingredient in Stevia, has been shown to increase insulin sensitivity. In other words, Stevioside helps correct the body's resistance to insulin by increasing the body's sensitivity, thus enabling the body to work more like it's supposed to.

Incidentally, there are two main forms of stevia sweeteners: the "natural" form of stevia which is a green powder, and stevia extract which is the white powder (comprised of 85-95% steviosides). Stevia extract is perhaps the more commonly used form of stevia sweetener.

Here are links to a few of these study summaries, if you want to read more:

Hormone & Metabolic Research, October 2005
Planta Medica, February 2005
Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental, January 2004

Therefore, based on the published scientific data, using a natural sweetener like Stevia may actually help correct the problem of insulin resistance, not make it worse.

In addition, a recent study conducted by researchers in Poland, concluded that...



Hope this helps!

Thanks for the info, but I'm going to try the Xylitol. It sounds really good, although I'm going to watch how it affects thrush (it reputedly lowers yeast infections, which might increase mercury problems).

I was surprised at how good the xylitol is. My family really likes it, too. It looks much like sugar except a little fluffier. It's not calorie-free like artificial sweeters...something like 40% less calories than regular sugar.