Sensational Stevia Desserts Q & A:

 1. Why should people use stevia as an alternative to sugar or artificial sweeteners in dessert recipes?

There are so many reasons so I'll try to summarize.  First, stevia has no calories, no carbs, no fat, no known side effects, and no aftertaste when measured properly.  Secondly, it tastes great with virtually no aftertaste as long as you buy a high quality stevia product.  When you use stevia instead of sugar, you greatly reduce or, in some recipes, virtually eliminate the carbs and thus your sugar intake.   Using an all-natural alternative to sugar reduces the chemicals you are ingesting and, for many people, will eliminate undesirable side effects they've experienced from artificial sweeteners.

2. Why do you recommend preparing desserts with stevia when people can use sucralose that is also suitable for baking?

I prefer all-natural ingredients over anything artificial or chemically made.  Also, stevia's been around a lot longer and is an herb grown on farms.  Sucralose, on the other hand, is a brand new chemical substance made in a laboratory.  It may start with sugar as an ingredient, but once it goes through chemical processing and adds  chlorine to the existing chemical structure, no natural substance is left. I also prefer the fact that stevia has no known side effects whereas the other alternatives are so controversial and very questionable at best.

3. Who can benefit from desserts using stevia?

Everyone!  Whether you're diabetic, overweight, hypoglycemic, health conscious or simply want to reduce your sugar intake or carbs, stevia can be part of a healthy diet.  With Americans ingesting over 150 lbs. of sugar annually, we can all use a little less in our diet!

4. Are these recipes appropriate for diabetics?

Absolutely!  Pure stevia doesn't affect glucose levels, so it is of particular interest to diabetics. I would still recommend checking with your physician before adding anything new to your diet.

5. How can these sensational dessert recipes help people lose weight?

When combined with a healthy diet, using these desserts instead of those with sugar will reduce your calories, carbs, and sugar intake.  In some cases, the recipes also help reduce fat content.  When this is done over a consistent basis, losing weight can be the result.

6. How do low-carb dieters benefit from the recipes in SSD?

The elimination of added sugar in these recipes greatly reduces the amount of carbohydrates, thus making them very attractive to low-carb dieters. In addition, the healthier ingredients also help to foster a better diet overall.

7. Can all traditional sugar dessert recipes be converted to stevia dessert recipes?

No, not really.  Traditional meringue recipes that need sugar's volume or those that require caramelizing may not be appropriate. But, for the most part, other recipes can be converted with a combination of trial and error and knowing what ingredients can replace the volume lost from the elimination of the sugar. That's why SSD is so convenient; all the work is already done for you! With the most variety of stevia desserts available,SSD also includes nutrition comparisons of the stevia desserts to traditional recipes using sugar, so you can see the eye-opening differences!

8. Do desserts made with stevia taste exactly the same as those made with sugar?

Not exactly, but the similarity in taste varies with the recipe, stevia brand used; amount of stevia used in recipe and your personal sweetness preference.  Many stevia users insist that there is no aftertaste; while others say that the aftertaste is very slight and taste much better than that offered with other alternatives. 

9. Are stevia desserts easy to prepare?

Yes, many are easy, like the Strawberry Yogurt and Chocolate-Peanut Butter Fudge,  but it depends on the recipe.  In effect, using stevia doesn't really require any more or less time than traditional recipes.  I think the Chocolate Layer Cake, Almond Pound Cake and Truffles require the most time compared with the others in the book, but are well worth the extra effort.

10. Measuring stevia properly can be tricky. How do you address this in your book?

SSD is the first and only stevia cookbook to offer measurements for three different stevia brands. So, measuring stevia accurately is easier than ever before.  I know how frustrating it can be to go thru the trial and error phase of recipes with stevia since its potency varies widely by brand.  Additionally, your own sweetness preference really plays a role in the amount of stevia to include, so use my amounts as guidelines and adjust to your likeness the second time you prepare the same recipe.

11. What are some of the nutritional differences you noticed in the comparisons you make between some of your stevia dessert recipes and the traditional sugar recipes?

Basically, you'll find significant reductions in carbs, sugar and calories.  For instance, the recipe for Sinfully Cinnamon Cream Cheese Pie has 281 calories, 14g carbs and less than 1g sugar, while the traditional sugar recipe for this pie has 612 calories, 66g carbs and 56g sugar! Incredible isn't it? And with no loss in flavor!

12. What are your favorite recipes in the book?  Why?

Actually, I have many that I truly enjoy.  At the beginning of most chapters in SSD, I've listed my favorites. The top five would probably be Chocolate-Cherry-Vanilla Truffles; Positively (Divine) Peanut Butter Pie; Italian Cannoli; Almond Pound Cake and Chocolate-Hazelnut Bread Pudding.

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Copyright 2011 by Lisa Jobs and Healthy Lifestyle Publishing LCC