I'm curious if anyone knows anything about the safety of stevia and pregnancy. I see the previous posters keep referring to it as a fake sweetener. Stevia is not a fake sweetener it is actually an herb. however I know some herbs are not safe while pregnant and wondered if someone knew whether stevia was ok.
I would also say to avoid fake sweetners! Because as soon as a new one comes out that everyone swears is OK a few years later there are all these studies say how bad they are. But I will say a lot of these studies would expect you to have massive amounts of fake sugar. If you are looking for some sweet I would also say to go with some sweeter fruit, or just go with some real sugar, like the raw organic sugar, at least that is natural and processed by your body more easily. I do not know much about Agave but I do know it has become a popular natural sweetner? Some sugar is not going to hurt you, its like everything else, go with moderation, and the more you avoid your craving the harder it gets and the crankier people tend to get!
In Canada they tell us not to use that, it is not approved. I have to watch my sugar levels by blood monitoring and see a dietician throughout my pregnancy. I have been told splenda is okay in small amounts ( like a teaspoon or two a day) 1 diet pop a day is okay too I have been told
Aw that's not fun. I agree with Ashelen. In my preggo book I read that Stevia's relatively new so no one knows how it affects an unborn baby; pretty much goes with any artificial sweetener. Can't you just add a little bit of juice rather than a lot? Or honey? What about a nice sweet fruit, like blueberries or strawberries to give it sweetness? Also try Fage 0% Greek yogurt, it's amazing stuff and will make your smoothies higher in protein and gives great texture (and isn't sour or sweet).
Probably better if you exercise a little more rather than cut too many calories and deny your body nutrients?
Thanks Ashelen! I am 5 feet even and just want to watch my weight gain. I currently am 134.5 pounds and my doctor says that I need to watch it. So she kinda freaked me out about it. I drink way too much sugar anyways (before pregnancy I did) during I've cut back but its like my vice. Everyone has something they love and I looove juice.
Is there some reason why you don't use real sugar?
The general rule for pregnancy is to avoid all unnecessary chemicals, which includes fake sweeteners. Even though they may have few or zero calories, the processes used to create them involves a lot of chemicals. most doctors recommend women stay away from diet drinks for the same reason.
in moderation, real sugar is not bad for you and real juice and yogurt (especially real juice that is naturally sweet like peach without any added sugar) is GOOD for you! I would add some yogurt or find some no-sugar-added juice that has a natural sweet flavor. But I would avoid the fake sweeteners if it were me; I know some women who have used them during pregnancy but Stevia (and truvia) especially has only been around for a few years and they just don't know the long-term effects of the processing chemicals yet on babies...but on the same token, there are no FDA warnings about it so it's all up to your jurisdiction and judgment. I've never added sugar of any sort to my smoothies, just low-fat yogurt and juice.