The Problem with Stevia

Don’t be fooled. Not everything that is keto-friendly is healthy. 

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Timestamps 
0:07 Keto-friendly does not always mean healthy
0:18 Maltodextrin 
0:59 Inulin 
1:06 Organic cane alcohol 
1:12 Organic stevia and natural flavors 
1:26 Stevia can be ok 
1:32 Stevia and chemicals 

In this video, we’re going to talk about stevia and the problem with stevia. 

It’s very important to read the labels on the things you buy. Just because something might be keto-friendly does not mean it’s healthy. That can be the case with stevia on keto. 

The problems with some brands of stevia sweetener:

• Stevia in the Raw—Maltodextrin (the highest type of sweetener on the glycemic index)

• Sweet Leaf—Inulin (can create bloating)

• Better Stevia—Organic cane alcohol

• Pyure Stevia—Organic stevia and natural flavors (Likely GMO ingredients)

What stevia is best?
For the most part, if you can get stevia by itself, it’s going to be ok. Ideally, it would be great if you get the stevia that’s green and not white, which has a lot of unneeded chemicals. 

Dr. Eric Berg DC Bio:
Dr. Berg, 56 years of age is a chiropractor who specializes in Healthy Ketosis & Intermittent Fasting. He is the author of The New Body Type Guide and other books published by KB Publishing. He has taught students nutrition as an adjunct professor at Howard University. He no longer practices, but focuses on health education through social media.

Disclaimer:
Dr. Eric Berg received his Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in 1988. His use of “doctor” or “Dr.” in relation to himself solely refers to that degree. Dr. Berg is a licensed chiropractor in Virginia, California, and Louisiana, but he no longer practices chiropractic in any state and does not see patients so he can focus on educating people as a full time activity, yet he maintains an active license. This video is for general informational purposes only. It should not be used to self-diagnose and it is not a substitute for a medical exam, cure, treatment, diagnosis, and prescription or recommendation. It does not create a doctor-patient relationship between Dr. Berg and you. You should not make any change in your health regimen or diet before first consulting a physician and obtaining a medical exam, diagnosis, and recommendation. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

[laurasoftheart]

This just happened to me the other day. I was at the store and picked up a stevia off the shelf, read the ingredients, had maltodextrin, and put it back on the shelf. I’m so sick of the evil food industry playing with our food products!

[fedaakhaled]

This just spiked my anxiety. No product is ever clean or safe to eat. I’m so tired of researching every single food only to discover to no surprise that it’s also not ‘always’ safe to eat. Can’t food companies just leave things as they are!!

[berlygirl]

Grow your own stevia! Very easy. I take the leaves and dry them. Take the dried leaves and put them in a tea ball to steep. It's just like sugar and totally natural.

[TheShaxlupus]

Please keep doing what you doing Dr. Berg, we need more humans like you. You have all the videos I would need to have the right diet for diabetes.

[gyaniadmi]

At this point of my life I don't know what to eat. Even the air I breath is bad, I think eventually we all are going to either starv to death, or eat till we die.

[jaapongeveer]

I checked my "Stevia" and there is corn maltodextrin in it. I was floored thinking I was doing a good thing by using stevia. Thank you De. Berg for the heads up.

[thisslightlysweetlife]

Best way to use stevia is to grow it yourself. I did for the first time this year and it’s so easy! The plant is hardy in most zones. I’m in zone 8. I make cuttings from my two plants about once every couple weeks, dehydrate them and then coarsely grind the leaves to steep in my coffee and tea. Yesterday I cooked it into keto pancakes. So good!

[JazzyGems]

I've been growing stevia for years. I dry it out and use it as a sweetener in my tea, coffee, water, etc. VERY good for you and totally natural.

[conway]

It’s amazing almost 2 years into keto… And I still get value almost every day from Dr. Berg’s videos -lucky to have a crossroads with him & YouTube

[buckshot]

Stevia in the Raw is 97% Dextrose. I called them to see and I was shocked. I told the girl they should change the name to Sugar with just a hint of Stevia.

[kauigirl]

If Dr. Berg opened a grocery/health store, I'd move near by in a heart beat.

[luminousjewels]

After using it a lot for years, I read that stevia is a hormone disruptor. Makes sense, as it has been used as a contraceptive. When I found this information I’d been having hot flashes all the time for awhile and when I quit using stevia the hot flashes stopped immediately.

I want to add that I used ground whole leaf stevia.

[Lance]

I've decided to question the entire premise: Do I even need sweetness to have a satisfying, enjoyable diet? Turns out I don't. No Keto desserts, no artificial sweeteners. Some fruit, but far less often than I used to. I've never been happier with my diet, I've never enjoyed the taste of my food more. Not only do I not need sweetness, sweetness gets in the way. I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't actually done it.

[imthetube]

Green Stevia Leaves. All you need in the ingredients list.


You can buy it in bulk.


I have my own and love it.

[johnpickett]

I've tried stevia, personally, I find it vile. I gave up sugar in my coffee...it was tough, but no sweetener is better than bad sweetener.

[tay_hay]

Wow, I just bought some "Stevia in the raw" thinking that I was embarking on a healthy direction. Guess I need to check the ingredients better. Thanks Doc, for the heads up. Glad I learned this now before I started using it more. I'd rather waste a few dollars on the front end than in the clinic later on. Guess I'll be planting Stevia to make sure i get the real deal.

[susansauls]

Thank you for this, Dr Berg. My mother is going through pancreatic cancer with a non-alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver. I am overhauling her diet and she now has a desire to change and I am so thankful. I am trying to do everything the best I can after watching your videos for 4 years now. I am providing all organic food to her when I am with her, though I have no control over what happens when she is in other family members' care. She of course knows none of this so I want to provide her with the purest food possible. There is only so much I can do, as she is completely in a conventional medicine world. She started her first chemo treatment yesterday and is determined to get the Whipple Procedure surgery after the chemo, all of which is scary to me. I can help with her diet overhaul, and she has been a trooper about that. Your videos are so very helpful. Though I have been doing everything you say for over 3 years now, it still is a lot of information to keep up with and remember when every detail is critical.

[saynotohookups]

I'll tell you what, if I ever opened my own organic grocery store I would be supper picky about what I put on the shelves for my customers.

[jewels]

I noticed a change in the stevia drops (sweet leaf) & found they're adding "Quillaja extract" which then led me to a story in the Atlantic from a couple of years ago explaining how Chilean farmers have had a 100 fold increase in the production of this extract. Apparently, quillaja is an adjuvant & they're producing more for pharma companies.... Seems more should know about this.

[elizabeththibault]

It sounds like it’s not so much stevia that’s a problem, but rather the ingredients that often accompany it once it’s been processed.