The Specific Carbohydrate Diet

Frequently Asked Questions
Stevia

Pecanbread Update

Stevia is an herb native to South America, and is now grown and cultivated throughout the world. Stevia belongs to a family called Terpenoids. According to The Organic Constitutents of Higher Plants by Trevor Robinson, 2nd edition, page 158, "This class of glycosides (terpenoids) often have physiological effects on mammals and microorganisms."

Elaine has noted on the adult listserv that, "Its molecular structure resembles a steroid. It is not SCD legal." However, on the Elaine's Children list, she indicated that it might be used in strictly limited quantities for those children who absolutely cannot tolerate either honey or saccharin.

Powdered stevia should be approached with extreme caution. At least one manufacturer of organic stevia includes "erythritol" which they claim is a "natural free flowing agent". Erythritol is what is called a sugar alcohol. Sugar alcohols include things like mannitol, xylitol, and sorbitol which are used in a lot of commercial "sugar-free" stuff. They're allowed to get away with that because normally, our guts can't digest those sugar alcohols. But the bad bugs in our guts can, and will have a field day on them.

If you elect to use stevia as a sweetener, read all ingredient lists very carefully, and research all ingredients. "All natural" or "organic" does not mean "SCD Legal." If you are using stevia, and do not appear to be gaining any ground on SCD, it would be strongly recommended to eliminate the stevia for several weeks and keep a food log.

So far, I've only found one brand which looks legal -- KAL liquid drops. It at least cuts down on the amount of liquid you need to add to something like meringues.

Marilyn (New Orleans, Louisiana, USA)
Author of *Louisiana SCD Lagniappe* (forthcoming)

Original Entry
Elaine writes:
Stevia belongs to a family called Terpenoids. According to my book called The Organic Constitutents of Higher Plants by Trevor Robinson, 2nd edition, page 158, "This class of glycosides (terpenoids) often have physiological effects on mammals and microorganisms." Perhaps the affect is good, perhaps it is bad; I don't know, but its molecular structure resembles a steroid. It is not SCD legal.

Seth writes:
There are all kinds of steroids. The ones we take for IBD (ie prednisone which mimicks cortisol) reduce inflammation and scale down the immune system. But there are steroids that do the opposite. I think the point is that plant steroids could have any number of effect in humans and vice versa.

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"We must never forget that what the patient takes beyond his ability to digest does harm."
    Dr. Samuel Gee

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