Hi all,

apparently there is some change in the approval process of Stevia for the EU: I found namely this page yesterday on the blog that has the press-release of Stevia based chocolate from the company Cavalier, http://beautysalonhealth.blogspot.co...ia-passes.html and it seems that the EU approved Stevia as "safe to consume" and has already advice on daily intake quantities.
So let us say there is hope for the cavalier chocolate fans!

Hello all - I have just been checking back through previous posts and had no idea that my 'wind' had generated so much returning wind in terms of everyone else's posts!

I was wondering, Mini, whether you ever managed to find any of the stevia-sweetened chocolate, what it tasted like and whether you remained becalmed afterwards?

Gosh! That was an amazing coincidence!

I was just tucking into some Cavalier chocolate praline when the board notified me of your post! I still eat this simply gorgeous confection in spite of the fact that the maltitol and lactitol sweeteners in it give me dreadful wind, though I do have to be very strict about how much I eat and only eat it when I know I'm going to be alone for a while!

Every time I have some, I wonder whether Cavalier have managed to overcome the regulatory obstacles to a stevia-sweetened version, but I'd not got round to actually finding out (too big a stock left of the old type!) so, thanks to your reminder, I have just emailed Cavalier and will post again as soon as I get a reply.

Apparently, Cavalier are going to introduce stevia-sweetened chocolates in early August this year, so only five months to wait...

Great news, Mini - Please let us all know when you get it - and what it tastes like. The only time I tried Stevia before - years ago, I must admit - I thought it was really disgusting.... Terrible cloying sweetness which stayed with one for hours. But I understand that however they are processing it now, it is much better. Do let us know where you can get it too.... My taste buds and rippling in anticipation!

While I wait for the appearance of the stevia-sweetened choccies, I'm consoling myself with cups of Teapigs' Liquorice and Peppermint tea, sweetened with stevia. As stevia has a liquoricy taste itself, it's the perfect way to add a little extra sweetness to this really exquisite drink.

I also find stevia perfect with regular black coffee and with fresh-ground dandelion coffee too. (For those who have only tasted "instant" dandelion coffees, I strongly recommend Cotswold roasted dandelion root coffee, which you can also get from Goodness Direct. There's a world of difference between the instant and the whole root, and the taste difference makes the faff of having to grind the root yourself totally worthwhile!)

I imagine your bad experience with stevia was probably the result of using the ground stevia leaf, which I think is gritty and, well, unpleasant. I buy the stevia extract powder and put a couple of teaspoons of this into a dropper bottle, fill with filtered water and shake well. I then just add a few drops of this to whatever I want to sweeten. Stevia extract powder is 200-300 times sweeter than sugar, so you don't need much!

I'd love you to give stevia another try - and let us know what you think.

Hi Mini -
Thanks of the advice about the stevia - I promise that I will try the extract powder. I think we actually have some in the house as my partner, like you, is a stevia enthusiast....

Meanwhile, going right back to where this thread started - I have noticed that, having steered clear of virtually all fresh fruit for knocking on a year (just indulging myself with the occasional prune or dried apricot) my fructose malabsorption seems to have improved. I have been gently experimenting with the odd banana and a few fresh blueberries/strawberries for breakfast and so far, touch wood, all is well.

So maybe, like so many other dietary problems, my initial problems could have stemmed from overindulgence coinciding with a period of low tolerance for some entirely other health reason. Will keep you posted....

It's such a shame that you've had to avoid fruit for so long, especially when it's arguably such an important part of a healthy diet. (Our closest relative, the chimp, eats 50% fruit, and, when Patrick Holford surveyed 55,000 people, he found that fresh fruit was second only to nuts and seeds as the foods most associated with good health.)

I wonder, have you considered using helminthic therapy to address your low tolerance to fruit? So many others are using this approach to deal with their food intolerances and having great success with it.

Great news for those of us choccy fans who can't cope with windy sweeteners! Governments within the EU have already approved the sale of certain foodstuffs made from the natural sweetener, stevia, so the sale of products derived from the stevia plant looks set to be authorized for EU-wide use by the end of the year. This brings the introduction of flatulence-free stevia-sweetened choccies - at least from the Cavalier brand - a little nearer! I can't wait!!!

Read more...

I remembered your post when I came across the following Q&A in Slate today, and wondered if you have solved your windy problem yet.

"Q. Blowing in the Wind: I realize that marriage/partnership means that you take the bad with the good and learn to put up with each others', well, bodily idiosyncrasies. But my husband farts constantly, and they're pretty pungent. Our bedroom reeks of it, and they slip out with clock-like regularity (although certain foodstuffs are noticeably worse in their effect). They even wake me up in the middle of the night. I have a lot of sympathy with him, and sure, everyone farts, but I'm also keen to mop up this problem if possible. I've bought him some "gas-ease" style pills, but he says they make him bloated. I've also tried altering his diet a bit to no avail. He knows it's a mild issue—I giggle sometimes, or scowl, or gently mock him—but for me, it's becoming a bit more of a problem than he knows. I'd hope that we've got at least another 50 years of marriage to go, and it's something I wouldn't mind finding a solution for in the early ears. What's a girl to do?

"A: Since you're contemplating 50 years of this, you may want to start buying air freshener in bulk. Your husband is lucky you feel his pungency is a "mild" issue, but having your sleep regularly disturbed by his gaseous announcements might eventually cause you to explode. I dealt with the issue of openly farting in private in a video letter and advised the girlfriend to shrug it off. I was rebuked by people with irritable bowel syndrome and other maladies. Everyone farts, but not like a metronome. "Constantly" is the keyword here and your husband needs a work up by a gastroenterologist. He may be lactose intolerant or have some medical condition. Just think how great it will be if a proper diagnosis clears the air." (http://www.slate.com/id/2300049/)