{"id":1401,"date":"2021-11-22T08:19:16","date_gmt":"2021-11-22T08:19:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dofastingblog.kinsta.cloud\/does-stevia-break-a-fast\/"},"modified":"2023-06-07T11:14:03","modified_gmt":"2023-06-07T11:14:03","slug":"does-stevia-break-fast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dofasting.com\/blog\/does-stevia-break-fast\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Stevia Break a Fast?"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is stevia?<\/h2>\n

Stevia is a zero-calorie sweetener<\/a>. It gets its natural sweetness from compounds called glycosides which make you taste the sweetness without any added sugar. Read more here:\u00a0What Can You Drink During Intermittent Fasting?<\/a><\/p>\n

Sounds like the dream ingredient? Well, don\u2019t rush into adding it to all your beverages and guilty pleasure foods. The fact that it has zero calories and still tastes good is not the whole story here.<\/p>\n

Sweeteners, such as stevia are known to trigger hunger, which is definitely something you\u2019d like to avoid during a fasting session. The simple explanation would be that the taste of stevia fools your body into thinking it will get some sweet, high-calorie foods \u2013 and it\u2019s not getting any. This drives your appetite and makes it harder to satisfy your hunger<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Moreover, if you\u2019re looking to cure your sugar addiction and lose weight, the only effective method is cutting artificial sweetness altogether.<\/p>\n

Same goes with the so-called \u201chealthy sugars.\u201d Honey, brown sugar, or cane juice may sound healthy, but it can still raise your blood sugar levels. Honey and unrefined sugars are lightly better for your health, but their calories still add up to your daily recommended intake.<\/p>\n\n

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Does stevia count as a \u201cnatural sweetener\u201d?<\/h3>\n

Stevia comes from the stevia plant, which is not artificial. However, just like with many natural products you buy at the grocery store, you need to be careful \u2013 loads of companies add in other sugars, such as sucrose and sugar alcohols) to their stevia products. Using these products would break your fast and could even cause gastrointestinal disturbances<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In addition, those who suffer from small intestine bacterial overgrowth should avoid these sugar alcohols entirely. So, if you are planning to buy some stevia, look for organic leaf stevia or purified stevia extracts that don\u2019t contain any added sugar.<\/p>\n

Will natural stevia break my fast?<\/h3>\n

In theory, no, stevia will not break your fast. Having that said, we wouldn\u2019t recommend using it while fasting for the reasons mentioned above (increased hunger and your stomach\u2019s reaction to sweetness).<\/p>\n

However, we do admit that it can work as a great alternative if you simply cannot live without a little bit of sweetness, or want to ease your transition into a zero-sugar diet.<\/p>\n

If you do decide to use stevia, always remember that moderation is key. Stevia is about 200-300 times sweeter than table sugar. That means, you don\u2019t need much to add a little sweetness to your coffee or tea.<\/p>\n

Our recommended amount would be a pinch of (preferably SweetLeaf brand) stevia. Here are some other artificial sweeteners<\/a> you could use:<\/p>\n