The Luo Han Guo Stevia Experiment
June 3, 2009 Written by JP
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A few months ago I wrote a column about a relatively obscure sweetener known as luo han guo. It was of interest to me because it’s a natural, zero-calorie sweetener that doesn’t appear to impact blood sugar levels and may even possess some health promoting properties. The real question in my mind was how luo han guo compared to another similar sweetener called stevia. To that end, I did some very basic blood sugar testing on myself in order to compare how luo han guo and stevia affected me.
The first thing I did was to invest in a basic blood sugar monitoring kit. It includes the testing device, lancets and testing strips. Next, I set up a basic guideline for how I would test my blood sugar levels.
- In this mini-experiment, I made sure to always use an equal amount of instant coffee as the base beverage for the test sweeteners.
- I also made it a point to do the testing at least two hours after eating any food.
- Finally, I not only monitored my reaction to luo han guo and stevia, but I also tested my response to unsweetened black coffee as well.
Please keep in mind that I plan to continue my sweetener testing. This is just a preliminary update on what I’ve found so far. In this initial stage of my experiment, I used two commercially available products. My goal was to select widely available items that were as similar to each other as possible. By that, I mean that a) both products provide a single, standardized serving in an individual packet and; b) each product utilizes the same base (inulin) for the respective sweeteners.
Please note that the actual amount of luo han guo and stevia used for sweetening is very small - usually about 100 mg per serving. Therefore, most manufacturers use a base/carrier in which they mix these alternative sweeteners so that they can be used just like regular table sugar - which contains about 4 grams of sucrose per teaspoon.
Coffee + 1 Packet of SweetFiber |
||
| Baseline Blood Sugar Level (mg/dl) | 30 Minutes After Coffee + LHG (mg/dl) | |
| 83 | 84 | |
| 83 | 86 | |
| 84 | 80 | |
| 79 | 87 | |
| 88 | 85 | |
| 93 | 87 | |
| Average | 85 | 84.8 |
Coffee + 1 Packet of Now Foods Organic Stevia |
||
| Baseline Blood Sugar Level (mg/dl) | 30 Minutes After Coffee + Stevia (mg/dl) | |
| 96 | 89 | |
| 91 | 85 | |
| 89 | 87 | |
| 91 | 89 | |
| 81 | 83 | |
| 81 | 81 | |
| Average | 88.2 | 85.7 |
Coffee with No Sweetener |
||
| Baseline Blood Sugar Level (mg/dl) | 30 Minutes After Coffee w/o Sweetener (mg/dl) | |
| 99 | 86 | |
| 84 | 84 | |
| 87 | 87 | |
| 84 | 79 | |
| 85 | 84 | |
| 86 | 91 | |
| Average | 87.5 | 85.7 |
As you can see, both the luo han guo and stevia didn’t provoke a blood sugar spike (in me) one half hour post consumption. If anything, it could be said that black coffee and coffee + stevia *may* slightly lower (my) blood sugar. However, this change isn’t significant enough to have much relevance.
From a taste perspective, I felt as though stevia provided greater sweetness per packet than did the luo han guo product. I suspect that many people would need to add more than one packet per cup of coffee to reach a satisfactory level of sweetening effect.
In my next round of testing, I’ll evaluate my blood sugar response to pure luo han guo powder and pure stevia extract powder. I’ll also check to see what kind of an effect two packets of each sweetener will evoke. Please stay tuned for a follow up column that will be posted soon with those results.
Be well!
JP
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Tags: Luo Han Guo, Stevia, Sugar
Posted in Diabetes
June 4th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
Very cool, Harry!
June 4th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
Thanks, Rob!
More experimentation to come!
Be well!
JP
June 8th, 2009 at 7:50 pm
Have you tried Xylitol? I have used it in baking, but I haven’t done any thorough research on it. Stevia is such a pain to use in baking.
June 8th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
Cindy,
I have tried xylitol. In fact, I regularly consume natural mints and gums that feature it as the sole sweetener - to promote oral health.
I can empathize with your stevia experience. I think things will get easier now that stevia is being marketed as a sweetener - as opposed to being sold previously only as a “dietary supplement”. I think the easing of this classification will allow for manufacturers to more openly offer advice about how to use stevia to replace sugar.
While I do think xylitol has value, I’m not 100% comfortable using it in large quantities because it is a sugar alcohol. Using it is this way can, in sensitive individuals, cause GI problems and may have a greater impact than stevia (and perhaps luo han guo) on blood sugar levels. Therefore, I exert caution when using xylitol and other sugar alcohols in recipes.
Be well!
JP
February 2nd, 2010 at 5:50 am
Have you done testing on pure luo han guo powder and pure stevia extract powder? Can you comment whether SweetFiber or Stevia Extract has an after taste? Is it true that these sugar substitutes are not recommended for use on cold beverages or in making ice cream?
February 2nd, 2010 at 3:55 pm
Janine,
I haven’t done the pure stevia vs. pure luo han guo testing yet. However I do have the material and your comment is a good reminder to begin this experiment soon. Thank for that!
Many people find that stevia has a bit of an aftertaste. I think it varies by brand and is often based on the exact composition of the product in question. As an example: I use an organic stevia/inulin extract in my hot cocoa. I don’t detect any aftertaste. However there is a slight aftertaste in the peanut butter cookies that I sweeten with a combination of stevia/erythritol.
re: cold beverages and ice cream
I haven’t tried making a stevia-sweetened, homemade ice cream but I will when the weather warms up. There are quite a few stevia-based ice cream recipes out there so I’m guessing that it can be used effectively in such recipes.
In my experience, stevia works well for sweetening lemonade and iced coffee or teas drinks. It’s easier to dissolve stevia in warm liquids but it can be done in cold ones as well.
Be well!
JP
February 6th, 2010 at 12:34 pm
I’m Cherish from Guilin, China. Luo Han Guo is sweet but does not include sugar, so it doesn’t affect the blood sugar. The aftertaste of pure Luo Han Guo is slight sweet but not bitter.:)