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No artificial sweeteners, here. I don't use stevia either. I do use honey and maple syrup and things of that nature in addition to cane sugar. I don't often sweeten things (drink coffee and tea black or with cream only, for instance).
We use either sugar or Equal (blue). We don't like the taste of any other artificial sweetener. Hubby uses it in his coffee, but otherwise we use real sugar, but very infrequently.
I use a bit of honey in my tea.
I use sugar for the things that need sugar and have subbed maple, agave, honey and coconut sugar. Coconut sugar is the most neutral if that list.
I use stevia - in tea. But not all tea. Generally in fruit flavored ones. Other tea I drink unsweetened. Tea with milk needs sugar for me. I generally use half a packet.
A few times a year I'll use equal or Splenda in iced to that is over brewed - sugar doesn't dissolve.
In baking you generally need real sugar. Sugar contributes to the chemistry of the dish.
I use organic stevia for beverages, sauces, dressings and marinades. Not that great for baking although you can use it to do a great low carb cheese cake with fresh strawberries. There is not enough "bulk" in it to be suitable for cakes, cookies and pies. Since I am a diabetic, I eat the real thing (sugar) only on special occasions like Christmas and birthdays.
My husband is diabetic so we need to lower his sugars and carbs. Stevia is a natural herb and not a chemical sweetener like aspartame (NutraSweet/Equal) or sucralose (Spenda) so I believe it is the healthiest alternative to high carb sugars. I know it does NOT spike his blood sugar as some of the other sugar subs do sometimes. Stevia has a sharp taste but we do like it in Lemonade, Kool Aid or Tea, but not sprinkled over our oatmeal. We will use sucralose for that. I also use Splenda for baking sweet treats (cobblers usually) for him. We avoid all aspartame products. They cause Burning Mouth Syndrome for me and diarrhea for my husband. I have not yet tried the liquid Stevia but I think it would probably work best for your cucumber sauce recipe. Good luck!
I am bumping this thread as I bake cookies ( Toll House and Oatmeal mostly) and I have substituted Stevia from Walmart. Since those usually call for 3/4 cups of white sugar and brown sugar, I have used half Stevia and white sugar and then the full amount of brown sugar. I found that they turned out more grainy if I use any moreStevia. I am wondering if any here have other solutions for cutting down. I don't have diabetes but don't want to get it at this point in my life. Also, the calories are something that I consider seriously. Thanks for your experiences.
P.S. I have cut out sugar in coffee and iced tea and cereals.
I have always reduced the amount of sugar called for in recipes. As the years went by I got bolder about making bigger reductions. The food all turned out fine. A lot of standard recipes must cater to people with a huge sweet tooth.
Depending on the item to be made, I even eliminate processed sugar entirely and instead add unsweetened applesauce or mashed ripe bananas. Those add sweetness, fiber, and moisture. They allow eliminating an egg from some cookie recipes, too.
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