natural sugar substitutes

I've also seen studies on fructose and sugar that show they affect blood sugar levels similarly. Stevia actually helps stabilize blood sugar levels, according to some studies. You can't really bake with it, though; baked goods don't brown, yeast breads won't rise, although you could use it in things like pancakes and waffles and maybe biscuits, since they rely on baking powder to rise.

Because of its taste, it would probably work better in more savory things, ie. carrot cake, banana bread, although you could use liquid stevia in tea or coffee or whatever.

BTW, stevia is widely used in diet and low-cal foods abroad, rather than aspartame, et al. (It's in Diet Coke made in the US for some foreign markets, especially Japan.)

I don't use stevia; I don't use any artificial sweeteners. They scare me. Splenda, btw, is sugar treated with chlorine. Just so you know... it's anything but "natural."