The Truth on Truvia
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For better or for worse, we’re hell bent on finding or concocting the “perfect” non-caloric sweetener in this country. Call it the spirit of creative innovation – or capitalist enterprise. Call it incessant perpetuation of Americans’ bad eating habits. Call it a pragmatic step toward at least a more healthful alternative for what people will eat regardless.
First it was the pink packets, then the blue, then the yellow, and now the pleasantly, nature-inspired white and green foliage-designed envelopes. Truvia is a lucrative marketing merger of the “true,” (the essence?, the genuine?, the handy emotional affirmation?) with the herb stevia and all its natural (or novel) associations, depending on your familiarity with the natural foods (er, dietary supplement) arena.
Truvia is a creation of the Cargill Corporation, Big Agra giant. (We’re not sayin’, we’re just sayin’.) According to the company, it’s a non-caloric sweetener made from rebiana, an isolated and purified extract of the stevia leaf, a natural sweetener source originally from South America and now used in many corners of the world. Stevia, as we’ve reported on before, is considered safe by most experts, but it has not been approved by the FDA as a food ingredient in this and a number of European countries. (A small number of older and controversial rat studies found some association between high consumption and decreased fertility, lower birth weight and cancer. However, more recent research including a 2006 World Health Organization analysis found no evidence of negative health impact. Additionally, no health issues have been noted in the indigenous populations that have used stevia for generations or in Japan, where it is a very common and legally accepted sweetener used for decades.) In the U.S., stevia has been available but marketed instead as a dietary supplement. The biggest drawback for the sweetener in the minds of many consumers has been the slight (but distinct) aftertaste.
According to Cargill (and a number of tasters who either sampled the product at the company’s official rolling out event or who have purchased the product online), the plant selection and purification processes have done away with the offending aftertaste, leaving nothing but “clean, pure” sweetness. And taste testers seem to be responding positively as well, even preferring the sweetener to real sugar in many cases.
But what about the safety of the product and the whole “natural” claim? Is it really, as Cargill contends, a sweetener we can “feel good about”? We, of course, had to do some digging. Research has thus far been limited to several studies sponsored by Cargill itself. They were published together in a special supplement addition of the Food and Chemical Toxicology Journal this past July. The studies used both rats and humans as test subjects. Other than one study focused on reproductive impact, durations ranged from 4-16 weeks and used high doses of rebiana. According to the assembled research, there currently isn’t any indication that rebiana negatively impacts health. In healthy people, it didn’t raise blood pressure. It didn’t raise blood sugar in those with type 2 diabetes. Animal studies showed no signs of reproductive impact or harm to offspring. The rebiana substance was shown to be safely metabolized and secreted. The company adds that this research is meant to be examined in tandem with the plethora of existed studies on stevia – mainly steviol glycosides, which includes rebaudioside A, the primary element of Cargill’s rebiana.
As we speak, Truvia is in the midst of a nation-wide rollout. Having been first sold by select New York vendors and online, the product is making its way to more main street grocers. Additionally, consumers will increasingly find common food products made with Truvia in their supermarket aisles (including Coca-Cola-yeah!) as additional food and beverage applications are announced. We’ll see which ones are worth their salt – or their sweetener, we should say.
So, what’s our take on Truvia? In our minds the jury is still out. While the initial studies offer some degree of assurance, they’re extremely limited in terms of populations tested, biomarkers analyzed, and durations used. First off, it isn’t 100% clear that rebiana is entirely the physiologically-acting equal of other forms of stevia used throughout the world. Studies that last a mere 4-16 weeks don’t tell us much about the long-term effects of a substance. And though one study observed no impact on fertility or offspring in rats over two generations, somehow that still isn’t enough for us to recommend Truvia to our pregnant sister-in-law. Also, we wonder how well the substance will be tolerated in people with autoimmune disorders, certain food allergies, high blood pressure or other medical conditions. On a related note, we wish we knew more about potential substance interactions – how prescription drugs, hormonal therapies, or other medicinal treatments might alter the body’s processing and secretion of the substance over time. Finally, some critics also add that most of their stevia crops are generally grown in China under non-organic conditions. Given the recent problems with Chinese produced crops and medicinal substances (e.g. infant formula, pet food, heparin components), this fact doesn’t exactly inspire the deepest confidence.
Ultimately, our perspective on Truvia is the same as it is with any artificial/altered sweetener: ask yourself if the sweetened food/drink offers any real benefit (physical or otherwise) that you couldn’t get from the same or similar food/drink that’s unsweetened. If using an artificial/altered sweetener gives you an excuse to eat or drink things that probably aren’t good for you anyway (like Coca-Cola), we definitely say skip it. In this case, it’s just a crutch that perpetuates sweet cravings. If it allows you to have a sensible alternative for foods and drinks that offer you some kind of nutritional or personal benefit, then it might be a reasonable addition to your diet on occasion.
We’ll be watching as the news about Truvia unfolds and promise to bring you updates as they come along. In the meantime, we want to hear what you think of the latest sweetener to hit the shelves. Have you tried it? Do you intend to? Tell us your thoughts.
Further Reading:
A Cranky Crab Confesses: Yes, I Use Splenda!
10 Health Marketing Buzz Words (Ripe for Skepticism)
Subscribe to Mark’s Daily Apple feeds
Posted By: Worker Bee
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I haven’t tried it and don’t intend to. I still take in more sugar than I’d like (mostly in coffee), but as I focus on changing my eating habits, I find things I used to enjoy now taste overpowering to the point where I don’t enjoy them. Give me a 90% dark chocolate bar and a spoonful of coconut oil, and I’ll be happy to call that dessert.
I’d still like to try miracle fruit, both for curiosity’s sake and because it might help me drink coffee without sugar.
Truvia has a definite aftertaste, and, quite remarkably, 3 carbs per packet! I’ll take my Splenda, and feel okay about it because it makes my primal lifestyle a little easier to swallow (pun intended).
The aftertaste come from the stevia. Stevia is a natural herb that has a bitter/sweet/bitter cycle, the problem is the bitter is always present. The erythritol that Coke is using is only about 60% as sweet as sugar, so they have to boost the sweetness somehow – they chose stevia – which is 300% as sweet as sugar. There is no way to extract and crystallize stevia without chemicals.
We have been working on out erythritol formulation for 9 years and have came up with a 0carb/0cal form of erythritol that is made completely naturally with no chemicals involved in the entire process.
“Erythritol is made by enzymatic processes where enzymes break-down natural foods that are a part of your everyday diet (fruits and vegetables). The process that we use to yield the white crystals is the introduction of microorganisms classified as “osmotolerant”. The non-GMO microorganisms are introduced, and during that 3 day “fermentation” process a white crystalline powder is formed. Those crystals are then purified with natural activated charcoal and ultrafiltration, no chemicals involved.”
Swerve Sweetener
In the Marines there is a term “Overwhelming fire power”. All this truvia is cracka-cola’s effort to get products like sweetleaf which is actually made from stevia leaf extract and others off the market.
According to this “Swerve Sweetener” its impossible for all these other products that contain Stevia extract without having gone through some sort of chemical process being involed.
This character “swerve sweetener” seems to be dumping alot of information to try to reassure people of this truvia product. I sense a cracka-cola propagandist and would suggest people actually looking up all thie information them self.
While this character says its impossible to extract stevia without chemicals it forgets to mention Truvia contains rebiana. Rebiana is a product of the stevia plant which according to person would be done through a chemical process chemical.
The label Natural flavors is a notorious term in ingredients to hide whats inside. I am not saying that Erythritol isn’t what “Swerve Sweetener” says it is. I am saying its a look over hear tactic used to make you feel safe about the product.
I am not a spokesperson for any product or group/company. I just hate when people try to manipulate others.
~Michael Smith, random individual
Sorry to burst your bubble, but Truvia is better than splenda. Splenda has 3 calories (carbs) per packet as well. Since it is under 5 calories it can be labeled as “calorie-free”. Splenda is chlorinated sugar. It breaks down at higher temperatures (over 90 some degrees) and becomes toxic to the body. Most sweetners are already spoiled by the time the hit the grocerery
Splenda has 3 calories which is equivalent to 1 net carb not 3 carbs.
Also, Splenda® does not interact with other food ingredients or breakdown when exposed to the hot temperatures, acidic conditions, and storage requirements common to many food manufacturing and distribution systems, such as those for carbonated soft drinks, dairy products, hot-filled teas, canned fruits, and baked goods.
That said, I prefer Truvia because it’s a natural sweetener.
Just wanted to clear up some falsehoods others posted.
You do know Splenda causes cancer right?
Stick to your Splenda if you eventually want to become very ill as did my wife. Splenda is made by taking two or three OH molecules off of sugar and adding two or three Chlorine molecules making Splenda a “Chlorinated Hydrocarbon.”
Splenda WILL make you sick especially if you use quite a bit of it as I did several years ago. It is not natural. My daughters and I plus a niece all became very tired and had a hard time just trying to function during a regular work day. My niece actually had changes with her white blood cells. We all quit the stuff. My niece now how cancer of her lymph glands. Maybe the two are not related but who knows? I love Truvia and only hope it is safe. Time will tell.
I haven’t tried Truvia but I’ve been using Stevia Plus for a few years now as a sweetener in my tea. Even there I only use it from time to time as I’m learning to enjoy the flavor of green tea without sweetener. I don’t drink coffee and I’ve quit drinking any kind of soda over a year ago.
I don’t see any need to try Truvia because the aftertaste of Stevia doesn’t bother me. I’m also dubious of Cargill products.
Could you please explain your dubiousness about Cargill? I’m interested in knowing more.
Thanks for writing about this new sweetener. As of now, i use a little Stevia in my morning coffee, and yes, as you’ve said, it does have aftertaste, but the taste is O.K. while drinking it. I’ve not yet tried Truvia, but plan on it, i’ve not yet seen it nor had i even heard about it until now here on MDA-THANKS for sharing this!
What gets me is that some people think if they drink a diet cola because it has no calorie sweetener, they think it’s healthy. I’ve tried to tell people you’re not doing yourself a favor. They drink this stuff all day long, and some days no water. And yes, i do have coffee in the morning, but not all day long!
When I first read about truvia, this was my response “So… you take a decent natural sweetner, chemically break it down… then reconstruct it and sell it?”. Carghill processes the heck out of the stevia before it becomes truvia. What a load of caca!
The SoG
I’ve been using Truvia for a few months. I generally use it to sweeten herbal iced tea that I drink in the mornings. Sometimes I sprinkle some on my berries and unsweetened coconut milk, or on oatmeal (also made with coconut milk). I use maybe 2-3 packets a day, so I’m not a big user. And I don’t drink any diet soda at all.
Taste-wise, it’s better than plain stevia, though my wife finds it still has an aftertaste that she doesn’t like.
I don’t experience any effect on blood sugar that I can discern. I’m on a very low-carb, paleo-type diet, and haven’t seen any weight-issues.
In general, I like it. I replaced the same amount of yellow-packet sweetener, and I figure it’s probably more benign than Splenda was. But there’s probably a trade-off of some kind, as there is with anything other than fresh wildebeest that we’ve run down on the veldt!
So you’re on a strict low-carb natural berries and oatmeal hunter-gatherer diet, yet you purchase a laboratory-made chemical to sweeten your food. I take it you’re moreso “anti-carbohydrate” than pro-natural?
Where is this sold? Only @ health food store? Just this past Friday i was in the health food store getting more cashew and almond butters. I’ve not seen this. But, i do have another h.f.s i could look at. I want to give this a try because Stevia does have “after”taste. I see no reason to not try it if so far so good!
You can buy it anywhere, Publix has it, Whole Foods has it, most of the mainstream groceries carry it.
Truvia is also sold at Meijer. Besides adding it to my tea and oatmeal in the morning, I’ve also made an apple pie with it. One packet is equal to two tsps. of sugar. After emptying around 10 packets, I ended up with about a 1/2 cup of sweetner for my pie. The pie was plenty sweet, very good!
I’ve tried it and it’s pretty good. I also have used Stevia for some time, and can’t even detect an aftertaste, although from what I understand some brands have more of an aftertaste than others. Be aware that Truvia also has another ingredient in it, erythriol (hope I spelled that right). It’s an alcohol sugar, I believe. It has a slight cooling effect on the tongue, almost like a mint, just not near as strong.
As for me, as much as I like Truvia’s taste (one packet is = to two teaspoons of sugar) I think I’ll stick with what I know is not as processed, Plain stevia powder, and the liquid kind that is good for mixing with drinks. I do’t use that much of it anyway…
Oh and Truvia was found at our local Krogers. And the shelf was cleaned out, save for the box I got.
I think it’s going to be pretty popular.
I get it online. You can Google “Truvia” and find the web site.
It is probably great to sweeten a morning coffee with, eh, Mark? The way I see it, we are better off without sweeteners or artificial sweet things in general. If sugar is addictive, why keep yourself addicted in the first place?
I’ve been using regular stevia for over a year in both liquid and powdered forms. I like it and its unique taste doesn’t bother me. I was very skeptical of Truvia, so thanks so much for this article! I still won’t be choosing it over plain stevia, but it doesn’t seem to carry the same risks as artificial sweeteners or refined sugars (neither of which I go near).
Haven’t tried it and have no interest in doing so. All sweeteners are bad for you, and the non-caloric sweeteners are the absolute worst (Splenda, Aspartame, &c.). And whilst Stevia *may* not be as bad for you as High Fructose Corn Syrup, what is the point of feeding an unnecessary sugar addiction with yet another foodstuff monstrosity? I would rather have an occasional piece of dried fruit as a treat than eat any processed sweetener – I don’t care how “natural” they say it is.
I am on a specific diet for candidas (systemic yeast overgrowth). I must completely avoid all sugars and carbs. Stevia is the only sweetner that doesn’t feed the yeast. I am supposed to eat plain unsweetened organic yogurt. If you have tasted plain yogurt (similar to sour cream) you would see why this using this product is necessary.
i think plain yogurt has a great taste it is not any smilar to sour cream, you need to get the right one. if you can get the greek yogurt you can spred it onto a cracker and eat it like cream cheese and if you want you can put another layer of something sweet or something salty.
grade some cucumbers chop some dill mash a clove of garlik mix it with greek yogurt and use it as a dipping for your veggies. you dont need sugar to eat yogurt. i know it sounds abit strange but it tastes whole alot better than it sounds. it is cooling and freshening. lost of people liked it i hope you like it too.
Spread it on a cracker or add something sweet? Did you not read the part about avoiding carbs/sugar?
First off, I trust Cargill about as far as Grok could throw them — which is to say, a slightly shorter distance than Grok could throw ADM.
More to the point, what is with this incessant, God-given need we have for sweet things — which weren’t made sweet by nature. Fruit is sweet, I get it. That sweetness comes from naturally occurring sugar, I get that too. Yippee for sweet.
Coffee isn’t sweet. Tea isn’t sweet. Milk? Not sweet. Water — in it’s natural form isn’t even flavored, let alone sweet.
Nobody has a God-given right to sweet things. Sweetness is just another paperclip, clinging to the magnet at the core of our food attachment canister. Good grief.
Milk is quite sweet. It can be used by diabetics for hypoglycemic crises, same as OJ.
There are some people for whom sweet (and salty, by the way) are a godsend. I am currently undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, and the chemo drugs warp your taste buds. My mouth constantly tastes of metal. Not just a little—-A LOT. Sweet kills the metal taste. Foods that used to taste great, don’t anymore. I can’t eat sugar sweetened foods because of the risk of tooth decay. And artificially sweetened gum and candies do take that god-awful taste from my mouth temporarily.
Take your superior attitude and stuff it.
Yeah! I Love your stuff it comment!
You do what you can to get thru Chemo.
My sister was recently diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, a Non Hodgkins Lymphoma cancer, she may have to undergo Chemo in the future. We need to support each other on this. Best of luck to you.
God Bless
I do not believe in god, however, I have rights nonetheless…I have the right to paper clip and cling to whatever I wish…knock off the preaching…just the facts mam, just the facts…
Stevia’s taste is so hideously repulsive and totally overpowering that if this product has even 5% of the vomit-inducing noxiousness of Stevia, it will never, ever, catch on.
Living here in Cargill territory (seriously, I’m spitting distance from their headquarters & half our neighborhood works for them in some capacity), I tried out Truvia about a year ago. I’ve been using Stevia for years (not daily, just every now and then) and am well accustomed to the aftertaste but I did think that Truvia was an improvement. That said, I haven’t made any effort to get any more since I first tried it. It’s the whole “processed factor” that Son of Grok brought up. Makes me nervous.
But it does taste better…
Damaged Justice,
I tried the miracle fruit last weekend and it was indeed miraculous. But, I wouldn’t suggest using it as a sweetener substitute for coffee. The miracle fruit really sends your tongue into weirdsville. Here were some of the wacky taste results:
Beer – sort of like a chocolate milk shake except 80% more awesome.
Tomatoes – a little bit like peaches.
Lemons – lemon candy.
Mustard – frosting.
Wine – grape juice (and not in a good way)
Blueberries – little balls of heaven.
But nuts still tasted like nuts and coffee still tasted like coffee. Miracle fruit makes for a fun party, but using it to brighten up a diet would be similar to wearing 3-D glasses whenever the sky is cloudy.
And on Truvia, bring it on–Go Big Agra Go!
Did the schnozberries still taste like schnozberries?
Thanks for the anecdote — I was hoping it would make my coffee taste like mocha. Sounds like I’d be drinking a lot more beer
I hear it also doesn’t affect the taste of meat?
Dave,RN
Thanks for letting me it’s sold @ supermarket, i’ll check around, appreciate it.
Charles,
My thanks to you also. I’ll check out their site.
Glad both you guys enjoy it!
As soon as i find it, i will try it and see how i like it. Different people have different tastes, i like Stevia but i dilike the liquid Stevia. I’ll let you know how i like it and MDA will keep us posted on it!
As Dave, RN mentioned, Truvia has Erythritol in it. 3 g. per packet! I am sensitive to sugar alcohols and would never use a sweetener with that much sugar alcohol in it, even though Erythritol usually causes less “upset” than the other sugar alcohols do.
Damaged Justice,
Indeed. The beef jerky still tasted like beef jerky.
Artificial sweeteners typically do not trigger an insulin response so they should not increase appetite.
I use both stevia extract and erythritol but I mostly use Sweetzfree. I usually use stevia extract and Sweetzfree together and sometimes erythritol (for texture) because a blend of sweeteners seems to taste better than any one alone. The erythritol I have to powder in my blender because it doesn’t dissolve very well otherwise. I wonder if the erythritol in the Truvia dissolves when you mix it into something?
Try swerve sweetener, it acts just like sugar at all temps, it melts, dissolves, cooks, bakes and freezes just like sugar. The best part is it measures the same as sugar, equal in sweetness 1:1 – makes for easier recipe conversions.
I bought some not too long ago. I used it once or twice before I decided that I like my coffee black these days. I used it in one or two low carb desserts too, and it helped bulk up the taste of Splenda, but I am still not sold on Stevia. I’d rather avoid the sweetness whenever possible, to tell the truth.
I think the phrase is, “we’re not hatin’, we’re just sayin’” but point taken
I wish you had talked about the fillers that go in those Truvia packets. Terrible processing. There are plenty of natural stevia products that as a diabetic I support and use, but I’m not down with this garbage.
Actually the problem with truvia is the use of stevia and the way the erythritol is made. There is a way to naturally make and purify erythritol with no chemicals. Just let the enzymes do the work on the right combination of fruit and vegetable fibers and you get white crystals that are equal to sugar in sweetness and structure.
Nancy, erythritol is the only sugar alcohol that doesn’t cause digest upset and doesn’t contain carbs (well, it has 10g carbs for one WHOLE CUP). They have to list 3g on the packet, but it’s not metabolized by the body that way.
I blend my own erythritol and NuNaturals pure stevia extract for baking. Why perpetuate a love of sweet things? Because it makes my low carb all natural lifestyle doable. Because it makes celebrations happier. Because sweets and fancy desserts are part of our culture, and I like being a foodie.
Truvia is probably better than Splenda. It’s just too expensive for me.
I’m just curious… what motivates someone to shun a food item from diet that has never been found to cause health problems? “Natural” is arbitrary. I would argue there is nothing “natural” about eating berries year round, or dark chocolate, or green tea for that matter. All of these items require technology. What line do you draw which says truvia is not natural, but berries during 15 degree winter weather are natural?
Is it an aversion to hedonism in food? I’ve long suspected morals which make one uncomfortable with hedonistic eating motivate pointless “health freak” behavior. Therefore, truvia is bad because it makes food taste delicious. This makes one feel dirty, out of control, animal-like, take your choice pick of unpleasant adjectives. Berries are good because no one loses control with berries. Splenda coke is bad (even though caffeine has speculated to have some benefits to metabolism)… unsweetened green tea is good because it tastes like crap. Oh you aesthetic, pious observers, maintaining the sanctity of your body. By abstaining from electrifying, will-stealing sensation, you are transcending mortality… this sort of thinking is a distant cousin of the increasingly maladaptive practices of CRON and even anorexia nervosa. Living, point of it, missing you are.
I operate by a very simple principle. If it is bad for me, I don’t eat it. If it makes me feel bad, it is bad for me. I will never eat real cookies because they make me feel terrible. I go insane, I get fat, I stop living. I will gladly eat atkins bars because they make me feel good. I stay thin, I stay sane, I live as best as I can live.
I like living. I like sensation. I like pleasure. Sugared Coke is bad because it makes me feel horrible. The sweet taste is a tiny pleasure compared to everything it steals from me. Unhealthy food steals my life. I’ve lost years of my life to it, because my metabolism doesn’t work.
Diet soda is a pleasure I cannot understand denying myself. It is nice in moderation. Too much and I also feel bad, but a can per day has no effect that I can see or observe other than making me happier for tasting something sweet.
I’ve often remarked it’s such an irony that I feel *best* eating very processed food like atkins bars. Atkins bars, contrary to hype on low carb forums, do promote a deep fat burning for me, thus high energy and stable moods and a lack of hunger. On the other hand, a relatively “safe” food like chicken tends to make me hungry. Too much protein makes me hungry. Rice, forget about it. Sugar covered oil roasted peanuts? Bring it on. Salami, bacon with commercial french onion dip? Sure! Sprouted grains? Get it away from me, it contains the devil. Large amounts of fruit? Ditto. Raisins? Evil. Lots of carrots and peas? Sure, if I want my head to split open and live in hell for awhile.
I eat what makes me feel good. Why remove something from diet that makes you feel good? Splenda makes me feel good, and I am motivated to do pleasurable things.
People who eat raw sugar and honey are either metabolically normal (i.e. no carb intolerance) or they are sugar addicts in denial (i.e. they cannot make the transition from real sugar to artificial sugar because they are junkies, so they create a self delusion that it is healthier to eat “natural” sugar). People who completely abstain from sugar when there are metabolically neutral alternatives simply mystify me, but then again, I am not on the the aesthetic/food purifying trip so I suppose I can’t understand the pleasure in it. I will trust the pleasure they get from not eating artificial sugar is similar to the pleasure I get from eating it, since reward ultimately motivates behavior.
This is so weird. I just bought some Truvia today for the first time and I go home to your site and poof! So strange.
Itsthewoo,
I personally have nothing against stevia.. i don’t use it myself as I don’t crave the sweetness really but my wife uses it for her coffee. Truvia on the other hand is a processed monstrosity made from stevia. Therefore I say it is bad because it is heavily processed.
The SoG
Itsthewoo,
“I’ve long suspected morals which make one uncomfortable with hedonistic eating motivate pointless “health freak” behavior.”
Your rant is just at the opposite end of the spectrum from the “food moralists” you are deriding. It is like reverse snobbery IMHO.
I’m not sure, but based on your food likes and dislikes it sounds like Mark has found a poster child for the theory of how diet and thoughts impact gene expression.
Itsthewoo,
if your unsweeted tea/coffee tastes like crap, just buy a better brand so you don’t need to cover it with sugar/sweetener
Hey Mark,
Just thought this could be added to the debate.
In 2008, two UCLA researchers studied Stevia for carcinogenicity and toxicology, and determined that it caused mutations in some laboratory tests.
http://www.cspinet.org/new/pdf/stevia-report_final-8-14-08.pdf
I would rather eat Stevia/Truvia than Splenda…
Splenda makes me very sick. So does aspartame. Stevia never did that, but yes, a bit of a funky aftertaste…I sprinkled it on most things but it never awakened cravings in me whatsoever, thats why I liked it [only the powder kind!].
I think I will try Truvia.
Game, set and match to ItsTheWooo.
Looks like Dave had his feelings hurt and SoG missed the point.
Dave, tell us about your superior gene expression (an overused term in the paleodiet community by people who don’t really know much about it) gotten from eating (neolithic) berries year round, or (neolithic) dark chocolate, or (neolithic) green tea as she mentioned in her comment.
Most dietary choices claimed to be paleo are so far from it as to be laughable.
Grok,
I didn’t really miss the point as much as I maybe addressed it tangentially and did not really clarify. Let me rephrase as Itsthewoo might have put it.
Eating sugar substitues does not make me feel “good”. In fact, it often makes me feel “bad”. Stevia does not make me feel “bad” or “good” and so therefore why waste the energy trying to include it in my diet? Truvia is one step past stevia… it is processed stevia which as people point out has a sugar alchohol, which placebo or not tends ot make me feel “bad”. Therefore I have no intention of eating it or endorsing it because A. There is a better option out there in unprocessed stevia that I don’t even take advantage of and B. Because I don’t have the least bit of faith that it is not bad for your health due to the processing and track record of heavily processed foods.
Fair enough?
The SoG
Sugar makes you feel bad too, and it’s unhealthy, so what exactly do you eat? Tofu?
I had tried Stevia before, in the extract form, and it had a pretty foul aftertaste, but truth be told it was no worse than the metallic aftertaste of Splenda and it’s ilk.
Stevia of course has been around for many thousands and thousands of years and used since prehistory, but what they did was pick what they felt is the “best” of Stevia and make an extract out of it, patent it, and then doing so having actually bypassed the entire FDA debacle.
Really smart thing to do, and it removed control from the hands of sweetener companies, which had a stranglehold on just about everything diet since the banning of Stevia.
A couple are owned by Monsanto, which you know would drag the process out to maintain their iron grip on the sugar substitute industry, the other major player is owned by a multinational patent-hoarding corporation, which are the least litigious of all corporations(and that was sarcasm).
I do worry about how they extract it, and exactly how they extract the sugar alcohol, I’m sure we’ll get answers soon.
I went out and got some, and it was definitely not sugar, but the flavor of the sweetener is rather nice, it’s a lot lighter than splenda, though it doesn’t quite hit plain sugar, of course.
The aftertaste isn’t there, the Stevia aftertaste I mean, nor is the metallic Splenda aftertaste, the aftertaste that is present is rather pleasant, it lingers on the roof of my mouth for a little bit and is distinctly sweet with a little twang of what may indeed be vanilla.
I’m hoping Coca Cola converts their diet drinks to this, having diabetes means I have to drink a lot of water and diet drinks, so having something less offensive to my taste buds would be a welcome change.
Son of Grok, Grok (aka ItsTheWoo) isn’t interested in a serious discussion. Just another Internet troll looking for a little excitement in their life. My feelings could never be hurt by some faceless incoherent person ranting on an Internet board.
Thanks Dave. There I ago again giving people the benefit of the doubt!
The SoG
“Oh you aesthetic, pious observers, maintaining the sanctity of your body. By abstaining from electrifying, will-stealing sensation, you are transcending mortality… this sort of thinking is a distant cousin of the increasingly maladaptive practices of CRON and even anorexia nervosa. Living, point of it, missing you are.”
ITW, perhaps you should take the time to find out what this site is about before you come in guns a’blazin with the insults. If you find consuming artificial sweeteners an “electrifying, will-stealing sensation” and your diet soda makes you feel so fulfilled, then drink up! No need to be so defensive. Personally I don’t see how an aversion to consuming man-made, chemically enhanced “foods” is in any way self-deprivation or somehow not living life to the fullest. Priorities I guess…I never got my jollies from a daily fix of “diet” anything.
I tried the truvia and didnot like the aftertaste. I have been using Splenda and find that it is the “best” artifical” sweetener for me. My husband is diabetic and using the splenda has opened up a lot of options for him which keep his blood sugar stable. Forget about him changing his diet or life style. Some people just don’t get it and don’t want to. So splenda has been a big help in this area. I use it instead of sugar and he never knows the difference.
Anybody ever research any info online about the damage these Other artificially made sweeteners have done and continue to do to people?My first experience with Asparteme(aka.Nutrasweet) and Splenda was awful! After 3 times, I understood these products are deadly to my system.They nearly killed me in hospital when they only offered me these products in all the food I got due to my diabetes.-
What if this does so as well? The adverse effects make me seek more answers as to long term safety.
Always open to new yet “safe” ways to enjoy my food….So I will monitor this item for awhile.
(NOTE: Do the research!!)
Please send all responses to email address.
I have been trying to decide on a brand of stevia to use so I can drop the Splenda. Today I ran across Truvia at Wal-mart. I assumed it was processed but thought it might be a better alternative until I can decide on and order some stevia.
I noticed on the package that it has Erythritol in it. My first thought was it might cause some kind of gastro problems since its a sugar alcohol. I thought I better read up on it to be safe. Reading on Wiki, it appears that it is the least likely of all sugar alcohols to cause gastro problems because its absorbed by the body where other sugar alcohols are not. It did say that if your body reaches a certain level it may not absorb anymore and then cause problems.
While reading I noticed this:
Erythritol At industrial level, it is produced from glucose by fermentation with a yeast, Moniliella pollinis.
The way I ran across Mark Sisson was through Doug Kauffman who teaches yeast is bad.
Me and my wife have been on Doug’s Phase one program a month, and her blood sugars are averaging around 100 instead of 170 and her weight is falling off. I don’t want to introduce yeast and mess her up.
Any comments or thoughts on the yeast thing would be appreciated
Matt
I have been using Stevia Extract in the Raw for the last few months and really like it. It is less expensive than Truvia and does not have the sugar alcohol in it. You can check it out at http://www.steviaextractintheraw.com
I am curious about their claims of natural flavoring though…and idea what that is? In reality, most people are better off ingesting regular old sugar, as at least you know what you are getting.
Yeah, it’s called diabetes.
I have it.
To those who said they’ll stick with splenda……..this is what spenda is: it was discovered when pesticides were developed. Splenda also causes: Shrunken thymus glands (up to 40% shrinkage)
Enlarged liver and kidneys.
Atrophy of lymph follicles in the spleen and thymus
Increased cecal weight
Reduced growth rate
Decreased red blood cell count
Hyperplasia of the pelvis
Extension of the pregnancy period
Aborted pregnancy
Decreased fetal body weights and placental weights
Diarrhea
According to Consumers Research Magazine “Some concern was raised about sucralose being a chlorinated molecule. Some chlorinated molecules serve as the basis for pesticides such as D.D.T., and accumulate in body fat. However, Johnson & Johnson emphasized that sucralose passes through the body unabsorbed.”
Bill, would love to see where you got that info from. I don’t doubt it, as that stuff is crap, but could use more facts when talking to people about it. Thanks!
Yes, Bill,
Where did you get your source of information about Splenda? It’s big claim is that it is made from sugar—how can that be a pesticide????
Marilyn
Matt,
Regarding your question about Erythritol it’s not just that it’s a yeast thing – it’s that it’s an artificial compound!
The way I understand it is that the scientists have used the yeast fermentation process to copy the make-up of a ‘natural’ compound, so they can say it’s a natural sugar…. but that doesn’t work for me.
It’s more like a fake Gucci handbag to me. It looks the same, feels the same but isn’t at all the same! It’s made from different stuff, in a different way for a similar but unquestionably different result.
The other new sugar, PureVia has the same problem. The bulking agents they are using are supposedly ‘natural’ but may have been derived the same sort of way …. they use Erythritol and isomalt (that’s been around for years and can also cause diahorrea in high quantities).
I’m hanging out for the new Australian sugar LoGiCane. Saw it there while on holiday. It’s made from cane sugar and is low-GI! Made of 100% cane sugar and nothing else. OK it still has the calories but it doesn’t mess with your insulin levels. I’d rather limit sugar intake and eat that than put something from a laboratory in my body!
has anyone heard of it – anyone know when it’s coming here?
“Erythritol is made by enzymatic processes where enzymes break-down natural foods that are a part of your everyday diet (fruits and vegetables). The process that we use to yield the white crystals is the introduction of microorganisms classified as “osmotolerant”. The non-GMO microorganisms are introduced, and during that 3 day “fermentation” process a white crystalline powder is formed. Those crystals are then purified with natural activated charcoal and ultrafiltration, no chemicals involved.”
The Digestibility of erythritol and erythritol causing gas comes from the addition of inulin in the mixture. We have figured out a way to create our own version of an “erythritol” based sweetener that is rapidly absorbed by the small intestine due to the small molecular size and structure. Because more than 90% of ingested swerve is absorbed and excreted unchanged, allowing less than 5% to reach the large intestine, foods containing even a substantial amount of Swerve will not cause digestive discomfort, and are actually able to further promote digestive health by adding beneficial microflora to the diet.
I read that truvia contains eryithitol that is made from GMO corn. Is that correct???
yes it’s true.
I am no chemist, but I do nkow that Cargill employs a lot of them. So take a plant that CAN’T be patented and try to come up with something that can be patented, (Truvia is patented) and you will need chemistry.
They take the steviol methyl ester, basically the sugar alcohol of the plant, and use acetone to accomlish the outcome. This is not a whole food. When we attempt chemistry with our foods we are bound to pay a very high price. Time will tell how high.
This is the sweetner Doctor Bernstein recommends because in packet form (powder that is) unlike all other artifical packet sweetners contains NO form of SUGAR (aka dextrose or Maltotetraose). Just enough to keep it under a carb and just enough to maintain it as a powder. Liquid or solid cube forms do NOT have dex or Malt- just the powder.
The whole food brand of truvia has a vinilla flavor added
What about harmful ingredients thats found in foods drinks gum cookies just about everything and no one ever talks about?Iam talking about aspartame
forget safety. the name is bad enough. i found a cool review of the name here: http://onthebutton.wordpress.com/2009/05/21/truvia_purevia/
While it’s not something I use on a regular basis, I admit that I’m glad a sweetener has finally emerged that’s considered a bit more “natural.”
That isn’t to say it’s safe or acceptable by any means, but at least it seems to have a lower degree of chemicals compared to most other sweeteners. Personally, I try and avoid all artificial sweeteners, even truvia, yet if I’m FORCED to use one, that’s what I prefer.
I bought Truvia today. There were actually several different types of “stevia” sweeteners. I don’t know exactly why I picked it over the others, just thought I’d try it since I am not a fan of other artificial sweeteners. Straight out of the packet the taste is first sweet and then kinda funky one (not necessarily bad, just indescribable for me) and then back to the sweet, with a little hint of an aftertaste. My final review- I tried it, I liked it in my tea, and I am going to keep my ears open for anything. I think I may also head to the health food store to try the natural stevia.
Just tried truvia for the first time this morning, in my coffee. Have to tell you it tasted pretty good but about a half hour after my coffee I stood up and eas dizzy and have been a bit off balance ever since (approx 3 hour), Also have a slight amount of blurred vision. Hope it all goes away as I’d really like to reduce my sugar intake.
I purchased a box of Truvia, it is nearly gone – hank heaven. It is NOT sweet and has an horrible chemical tase. Corn and all it’s products are a poison for me;I’m giving up looking for substitutes and using good old non-allergenic sugar.
I have pretty much come to the same conclusion as you about sweeteners. The only thing is, if your allergic to corn then you probably are sensitive to sugar too. That is what the allergist told me–they are related. I feel best without sugar, but really have a hard time staying away from it completely.
Came across this website today for some reason. I’ve tried EVERY “artificial” sweetener ever made I think. Sugar just about debilitates me, but I still need sweetness in my coffee, tea, etc.
I’ve tried Truvia, and it’s not my favorite, though I would use it as a backup if I couldn’t get my favorite, which is PUREVIA. Probably very much the same, but for me, there is no aftertaste with Purevia, and it just tastes great. I use it in my coffee, and on my morning grapefruit, and love it. In cooking/baking, it works wonderfully.
I will say this about Splenda – I used it for about 6 or 7 years, and within weeks of being “off” it, I felt better than I had in YEARS. No more headaches, no more fatigue.
For now, I’ll stick with the stevia derivative.
Interesting and informative website, thanks!
Heh. Well I found Woo’s post totally hilarious. Maybe I’m up too late and my sense of humor is warped…
I tried Splenda. It was better than eating real sugar; it was better than stevia (I abhor the anise/black licorice taste, which is what stevia aftertaste is like to me, with a big kick); so I used it some. Then I found sweetzfree.com and started using that, and it’s fabulous, although it has no bulk. I found and have bought like 35 flavors of sugarfree davinci (made with sucralose) which makes a vast difference in many things although the sweetening intensity is not high. There is also “fiberfit” which is 8x sweeter and is a liquid fiber supplement. (Not my thing, just an idea.)
Thanks for the ref to swerve, I just bought some online and will try it out.
I don’t eat sweeteners all that often but when I do, especially at holiday/celebration points, it’s very important to me and to my kid to be able to have that pleasure and take our own stuff to family gatherings where we can’t eat the other stuff.
If medical science would get their asses in gear and find a cure for diabetes and obesity, we wouldn’t need to eat crap like artificial sweeteners..There’s no profit in cures..
My wife picked up a box of truvia and I’ve been using it in place of splenda. I don’t have a problem with the flavor, but almost the only thing I sweeten is a cup of hot vanilla milk at bedtime. On occasion, I sweeten iced coffee, but I rarely drink it, so not much usage there.
Really, the people getting their knickers in a twist should get over themselves. I’m neither stupid nor evil for wanting a sweet milky drink at bedtime. Sheesh. And since I just completed my first triathlon (0.5 mi swim, 11 mi bike, 3 mi run) at the tender age of 59, I’m not giving up any ground in terms of health. I’ll be hitting the gym at 4:30 AM tomorrow. Feel free to join me. You can celebrate afterwards with your unsweetened herbal tea, while I indulge my usual eye-opening cuppa joe.
Thanks.
mp
Gotta love how good ol’ fashioned human paranoia will prevent or develope precepts on products that have an “unknown” factor to them. “People fear what they don’t know.” This is directed towards the “I’m not going to try it, cause the boogy man made it” people. That’s why there is the FDA, do they get everything right, NO!, but that’s expected, they are human too. I would put more faith in the time-tested study of the japanese using similiar products for decades now.
Yours truly,
TheGuyWhoFakedTheMoonLanding
For:theguythatfakedthemoonlanding
All those involved in faking the moon
landing are real scarey motherf*#@er’s. Some of them are on the payroll of FDA
as well as the Artificial Sweetner Industry. Have you ever seen the program
“sweet Misery” It’s on free speech T.V.
By the way why not share your view on
High Fructose Corn Syrup? aka the high calorie artificial sweetner.
I’ve tried Truvia and it tasted fine to me. I wouldn’t have, but my sister left a box at my house, so I “borrowed” a packet.
I don’t mind Stevia but it would be nice to do away with the aftertaste. After reading all this I think I’ll continue to wait a bit before I’d consider using Truvia regularly.
Oh, and for the last guy that trusts the FDA, you’re hilarious. It seems you’ve never known anyone who works in the food processing industry, eh? I’m still chuckling over that one.
I do not trust the FDA to do anything except prevent me from buying nuclear waste that says “NEW-CLEAR WAIST” on it by putting a diclaimer sticker on it saying “This will kill you” so they can say they told me so, hence the “NO!” in my previous statement.
I just tried Vitamin Water 10, multi-v… thinking it used just less sugar… WRONG! It was hideously sweet, so I read the ingredients and found three different “natural” sweeteners! Crystalline Fructose, Erythritol, and Truvia. So that’s THREE companies paying Glaceau to add their product to Vitamin Water instead of simply using less “real” sugar.
Simple, healthy solutions are not being produced when they can and should be.
Unfortunately, all the artificial sweeteners are carcinogenic – by the time they are through running chemicals through “sugar”, your Splenda bears no resemblance to sugar at all, and I suspect it may be the same with Truvia. If you really want to use stevia, get some extract at your local health food store. Better tasting and safer than others are Xylitol (made from a tree bark, also at the health food store) and Agave Nectar (like honey, but a bit thinner). Both are excellent sweeteners. Neither will affect your blood sugar levels – or support Big Ag with your dollars, which is a force in this world more evil than you know.
Just want to comment that a very small amount of Xylitol can kill a dog. I chew sugarless gum and my dog got a hold of the pack and ate much of it. I called the vet out of an abundance of caution and they immediately asked what brand it was and if it was made with Xylitol. (Trident is one brand made with X.) Lucikly I chew Extra made with Aspartame, (which I know is also unsafe and I don’t eat anything else with Aspartame in it), but at least it won’t kill a dog!
I was happy with Splenda until I found out it’s a man made pesticide-like chlorine molecule and not natural at all. Truvia and PureVia are more of the same… more unnatural processing.
For those who CAN eat sugar, I’d recommend buying organic sugar made from pure cane juice. The ONLY ingredient listed is “pressed pure cane juice.” The sugar is tan and tastes a bit like molasses but is more natural than any processed substitute.
For those who can’t eat sugar, I’d recommend pure, organic Stevia from a health food store. Not Truvia or PureVia. If one brand of Stevia doesn’t taste good, try another.
I tried Truvia at a Networking Event about a week ago. I liked it, but found it takes two packets to a large glass of Tea. Since just recently being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and having to give up my sugar, this seems to be very nice and I would not mind cooking with it. I have Splenda in my pantry, but I am not crazy about it. It makes my drinks taste slick or oily.It is hard to describe. I’ve used SweetNLow for years for my Tea. But now that I am doomed…I am finding this Truvia to be a blessing.
Paula you can learn to like tea without any sweetner added to it. Give it a try for 5 to 7 days and you’ll find your taste buds liking the slight bitterness of tea. I drink iced instant green tea and love it.
I have been using Truvia for about 3-4 months now. I love it! For me, it takes less than the other sweeteners, and I do NOT crave sweets. I have been cutting out sugar from my diet as much as possible since January. It is now the later part of August and I’ve lost 29 pounds. I believe it’s a great product!
According to ironwings above: “Better tasting and safer than others are Xylitol (made from a tree bark, also at the health food store) and Agave Nectar (like honey, but a bit thinner). Both are excellent sweeteners. Neither will affect your blood sugar levels…”
Although it may have a slightly lower glycemic load than sugar, Agave nectar consists primarily of fructose and glucose. I believe that the above claim (that it will not affect blood sugar levels) could be harmful to some, and I would hope that people who have a true need to monitor and measure blood sugar levels would not take such advice without doing their own research.
More from Wiki: “..However, the extremely high percentage of fructose (higher than that of high-fructose corn syrup) can be deleterious and can trigger fructose malabsorption, metabolic syndrome[7], hypertriglyceridemia, decreased glucose tolerance, hyperinsulinemia, and accelerated uric acid formation.[8][9][10] Low-carb diet advocate Dr. Michael Eades M.D. advises to “avoid it [Agave syrup] like death”.[11]”
And xylitol is a sugar alcohol made in a lab that gives you the runs. Everything in moderation. Like plain old sugar.
I accidentally tried Truvia when I selected a vitamin water (I think it was SoBe) at a Quiznos, avoiding drinking any soda.
I could definitely taste the aftertaste, which turned me off immediately. I don’t consume anything with artificial sweeteners, and even though Truvia claims to be all natural, I’d rather consume real, plain old sugar in moderation.
Only one person mentioned saccharin, which has been around since WWII, at least, because of sugar rationing during that era. It was sold in bottles of tiny tablets and I remember putting 4 or 5 into a glass of iced tea, which was the usual non-alcoholic dinner drink at that time in the south. I still prefer saccharin in cold drinks, like tea and lemonade, as well as in hot tea, although I use only one packet at a time. ALL artificial sweeteners taste weird in hot drinks.
My only experience with Stevia was in an orange flavored tea (Orange Fountain) which was served in a restaurant. Stevia was listed as the sweetener, but there may have been others in it, as well. It was so sweet, it was unpleasant.
Sorbitol (which is in most Sugar-free candies and some chewing gum) sent me to the Emergency Room with severe gastritis, about an hour after I had eaten a few hard candies containing it. So, I’m leery of most of these newer sweeteners, until more is known about them. Strangely enough, white or turbinado sugar doesn’t seem to sweeten as well as it used to, probably because “high-fructose corn syrup” has spoiled me for anything else! It is most definitely sweet – but so detrimental to weight control and general health.
I have tried them all. I grew up with sweet tea with “the pink packets” as it’s sweetener.
I used to like Splenda until I found that it’s use of real sugar really was a clever marketing ploy on the same chemical junk that we’ve all been interesting for years. (Just slightly better tasting)
I switched to stevia powder from whole foods. I found a couple brands that had the bad after-tastes but finally found a couple brands that I LOVED.
When truvia came out I was happy to see stevia go “mass market”. I just bought my first box and found it to be distinctly DIFFERENT than marketed. I was irritated and worried that it wasn’t truly stevia.
That being said, it is all things good in my coffee LOL. It is so much better than the stevia and I like that it doesn’t effect my blood sugar.
The jury is still out. I think I may buy it again, but then again, I may not. Time will tell.
High fructose corn syrup is an
artificial sweetner with calories. used
in place of sugar in many processed foods these days becuase it is way cheaper and the corporations are all about money.The food industry including the FDA tries to keep these facts from the public. truvia is not good.High fructose corn syrup, aspartame, nutra sweet,splenda, sweet&low,are artificial and very harmful. BEWARE!Stick with REAL stevia or Real sugar
I haven’t tried truvia- it’s not natural
so i won’t. This could be helpful…
I grow my own stevia and there is no
aftertaste, I sometimes buy stevia at
the health food store and there is no
aftertaste. I believe some of the brands
sold at different stores such as walmart may have an aftertaste so try
different kinds and maybe you’ll find
one that you really like. Sugar is fine
in moderation for most people.happiness
is so much easier to find if we’re in good health. Good luck to you all!
An article I was reading today pointed out that the first evidence of humans seeking a sweetener was a 10,000 year-old cave painting depicting gathering of honey. The modern sweetener known as refined sugar has been in use in the western world for a thousand years and even longer in the Middle East and Far East. All of which is by way of preface to the idea that use of sweeteners is neither modern nor evil. In an environment in which you are primarily sedentary, or when you have a medical condition like diabetes, it makes sense to control your caloric intake, so artificial sweeteners come into play. If a person uses common sense to regulate diet, that regulation includes sweeteners. If you’re a monk or a nun, self-purification as a sustaining virtue may make sense to you. Me, when I want to purify, I work out and then spend an hour in the sauna. There are so many things of importance in this life, fretting over which sweetener to use has got to be low on the list. Take care of yourself, be aware of what you’re eating, live within your means and be thankful for what you have. For most of us, that’s practically a guarantee of a long, happy, healthy life.
Thanks.
mp
Folks, Stevia has been available from Trader Joe’s for some time. I stock up, as the nearest Joe’s is 200 miles away. It’s in the food supplement department. Ingredients: Stevia & Lactose (used to cut it’s strength – sorry, probably not for the lactose intolerant). Dried leaf Stevia tastes a little, ummm, “green”. I don’t plan to go the Cargill route. The stuff from Trader Joe’s – no aftertaste I can discern.
I’ve been using Stevia for some time. I use it in my coffee daily. If I run out I will use a very small amount of cane sugar which to me seems to have almost no taste, as the Stevia is so sweet. It takes very little Stevia to sweeten coffee. I find the little packets have too much in them for one cup of coffee, more like 2.5 to 3 cups of coffee. So saving whats left is a problem, it spills out, etc. That’s where Cargill’s conspiricy comes into being. They plan on you losing 30% of your Stevia, so you will end up buying more at there pre-set very high retail price. I like the nice Green box it comes in, it could hold 4x’s as much product, so selling air is figured into the price, plus more packaging for the landfills. Great Stuff! As a Diabetic it makes my coffee taste great and makes my day! The after taste isn’t much of a big deal.
I just purchased my first box of Truvia from the local grocery store this past week. I was just doing a little research as to the safety of the product and found this website. I tried it for the first time this morning in my MickeyD’s iced coffee. I usually use raw sugar because I try to stay away from the processed stuff. I used one packet and it was just enough. I did not find any aftertaste either. I also bought some Vitamin Water lite, which I see also uses Truvia. I wasn’t as impressed. It did have a slight after taste much like the artificial sweeteners which I do not use at all. I certainly would like to know if there is any new news out there about this product. I don’t want to recommend it to anyone if it’s not safe.
I’ve used truvia as a transition from sugar (usually turbinado style sugar, which I had convinced myself was “healthier”, or even sometimes honey) to no sweetener at all in my coffee. Over a few weeks, I was able to use less and less truvia until one day I made the plunge and just started going without.
And my coffee tastes great!
I bought Truvia at Walmart some weeks ago and have been trying it in my hot tea in the mornings. I, too, was happy to find a “natural” sweetener. I have been carrying a supply of packets in my purse to “sweeten” iced tea at restaurants. I recently noticed my face and neck getting flushed after use. Developed a rash on my neck, as well. Anyone know what may cause this reaction? I’m going to stop using it.
I enjoy using Truvia. Is there any scientific studies on this product or Stevia out there that we can look up? Trusting Cargill with our food saftey is something that needs to be looked into. I don’t know the brand name, but I did get to try some Stevia that was in form just like Truvia and it was great. The person that had it bought it from a online Health food store. Seems to be quite a few variations on how Stevia is processed.
I have been dealing with candida, Sugar feeds the bad bacteria, and the bacteria makes you crave sugar. Have started useing “NOW French Vanilla Stevia Extract” With good results, it eliminated my cravings for sugar. As for tast like any thing you try for the first time is different, Its sweet with no bitter after taste, Could be the vanilla taste which I like. Just saw the Truvia comerical, and plan on giving it a try. If it has after-taste, I’ll try putting in a dash of vanella, and see if it makes a difference. At best my guess is it will help with bacteria fed by sugar diseases, candida, endometriosis, exc.
There is no substutute for good old organic sugar.
we have been conned into do everything to lose weight EXCEPT be active and eat right…pills, chemicals, etc
The absolute LAST way to be healthy is by replacing food with chemistry. Let’s NOT be lazy cattle anymore and help put soulles companies like Dargil out of business.
Organic sugar is chewing a organicly grown stalk of sugar cane. There’s nothing wrong with Chemistry our bodies do chemistry all the time, some good , some not so good.
As a diabetic good old sugar is something I stay away from.
I would like to see some scientific studies on Stevia and the refined version of Stevia renamed Stevia. Sometimes there something good out there.
I bought a box of Truvia at Walmart. I was going to grab Splenda, but grabbed Truvia instead.
After a week of having Truvia in my coffee, it’s ok, but odd. Weird aftertaste and I doubt I will buy it again.
What bothers me is deceptiveness of the presentation on the box. As with Splenda, the box would have you believe it’s at natural as mother’s milk.
Obviously I’m ok with fake, because I still buy Splenda. But even Splenda limits the lies to “tastes like sugar because it’s made from sugar.” Ummmm yeah. Splenda is manufactured and a bag of sugar had nothing to do with it.
Back to Truvia, if you read the ENTIRE box, a fraction of the text indicates that erythritol is the main ingredient, not rebiana. With all that glowing text about stevia and rubiana, you would think rubiana would be the main or only ingredient.
For those of you who are horrified by my use of Truvia or any other fake sweetner, I respect your beliefs that artificial sweeteners are bad and undesirable. I’m not an idiot and my choices are informed, even it they are not the choices you folks might make. Please, no pontification, condescension, and general rudeness, OK?
I’ll give it a try. Until then, I’ll stick with my zylitol and stevia mix from NOW products!
Stay healthy!
Marco
I’ll stick with regular sugar when I want something sweet. All this artificial stuff is confusing.
I just switched from 5 years of Splenda use to Truvia and really like it. It doesn’t desolve as quickly in cold drinks but thats okay. I would also like to stop using sweetener but I have the perverbial “sweet tooth”. I will make a bigger effort however. Splenda’s lack of long range testing started to make me worry so I’ve stopped using it. Does anyone know of the REAL benefits of drinking V8 products? I know it isn’t related except that I see sucralose as a sweetener in some of those and that is basically splenda. Do V8 products REALLY provide honest benefits?
I’m diabetic and I have used Truvia. I like it but its expensive and I just decided to forget sweeteners. I just go without sugar in my white tea and like a poster here said you get used to it. healthier and cheaper too. Why do Americans refuse to eat things unless it tastes like candy or ice cream?
I used Stevia in the Raw the first time I tried stevia, but this summer grew my own plant, harvested the leaves – several at a time – dried them on my kitchen counter and then just crushed them and added them to whatever I wanted sweetened, (tea, cereal, baked apples, etc.). It worked great and I do not notice anything but a very mild after taste that is not bothersome. I’d rather have that than all of the chemicals they use to “extract” the plants sweetness. First time I caught you site think it’s wonderful.
Do you have any similar information on “Stevia in the Raw?”
How does this effect weight loss? Truvia/ stevia?
I received a box of Truvia for free, and over the last few days have been tasting it poured out on my hand. I thought it actually tasted better than sugar, with a light and citric effervescence after taste. I haven’t eaten much of it, and don’t intend to. But, I plan to be using it in some dishes and will probably quite enjoy it!
After posting last night, I did some more google searching for side effects. It looks like Truvia might not be the wonder sweeter I thought it was. See the following link:
http://side-effects.owndoc.com/truvia-side-effects.html
I suppose the jury will be out for a while.
I have been unable to have ANY artificial/ “calorie free” sweetner due to the fact they have ALL made my tongue numb and throat all scratchy. Truvia was suggested to me by one of my customers and I AM SOOOO EXCITED to say NO effects were felt after having this product! It taste great (like real sugar) and I feel very blessed to have found it!
I’m in the line of thought that it’s better to avoid artificial sweeteners. Here’s why – by using them, it becomes a crutch. Mentally you’re buying into an idea that you’re being “deprived”.
Mark had written in his article about chocolates about how you’ll be surprised at how your tastebuds adjust. I can support that comment 100%. I’m able to drink milk coffee without adding a spoon of sugar, and not out of deprivation, I actually don’t WANT to add any. Same thing with table salt.
Takes a while to adjust, but if you can go one week cold, or start reducing gradually you’ll see.
Then you can have your dark chocolates even every day if you are disciplined enough (only 8g in a serving of Lindt 85%). If we’re eliminated the grains, you can still have the wine etc etc. Mark says 1. Know what your putting in your body 2. Know what the different foodtypes do in excess 3. Keep your ratio correct. 4. Take responsibility 5. 80/20.
But seriously, for me sweeteners should be something temporary to get off sugar, but not permanent. Because then the psychological addiction/craving is still there. We’re physically addicted to sugar, but addictions are often more psychological. So artificial sweeteners perpetuate that addiction.
I’ve tryed truvia, and its not that bad, but not good for me as it turns out. I’ve done other fake sugars, but they seem to bother my stomach and don’t agree with me. So when I seen this product, I thought, wow, this sounds good, I’ll try it. The first time I did in about a half hrs. time I was feeling nervous and my heart was beating faster then it should, but I thought maybe it was something else. But to do a test on my self, I didn’t have any the next day, and I felt fine. But then when I tryed it the next day, wham! the same feelings again. Thats what led me to see what is in this stuff, and I came apoun this web site. SO! I guess I’ll stick to good ole sugar…
I think when it comes to this subject if there was a double blind survey and half got the sugar pill thinking they got Truvia they would still come up with all they strange symptoms they people are reporting. I’ve been using many different types of Stevia products and find no strange symptoms of any kind, they all taste fine. Im staying away from Truvia as a brand as it is made by a company I could not trust any more than I could trust a company like Monsanto.
Oh just stick to raw cane sugar… Gosh. You really don’t need a lot to give your tea, or any other drink, that sweet flavor or taste.
I cant stand any artificial sweeteners especially truvia and stevia. I’ve tried both in tea or over some fruit and my side effects were peeing like a race horse and a spike in hungry 15 to 20 mins after consuming. I’ll stick to honey which is ten times better for you…….
asparteme literally makes me pass out. i’ll take anything over that crap!
I tried the truvia this morning two sips of coffee and had horrible stomach cramps anyone else had this trouble?
I have tried many different brands of Stevia and all but the powdered ones ( with fillers of course) I have never had any stomach cramps or any ill effects. A In-Law does all her cooking ( pies, cakes,etc) with Stevia and serves plenty of people her foods and drinks. No one has any ill effects. I vote for stevia, turvia on the other hand may be over processed and could be a new life form for all we know.
Splenda gives me Diarrhea.
I have been using Stevia from Better Herbs for 2 to 3 years now and I love it. I also cook with it occasionally. I am a diabetic and it does not affect me at all and never has. I tried truvia when it first came to walmart and I don’t like it as it is not sweet at all compared to stevia. i also called the company because it said other natural ingredients. but they would not tell me what those ingredients were. they said it was the companies formula and could not disclose it. I stopped using it because I want to know the whole ingredient not just part of it.
Lorraine Kollek
Truvia is not very good. I have grown stevia and also bought a vanilla stevia from the natural market for my coffee. Since I ran out I picked up a box of truvia, it’s nasty! I tossed the box and went down to the health food store and got my vanilla stevia liquid again. Yummy and better than sugar.
It seems that there’s a lot of oxy-moron statements going on about the breaking down process to make the stevia plant into truvia sugar by the use of chemical. Those of you whom are the oxy-moronist (if you will) should probably be quite more concerned about what they are feeding the cows, pigs and chickens you eat before making such bitter/sweet remarks about truvia.
want something sweet but safe without chemical, cancer or diabetes?? grow stevia yourself, pick the leaves, wash and boil them.. keep the liquid refrigerated and one bottle of 1 litre will supply you sweetener for a month! i grow stevia, pure organic and 100% safe! pick the leaves and put into your cooking and you will free from doubt of chemicles!
I have stage 1 multiple-myeloma and have started chemo and all that fun stuff. I have also started to look at my diet and make changes that will help with fighting the myeloma.
my only vice right now is coffee. one cup in the morning. I quit drinking alcohol and have limited my intake of sweets and candy. As I change my diet I’ve been told to cut out refined sugars.
I’ve tried Truvia and like it. No bad after taste and only one packet made my coffee taste as if I’d used 2tbs of sugar. But after reading The Truth about Truvia I’m back to square one on what to sweeten my coffee with.
Any suggestions would be most appreciated. Thanks.
Go to a health food store and buy some Stevia made by someone else. My Daughter likes the liquid form, it’s pure and only on drop works well. I’m going to buy some myself soon.