Truvia vs. Splenda

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fishernd
fishernd Posts: 140 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm not sure if this has been asked before, but what are the differences between the two? I have a feeling that Truvia, from the leaf of a Stevia plant, is a better choice. Help! Thanks!
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  • fishernd
    fishernd Posts: 140 Member
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    I'm not sure if this has been asked before, but what are the differences between the two? I have a feeling that Truvia, from the leaf of a Stevia plant, is a better choice. Help! Thanks!
  • sarabear
    sarabear Posts: 864
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    I was just wondering that same thing the other day, I think the Truvia would be better, I've heard they use bleach to produce Splenda, yet don't know if that true or not:ohwell:
  • Leigh14
    Leigh14 Posts: 871 Member
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    Not sure about the bleach, BUT I've been reading a book called "Skinny *****," where they talk a lot about the ingredients/chemicals in different foods. In Splenda, there are trace amounts of arsenic. Arsenic!? What the heck... lol. I couldn't believe it. But, they book recommends Stevia... which I think is very similar to Truvia.

    ... and I like Splenda. :grumble:
  • LeanLioness
    LeanLioness Posts: 1,091 Member
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    I'm not sure if this has been asked before, but what are the differences between the two? I have a feeling that Truvia, from the leaf of a Stevia plant, is a better choice. Help! Thanks!

    You are correct!!!

    I don't use very much splenda any more at all if I can help it............I use mostly sweet leaf Stevia and Truvia. The only splenda I use is in the liquid form and I do buy the Davinci's sugar free syrups which contain the liquid splenda.............trying to get my taste buds changed to not even need that anymore, but it will take a while.

    Here are some articles for consideration................

    http://www.newsinferno.com/archives/3876

    http://www.naturalnews.com/024543.html

    http://www.examiner.com/x-777-Nutrition-Examiner~y2008m9d22-Splenda-study-finds-weight-gain-health-problems

    http://www.celebritydietdoctor.com/splenda-harmful/
  • LilBlackDressInSight
    LilBlackDressInSight Posts: 4
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    I've tried the Truvia and am not impressed. If I need a sweet substitute, I need something that is actually sweet. As bad as it is for me, I still use Equal.
  • stylistchik
    stylistchik Posts: 1,436 Member
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    I'm a sweet n low kinda girl.... even though I know its bad for me. but its the same as pizza... you know its bad for you but once in a while you just gotta have some! lol "know the rules before you break the rules" was what they told us in beauty school! haha
  • Poison5119
    Poison5119 Posts: 1,460 Member
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    I have used stevia and it's pretty good. Like anything that isn't the 'real thing' it takes some getting used to. There are some things I didn't like it in, like coffee, but it was okay on cereal and to sweeten Koolaid when I need to get my water in. Pretty steep price, too, considering I can pocket a handful of Splenda for free, and I MIGHT use 5 packets a week.
  • Skittles6617
    Skittles6617 Posts: 247 Member
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    Truvia is from the Stevia plant which is a completely natural sugar. Way better for your body. If you can find the Stevia in a liquid form you can use that....but if you cant...Truvia is going to be the best option...I have a book called "The Seven Pillars of Health" very informative!! Will change the way you think about what we put in our bodies...It covers the health benefits of stevia sugar.
  • get_fit2009
    get_fit2009 Posts: 827 Member
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    If you go to the Splenda website it tells you how it is made - from CHLORINE!!! No, thanks.
  • Nich0le
    Nich0le Posts: 2,906 Member
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    first off, SPLENDA was discovered in Brittan when scientist were trying to find a non-toxic pest control spray and when they discovered it was sweet to the taste they starting to experiment with the artificial sweetner idea.

    Stevia is a plant that is naturally sweet and this is the powdered extract of that plant. HOWEVER, both are not recognized by your body as sugar. Some of you may think that is a good thing but what we are finding is by using artificial sweetners our bodies still crave sugar.

    My philosophy is NATURAL is always best, the closer you can get to the actual source the healthier your choices are. Stevia and splenda should both be used in moderation, like all other products we put in our bodies.

    As a side note, splenda is artificial, whether sugar is an ingredient or not the company and the marketers of that product want you to think it is good for you but there are health problems emerging from the use of splenda, chronic joint pain and headaches are among the leaders! I used to have a hot tea before bed with splenda in it and every morning I was waking with headaches and my doctor finally asked me to try my tea with real sugar and my headaches are gone. I thought he was crazy to think one little splenda packet could do any harm but it like all artifcial sweetners has side effects.

    Your body, your choice, but educate yourself and make the decision that is best for you.

    :flowerforyou:
  • Coach2010
    Coach2010 Posts: 209
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    Thanks Nich0le. Yeah, I discovered Stevia a few years ago. It's great for you, but I find it a taste to acquire.

    There's a lot on the web concerning the artificial sweeteners....and even Stevia... sigh...

    http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/stevia-faq-whats-next-for-the-sugar-substitute

    Best bet is moderation... as for me, I agree with you that Natural is best. Truth is, our bodies are only developed to handle that...anything else is something our bodies have to work out, IMHO.

    Cheers!
  • firegirlred
    firegirlred Posts: 674 Member
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    It is true that splenda has chlorine in it. So does salt (sodium chloride). Look at

    http://www.healthyeatingclub.com/info/books-phds/books/foodfacts/html/data/data5h.html

    I believe that the makers of splenda replaced two of the atoms of a sugar molecule with chlorine to get rid of the calorie count. Essentially, you can taste it, but it has no nutritional value.

    As with any chemical, care should be taken to discover all the effects, man made chemical or not.

    As long as there are people, you will have differences of opinions and controversy over what is healthy.
  • abillings9
    abillings9 Posts: 165
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    I almost think I'd rather just use real sugar than chemical stuff. Eesh.
  • psyknife
    psyknife Posts: 487 Member
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    I use Stevia (same as Truvia), and it's good... on top of that, 0 calories AND it doesn't spike insulin levels the way that other sweetners do... so it's best for diabetics to use it.
  • edgarmenendez
    edgarmenendez Posts: 1
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    Guys...the difference between all 4...
    Splenda, EQual, and YUK Sweet N Low...are ALL bad for you...keep in mind the reason they are considered "calorie free" is because YOUR BODY DOESN'T KNOW WHAT IT IS....so it tries to discard it. The long term effects that are just starting showing up on this are being described as allergic reactions and similar, considering they're fairly new on the market.

    Truvia which consists of Alcoholized Sugar (Sugar Alcohol) mixed with Stevia. Stevia grows right out of the ground and is really sweet but it does have a slight after taste (my opinion)...not bad after taste like as aforementioned bad 3 Lab made products. So with Truvia they mix it with alcohol sugar to balance out the after taste and since alcohol sugar is basically diluted sugar it's becomes less sweet during that process and both individually or Together are low hits on your insulin levels... which is what you're trying to avoid (unnecessary Insulin Spikes) that sugar brings if you're pursuing better health.

    Truvia taste great on fruit, cereal and I love it for my coffee because it has no after taste.

    AGAIN..RECAP... SPLENDA, EQUAL AND SWEET N LOW... CHEMICALS... MADE IN A LAB...CAUSES CANCER AND OTHER ISSUES... =BAD

    TRUVIA= ALCOHOL SUGAR AND/OR STEVIA...GROWS OUT OF THE GROUND....NATURE...=GOOD.

    All of my statements above have read/researched over the last 3 years on the web...and the taste is just my opinion. Google for yourself.
  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,643 Member
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    I have a PhD in toxicology and I use many products with it, and powdered splenda...

    Truvia tastes bitter to me and doesn't dissolve worth a dang in cold liquids. Splenda is not as good as saccharin in that reguard but it tastes better.

    I use splenda as my choice for an artificial sweetener.
  • RoseGoldDinosaur
    RoseGoldDinosaur Posts: 133 Member
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    I think both are a bad choice. The best choice is black coffee, plain tea, baked goods with bananas or applesauce for sweetner, etc. Processed food is bad, and processed food that can be avoided should be avoided. These products are pretty simple to avoid. If you MUST sweeten, try organic grade A maple syrup or raw honey.
  • SupermanRitz
    SupermanRitz Posts: 59
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    Splenda is just a chlorinated sugar, having chlorine atoms in place of hydroxyl groups which makes the human body unable to utilize it and therefore it simply passes through your system.

    Stevia/Truvia on the other hand is a natural sugar derived from a plant source.

    HOWEVER, in the case of both commercially available products only a fraction of a serving is actually sucralose (Splenda) or stevia (Truvia), they use fillers to bump up the physical quantity of the product. In most cases the filler is maltodextrin, a sugar itself...
  • CynCyn523
    CynCyn523 Posts: 4 Member
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    Truvia is the best choice as it is the most natural of the alternatives to sugar. Equal, Sweet n Low, and Splenda are all artifical and contain chemicals, very very bad for you. On top of that, artificial sweeteners tend to increase your appetite and sugar cravings as well, which can completely derail your diet in the long run.

    I pretty much trust anything that Whole Foods will sell in their stores (unless otherwise informed), and Truvia is on their shelves so I use that in my coffee. If it's not available I will go for regular sugar over the fake stuff any day.
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,650 Member
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    Way to resurrect a 5 year old thread!
    Someone knows how to use the search feature.

    In my opinion, they both taste fine. I try to use Truvia whenever possible because it is from a natural plant, but I also use products that contain Equal or Splenda and have had no adverse effects from them.
    None of them cause me to crave more sugar, like eating actual sugar does.
    But that is just my own experience. Your mileage may vary.:drinker:

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