Truvia--good or bad?

After trying many different variations of stevia in the last year, I've settled on Truvia as my preferred sweetener.

It is a mix of erythritol and stevia extract (rebiana).

Erythritol is a sugar alcohol distilled from glucose that is very low calorie... it is allowed to be labeled as 0 calorie in the US for small serving sizes, though it does carry some calories.

I find the combination of ingredients in Truvia to be pleasant tasting in my tea - I normally will have one or two packets of trivia per day, one in my morning cup of tea and one in a glass of iced tea later in the day.

It is "all natural" in the sense that there are no artificially synthesized ingredients. From all of my reading there's no real downside to Truvia (or any of the other main stevia sweeteners) compared to the main artificial sweeteners like aspartame, acesulfame K, saccharine, etc.

I think Truvia is fine, as are any of the other stevia-based sweeteners (the green stuff) in the grocery aisle. Certainly much better than the pink, yellow or blue stuff if you still want added sweetness in your drinks.

I keep hoping there will be a soda (cola and/or ginger ale) that will become mass marketed with stevia as the sweetener. Until then, I have limited myself to either the (very) occasional full-sugar bottle of Coke, or the (slightly less) occasional glass of diet soda at a restaurant. I have almost eliminated artificial sweeteners from my diet thanks to Truvia.

Ted

i love truvia. cant stand stevia.

I prefer Stevia in the Raw if you're going clean, or just buy the plant yourself from Home Depot and grow it on your windowsill!

Stevia the sweetener is artificial, there are over 200 varieties of the stevia plant, only 1 of which is sweet. Most commercial stevia is made by soaking the leaves in methanol to extract sweet compounds, then crushed into powder. If it isn't artificial, then neither is Splenda, which is just sugar soaked in chloride (which, I might add, is healthier than methanol.)

I personally don't like the taste of Truvia. I prefer PurVia, but I never read up about what else was in it.

I had the same question about how to use the plant. That sounds interesting.

Stevia is an artificial sweetener, so Truvia is an artificial sweetener.

http://www.stevia.com/Stevia_Article/Frequently_asked_questions_FAQ/2269

It's from a leaf...how is it artificial?

Splenda is made from sugar, how is it artificial?
Aspartame is made from protein, how is it artificial?
Everything comes from a "natural" source. Even products made in factories are derived from natural source materials.

I wasn't meaning to be argumentative. That was a serious question. Everyone I talk to going natural swears by Stevia. I and a few use Truvia, but I'm considering switching to straight stevia or buying a plant... now THAT sounds awesome and fresh. How do you use the stevia plant as a sweetener? Crush the leaves?

My response wasn't meant to be argumentative, it was an explanation. Everything comes from a natural source, that doesn't make it any more or less natural than any other product. Is high fructose corn syrup natural? After all, it's just sugar extracted from corn. "Artificial" is honestly just a classification of something that has been processed using various methods, it has nothing to do with the source it is derived from, as everything on the planet is natural.

I agree, it is not artificial. Made from a leaf. Erythritol is a natural sweetener, produced by a natural process and is also found in fruits like grapes and pears.

Aspartame is a protein found in chicken, beef, nuts, beans, and fish. If you want to justify how one product is "natural" then you have to accept that all of them are.

@wombat94 - there actually is a mass-produced soda that uses Stevia as its sweetener. It's called "Zevia," and while I was originally only able to find it at Whole Foods, I'm now beginning to see it at other supermarkets like Meijer and Jewel, here in the Midwest U.S. It comes in flavors like cola, ginger ale, lemon lime, black cherry, root beer, etc. It's pretty good. I buy it occasionally when I need a soda fix. A little pricey, but ok for once in a while!

I just had two Truvia and now I am more confused... so is it bad or not.. o.O