Tasty Truvia
Truvia is the newest non-caloric sweetener to hit the store shelves. It isn't available in every grocery store yet, however the Truvia website has a "where to buy" section, so you can find stores that carry the product. Truvia is made from stevia, a plant that has been sold as an herbal supplement for many years. Personally, I've always had difficulty using stevia herb as a sweetener (I usually end up using too much), but since stevia has been used safely and for so long, I've been looking forward to the eventual use as non-caloric sweetener.
So yesterday, I bought a little box of Truvia from the grocery store....and so far I am very pleased with the product. Truvia crystals are packaged in little packets (one is equivalent to two spoonfuls of sugar), which is convenient for sprinkling in your coffee or on your oatmeal, but could be a bit of a hassle when you need larger amounts for cooking. I'm sure that Truvia will be sold in larger amounts as it becomes more popular.
So how does it taste? Sweet, of course, without the powerful aftertaste of some artificial sweeteners. It isn't exactly like sugar, however. It seems a little bit sweeter and I think the crystals taste kind of like a glazed donut. Which really isn't a bad thing....
Photo © The Truvia Company
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6 years ago, my sister was diagnosed with an unknown disease that was quickly taking her life. On my 16th birthday, my sister Natasha was sitting at the dinner table when she was struck with such a terrible headache she could barely keep her eyes open. We took her home thinking it was a migraine, my family could not have been more wrong. For the next 6 months, she would fight for her life. The doctors had prepared us for her death. She could not walk, talk, or eat. It was constant care but what is hard is waiting for the death of my best friend. She is the ying to my yang, and now she lay lifeless fighting in pain. She does not remember much but eventually she got better, we don’t know how other than prayer and faith. It wasn’t until a couple months later that we were able to look back and remember that she had been bit by a bug. She had been tested for every disease possible, but not foreign diseases. The Virginia Beach area had been hit by a hurricane that had brought some new mosquitoes to our area, she had probably caught Dengue Fever. She survived and although she has some repercussions, the hardest has been new food allergies, especially her allergy to artificial sweeteners. I did some research and came across Stevia an all-natural sugar with no calories, no carbohydrates, and no fat. It was a complete chance but I ordered some for her to try. It was a success! It was not until last year that it occurred to me to start producing it since I already had mixed the right blend. I began the process of starting my own company inspired by my sister. It is called Free and Sweet; the words lie across a daisy. The reason I bring all of this up is that Coca-Cola has synthesized Stevia for soft drinks. There is of course room in the market for more than one company. Stevia could change the way Americans eat. Now they have a healthy and safe alternative to artificial sweeteners. Free and Sweet is based on family and although we are the little guys we have big hearts.
I have heard about stevia for years. FDA has tried to block it in the past probably because of lobbyist money but it is good see them finally wake up.
I too have heard about Stevia, learning about it first in diabetic education classes. But it was more expensive than artificial sweeteners, most of which I didn’t like anyway and I was worried about long-term side effects. I ended up using Splenda but didn’t like the aftertaste which I found was there even with that. So I’m glad to hear about Truvia and will check their site to see if it’s available in our area. What are people paying for it? Is it any cheaper than Splenda? Does Coke have it in their diet Coke? How does Free and Sweet compare to Truvia? Any info helpful.
Laura
I bought Truvia for the first time yesterday. It is NOT cheap. My husband tried it this morning. He said be careful or you will have things too sweet. I will try it in the morning. I paid $3.99 for 40 packets. I will let you know how I like it. I currently use splenda and just love it. God Bless. Carol
I tried the truvia today. It’s ok. It is sweeter than sugar but the price is to high for me. I will stick to my splenda.Have a most blessed day.Carol
I have used many sugar alternative sweeteners over the past years. My body can not tolerate sugar alcohols (especially Sorbitol), although the one used in Truvia (xylitol I believe) is the only one I can tolerate. I have tried many brands of stevia (a newer one called Soooo Sweet that is available on line is my favorite as it doesn’t have a bitter aftertaste). I also like Truvia although it is not 100% stevia but also contains xylitol. I used Splenda for a while, but in large quantities, such as in some desserts, it upset my stomach. I have also read that Splenda is very hard to clear from the body and places stress on your liver. I have also tried a sweetener called “Whey Low” which is a combination of fructose and milk lactose. It’s great for baking (even comes in brown and powdered sugar varieties) and although it is real sugar, it is very low glycemic (70%-80% lower than sugar) and has 75% fewer calories that regular sugar (even evaporated cane juice!)Depending on the application I am now using either Truvia, Sooo Sweet (or a combination of the two–great for sweetening yogurt or oatmeal), or Whey Low, mostly for baking. Hope this info helps someone.
Stevia is the only sweetener that is known to actually STABILIZE blood sugar, and the only sweetener that people suffering from candida can use. It’s got a slightly strange taste but it’s a godsend for many people…
bodaweightloss
I LOVE Truvia! My father recently sent me some doctor’s info on Splenda because I have been using it for a few years now (but not much…i usually only but about a pea sized bit of sweetener in my cofffee…i don’t like sweet drinks) and my father has always been wary of artificial anything and says sugar is the way to go, but I primarily fear for my teeth. I found out that the thing added to sugar for Splenda is CHLORINE! Obviously not good for you and has been shown to lead to neurological disorders and immune deficiencies.
Stevia has been used in other countries for 100s of years, but the company in charge of one of the other brands of sweetener ( I forget whether nutrasweet or sweet in low) was putting pressure on the FDA to keep it out of the US, so the FDA destroyed the small US health food companies that were distributing stevia as a sweetener.
Truvia is great…it’s a mix of erythritol (an alcohol sugar that is completely excreted…it is NOT XYTOL! xytol causes stomach upset in a lot of people…erythritol does not) and stevia. It is very sweet, so a packet lasts about two weeks or more for me….but like i said, I only use a smidgen of sweetener in my coffee. I simply fold up the Truvia packet and close it off with a paper clip and throw it back in the box.
The thing I love the best about Truvia is that it does not have that bitter aftertaste that I got from Splenda. It really does taste like a sweeter sugar, and I’m totally sold on it…been using it for a few weeks now and won’t go back to anything else other than just the good ol’ natural sugar for cooking, etc.
Sorry to keep going, but I forgot to mention the BONUSES of Truvia! It is a natural antibiotic, so it’s actually GOOD for your teeth because it reduces plaque and gingivitis. I does more than “not spiking blood sugar.” It has actually been shown to level blood sugar (I personally am not interested in that part of it, but I know it’s important for those of you battling diabetes). And unlike succralose (Splenda), it doesn’t make you crave sugary foods more…it actually helps reduce cravings. I wish I could remember some of the articles I have read about stevia itself (one article in particular actually listed the works cited and included a bibliography…I never see this in online articles!), but if you google stevia and take a look around (you can also do some research on erythritol) you’ll find all this info I’m giving you with medical and scientific AND HISTORICAL/POLITICAL research to make you a better, healthier, and informed consumer!
(p.s. – for those of you watching caloric intake as well as carbs, the package states that there are zero calories, HOWEVER there are 3g or carbs per serving. I hope all this stuff clears up some questions about Truvia, the stevia plant, and erythritol!
I found this in my local food store and am so glad I tried it! At last, something that doesn’t give me an instant migraine, like splenda did, or have a gross aftertaste. I found mine for $5.99 for the 80 count box. Can’t wait till the bulk size comes out, I’m really looking forward to baking with it.
Splenda is made by replacing the hydroxyl groups in sugar(sucrose) with chlorine atoms. Saying that there is chlorine in splenda is like saying there is chlorine in table salt, which is made up of both a chlorine and sodium atom.
Okay, let me clarify. I’m no dodo who buys into every new hyped-up trend. I also wasn’t aware I was going to be talked down to in a follow-up post. I looked into this stuff because I could taste the strange aftertaste of Splenda and it bothered me…personally. Sure, chlorine is found in tons of natural stuff, but the chlorine used in Splenda is synthetic. Not many people are aware of this…and like myself, perhaps people simply thought something was “removed” from the sugar like how the commercials made it seem. Silly? yes…silly, but I’m only human and just as vulnerable to marketing as anyone else! But then again, many people I spoke with over a year ago told me they wouldn’t go near Splenda because obviously there had to be some “chemical thing” going on (hey, we’re humanities people…we don’t know scientific jargon and don’t care, and we certainly aren’t going to be as “accurate” as others would have people believe they are!). I don’t claim to be a scientist, but I do pride myself in trying to be aware of what I am consuming. And although I’m not a scientist, I know basic friggin’ chemistry…including the elements that make up table salt. But all snarkiness aside, I simply urge others to look into these things more carefully because people assume they are protected by federalized organizations, myself included. But hey, I could be totally wrong…I’m just telling people to question what they are given! And until I find succralose being harvested or piling up along the seashore (and I don’t mean in the Hudson surrounded by hypodermic needles), I’ll stick with the Stevia plant.
….or maybe I should say “artificially chlorinated” instead of an artificial chlorine?” Why am i even trying to correct myself before I get corrected by someone else??? This is ridiculous. Either way, Splenda has been shown to be “not so healthy.” That’s good enough for me…fallibility and all! : )
Truvia is stevia and erythritol. Not xylitol. Someone obviously hasn’t used it or hasn’t read the label. It’s sweet without the laxative effect.
Sure it’s pricy. It’s NEW. Didn’t anyone here ever buy a microwave in the 80s?
The price will come down as it becomes more readily available. After researching, this is all I’m going to use now.
My take: Truvia is an extract from a plant. It’s not created in a laboratory. It’s not an “artificial sweetener”. Stevia has been used since prehistory without ill effects in South America. Been used for decades in Asia without ill effects. Interesting to see if Caucasians have a reaction to it. But I’m JapAm, and I feel confident that my biochemistry can use stevia (and Truvia) well. I’m enjoying it and looking forward to a price drop and repackaging for baking. Also, I just ordered some seeds so I can have homegrown leaves for sweetening drinks. PS. Equal makes my brain feel like parts of it are dying. The ads for Splenda scared me; they were so “Stepford”. Was a routine user of Sweet n Low; kinda liked the aftertaste. But so many of my friends and acquainances have developed cancers that I quit using it. They were all told to stop using artificial sweeteners in general and SnL specifically. Sugar has it’s own issues, not the least of which is sugar blues. I had a piece of birthday cake on Sunday, went home at 4PM and woke up at 2AM. Didn’t even realize I’d fallen asleep! Even strong coffee with the cake didn’t counteract the sugar crash. Not quite a “lost weekend” but scary reaction for one slice of cake!