Truvia is not good for you. Please go to the link in the title of this post. There is a lot of information there and testimonies of bad side effects. This is from that link:
According to scientists who analyzed Truvia, it is 9/10 of 1% Rebiana and masking agent. It should be said that Rebiana is not an ingredient in the stevia plant, nor is it found in nature. It is produced by the action of chemicals and stringent alcohols on various stevia glycosides. Rebiana is simply the trade name Cargill gave their chemically derived product in 2008. The FDA “No Questions” letter states that Rebiana contains residues of ethanol and methanol. Rebiana is commonly confused with Rebaudioside-A (Reb-A). Reb-A is one of the 11 glycoside compounds naturally within the stevia leaf and is about 400 times sweeter than sugar. It is produced by the action of sunlight on the leaves. The other 99.1% of Truvia is erythritol, a sugar extracted from corn with alcohol(a sugar alcohol), which can be hard on the digestive system. Cargill has admitted that 30% of their corn is genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Truvia is essentially corn sugar, and is not really a stevia product.
But Truvia is not alone in their deception. PureVia is 8/10 of 1% Rebiana (even though they list it as Reb-A on their ingredients list) and 99.2% sugars, Sun Crystals is 96.5% table sugar, and Stevia in the Raw is 95.8% table sugar. All these “stevia products” are really just sugar products as well. Usually, when someone buys a “stevia product” they think they’re are getting a sugar substitute, but what they are really getting, at least with these products, are mainly just different forms of sugar, (and in a couple cases, mainly table sugar) at best.
I do use SweetLeaf Stevia. They are the only ones to use only pure water during the entire extraction process ( as opposed to chemicals and alcohols like other stevia companies), so the natural tase of leaf remains as well as the nutrients–at least in their dark liquids. I also use their powder, which has added inulin fiber, which feeds the good bacteria in the intestines, which in turn, strengthens the immune system. All forms of SweetLeaf Stevia retain stevia’s natural 0 calorie, 0 carb, and 0 glycemic index properties–I understand the only stevia product to retain all three of these properties.
8 comments:
Ah, I had suspected as much. "Truvia" and PureVia" are backed by the two big cola companies. A small-time competitor soft drink, "Zevia", also relies heavily on erythritol, claiming a "very low or zero" glycemic index for it.
That does it. I'm not going to buy or recommend any of the other "stevia" brands any more, except any that decide demonstrate the same wisdom as SweetLeaf.
Actually I use the actual green leaf from the stevia plant ground to a powder. I haven't noticed any bitter after taste. I want to buy a plant of it though.
I'm interested in stevia for my mom. It's noteworthy that most of the common stevia products are 99% filler, often but not always a non-caloric sweetener (like erythritol). However, all the information I can find on Rebiana indicates that it is simply a water-extract of stevia leaves, and is required to be 97% or greater rebaudioside A. I'm curious where you got the information that Rebiana is not natural rebaudioside A.
Michael, please see my latest post on this. I am not sure this answers your question.
So I was just on WebMD because I ran into lip swelling, oh, must be over a year ago now. Several commentors cited GMO products as their culprit. This lip swelling issue arose for me after I'd switched form SweetLeaf to Truvia. My inclination was that it had to do with the corn derivative extract, and finally, my instinct tells me I have my answer. The swelling stopped as soon I switched back to SweetLeaf.
Finally!
So, I was just on WebMD because just over a year ago, I had an issue with lip swelling that started a few weeks after I switched from SweetLeaf to Truvia. I suspected the corn derivative in the Truvia then. Needless to say, I switched back to SweetLeaf and haven't had the issue since. Finally, my intuited answer is holding some water!
I've always had great experiences with Stevita Supreme which is mostly stevia, with the rest of the product being xylitol. Never had any gastrointestinal discomfort which I got from Truvia, PureVia, and Stevia Extract in the Raw.
By the way, I am the author of "The Truvia Deception" which you linked to. :)
I read the en.wikipedia.org entry for erythritol, and it seems like it's mostly okay for most people. Anyone who feels like they're having any sort of problem with it should definitely stick with genuine Stevia, though.
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