I’m not sure if anyone here would be interested, but for what it’s worth, there is an alternative to the standard artificial sweeteners currently on the market. I didn’t like the aftertaste of artificial sweeteners like Splenda and Nutra-Sweet and I’m a bit worried now with all the new studies that have come out recently, specifically about Splenda causing the loss of the essential bacteria in the gut and the allegations that Splenda is also causing people to gain weight because of the way the body processes sucralose.

There is a new zero calorie sweetener on the market called Truvia. Unlike Splenda and other artificial sweeteners that are made chemically Truvia is made of rebiana, a sweetener derived from the leaves of stevia plant which is native to South and Central America. Stevia is grown for its sweet leaves and the stevia extract turns out to be more than 300 times sweeter than sugar. Stevia leaves are harvested and dried, and are steeped in fresh water in a process similar to that of making tea. From what I’ve been able to find on the internet, the stevia plant has been used as a sweetener for decades in South America and Japan.

I’ve been using Truvia for about two months now and have had no ill effects. I like the way it tastes (I use it on my oatmeal or sprinkle some on my strawberries) and from my perspective there is no real aftertaste.

Obviously you need to do your own research and follow what makes you feel safe but I just wanted you all to know there is another alternative to sugar and chemical sweeteners out there. I think this site is relatively balanced so you may want to read a little on the stevia plant here and then find other information as you see fit.

http://eco-chick.com/2008/05/27/truvia-coming-soon-to-supermarkets-everywhere/

By the way, I hope nobody sees this as an advertisement for Truvia. I’m in no way on their payroll nor do I have any vested interest in Cargill (the company who makes this stuff). I just wanted to share some information and offer an alternative.

Best of Luck to All,

Carmen

Thanks for the info! I've been wanting go switch to something healthier but i've been using sugar because of the health problems associated with a lot of the sweeteners out there. Maybe I'll give Truvia a try. I mainly need something for my morning coffee cause I can't stand it black.

I'll have to check it out once it hits the shelves here. Splenda is basically the best we've got here, and I'm not to thrilled with the news I've been hearing about it either. - Shane

I haven't tried Truvia (the brand), but I've been using stevia for a little over a year now and I've been happy with it.

Shane,
You may want to try pure stevia and you should be able to find stevia in a local health food store since, until recently it has been generally sold as a dietary supplement and not a sweetener. A friend of mine is diabetic and has been using pure stevia for several years. He gets it in a liquid form and it lasts him a long time since it's very concentrated. I think he told me he puts one or two drops in his coffee in the morning, but I may be wrong on that. The thing about pure stevia is that since it's very sweet you'd need to be a bit careful how you use it until you get a feel for how much to use. By the way, Truvia is granulated like regular sugar whcih makes it easy to use. You can also order Truvia online if you wanted to go that route but that might be a bit cost prohibitive depending on where you are.

I'm with you Carmen - I chose stevia over the chemical sweeteners any day. For those new to it - Steviais a South American herb that has been used as a sweetener by the Guarani Indians of Paraguay for hundreds of years. It doesn't mess with your blood sugar levels and is extrememly sweet. You only need a tiny pinch of it to sweeten coffee.

I'm not a fan of using any chemical sweeteners in my food as I've never found a safe one. Truvia and Splenda are chemical additives and this alone steers me clear of them. The latter has actually shown to be a toxin in Australian studies which resulted in a legal ruling against Johnson&Johnson regarding the way they advertised Splenda in Australia. There was a lot of fallout over it and it's pretty much frowned upon here now. (For example, you won't find packets in cafes anymore like you used to). I believe other countries such as France and NZ also followed suit. Coca-Cola suffered a similar slapdown when it was forced to disclose the use of truvia in its products. They simply denied that they used the stuff in the products in Australia.

I use stevia directly from the plant (it's part of my herb kitchen), it's totally safe and a little does go a long way. But I find that once the palate is trained to accept less sweetness, you can actually do without any sweeteners, natural or otherwise and this is what I'm doing throughout my Transformation nutrition process.

I celebrate this thread as I feel chemical sweetening is harmful. The more people are aware of this, the better.

I have been using Stevia for a couple weeks now and will never go back to artificial sweatners. A few drops will work and I thik the bottle will last a long time. I just need to find a way to bake with it.

I did buy some powdered Stevia, but havn't tried experimenting with it yet. Has anyone else yet?

Montif, this is how I mainly use my stevia (although I do have a small bottle of liquid stevia for travel purposes).

I take the fresh leaf from the plant, dry it out and put it through the coffee grinder (which is not used for coffee, btw). It bakes well although how much of it you use is a personal choice and one gained through trial and error.

Shade, where did you buy your plant?

Montif, I use a couple drops of liquid stevia in my large coffee in the morning and iced tea. I have used two packets in recipe to sweeten the "Eating for Life" cheesecake and it was great!

Shade, I would like to know where you get the plant as well. Thanks.

Omalley, I didn't know there are packets.

FYI: Today, I found out the hard way that the powder form of Stevia is actually a type of fiber suplement the the DAILY dose is 1 tsp. NOT 1 tsp in each cup of coffe I drank today.....lessons learned.... :-{

Montif, HAHAHA! I also learned that years ago when I first found it in only packets. Glad to have found the liquid. I just found Stevia (Sam's Club brand) in large box with 200 packets for $9.83 but it does have maltodextrin(probably to preserve). It does not have the fiber!

FYI: I keep my liquid stevia in the frig. to keep it's freshness.

Quote:

Shade, where did you buy your plant?

I bought mine from a nursery already established but you can grow it from seed. You can order it via its botanical name Stevia rebaudiana but it's also known as Sweet Honey Leaf too.

Liquid stevia does not require refrigeration as it isn't fresh to start with and is preserved with an additive so it'll sit okay on the shelf in your cupboard. Sam's Club packets also contain additives and includes Maltodextrin which people with sensitivities to corn have got to be careful with as it can cause reactions.

I've only recently learned, much to my horror, that Stevia was banned in the US until 1994.

We've had it forever over here!