stevia

Artificial sweeteners often have a weird aftertaste or suspect ingredients. One alternative is stevia, a calorie-free sweetener extracted from a sweet herb grown in South America. But until recently, there were questions about whether stevia was safe, and the varieties I've tried have a different kind of weird aftertaste — not chemical or artificial, but sort of herbal, almost like anise. I prefer my sweeteners a bit more neutral.

But I just got my hands on some Truvia and decided to give stevia another shot. Recently, this brand became the first stevia sweetener not labeled as a "dietary supplement." It's sold online in individual packets, each of which is equal in sweetness to two teaspoons of sugar. To find out how sweet it is, read more

There's been a lot of talk lately about the natural sweetener stevia. Being calorie-free, it seems like a great alternative to sugar for people trying to lose weight. A few months ago, Coca-Cola announced it would begin using its stevia-derived sweetener Truvia in a few products, prior to being approved by the FDA. Not to be left in the cold, PepsiCo has also created a no-calorie stevia sweetener, PureVia. However, PepsiCo announced that it would be waiting for FDA approval before using its new sweetener. Recently, I saw both Truvia and PureVia on the shelf at my grocery store. Does that mean they're both approved by the FDA now? To find out read more

Apparently, FDA approval can wait. This week, the Coca-Cola company will begin selling a diet drink sweetened with the somewhat controversial herbal supplement stevia. For three diet flavors of its Odwalla juices, Coke will use the Truvia brand of sweetener, which it developed in partnership with Cargill earlier this year.

Unlike most of the products derived from the stevia herb, Truvia isn't labeled as a "dietary supplement," but it has yet to be approved by the FDA. Coke is moving forward with Truvia-sweetened products anyway, though PepsiCo is still holding off. For the details, read more

This one goes out to all the stevia lovers.

The stevia-based sweetener Truvia is now for sale online. Previously, other stevia sweeteners have been labeled as "dietary supplements," but Truvia has the distinction of being known as a zero-calorie sweetener. Because it is derived from an herb, it is considered "natural." I am not sure how I feel about that label.

Developed by Cargill in partnership with Coca-Cola, Truvia will be used in a handful of Coke products. Rumor has it that Pepsi is working on a zero calorie stevia sweetener of its own. Let the cola wars begin.

If you live in NYC, you can sample Truvia at Rockefeller Center today. I haven't tried it, but I'm sure I will soon. Even though I am not a fan of artificial sweeteners, I am curious.

If you have tried Truvia tell me what you think in the comment section below.

Source

The FDA might consider stevia an "unapproved food additive," but you can find it sweetening the zero calorie diet soda Zevia ($5.99 for a six pack).

Zevia's tag line is "Nature's answer to diet soda." Wait, I thought water was nature's answer to soda? Anyway, I must admit up front that I am not really a big fan of diet soda, but I like the idea of this underdog of a sweetener making its way into the big time with its own line of diet soda. Zevia comes in four flavors: Orange, Cola, Lemon Lime and Ginger Root Beer. Since I don't really drink diet soda, I shared my samples with friends and family who do. They all gave the soda mixed reviews – some thumbs up and some thumbs down – but the case was gone in two days. This is a sure sign that people were drinking it and going back for seconds.

To see what I thought of Zevia, just read more

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If you're trying to eat healthier, you may be trying to ditch foods made with white sugar and artificial sweeteners. What about the sweetener stevia? Have you ever heard of it? People are adding it to their coffee, flavoring their iced tea, and baking with it. Stevia is an herb from South America, and since the leaves from this plant have a sweet flavor that is 30 times sweeter than sugar, it's being used as an all natural sugar substitute. People watching their weight like the idea of stevia because it's calorie free. Is it safe though? To find out read more

Stevia is perhaps one of the most controversial herbs since, well herb.

Stevia is reportedly to be 250-300 times sweeter than sugar and contributes no calories to the diet. How great is that?

Problem is that the FDA has not yet approved Stevia to be used as a sweetener (or food additive) or to be GRAS (generally recognized as safe) and so no-one is technically allowed to use Stevia unless it is specifically labeled and used as a dietary supplement. In fact the FDA has had an alert out since 1996 stating that if it is found to be labeled as a sweetener, search and seizure are to follow. In Japan and other countries, Stevia has been known as "nature's natural sweetener" and used by millions of people for those purposes for over 25 years.

Whoa, right?! Where does that leave us then when it comes to Stevia? Many people believe that the government is trying to protect the booming sweetener economy in the USA and that by allowing a cheap, noncaloric herb in, the competition will be crushed.

All politics aside, while we wait for the FDA to figure this wonderful little herb out, you can still use it and buy it as a 'dietary supplement.' It comes in the same forms as sugar would (powders and liquids).

Fit's Tip: I usually buy it in a liquid form and use it as I would honey in my coffee or tea to... um 'dietary supplement' it. 2-3 drops is equivalent to 1 teaspoon of sugar.