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 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 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 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 Read more

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 Read more

Despite his potty mouth and over-the-top television showmanship, Gordon Ramsay really just loves the simple life. — Times Online Don't miss your chance to vote on the Jones Soda lolcats contest. — I Can Has Cheezburger The ELT Easy Green Living Wall will make for a fab outdoor party space.— CasaSugar Do you have what it takes? Bravo is casting for Top Chef Season 5. — Serious Read more

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 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 Read more