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

Earlier this week, the Coca-Cola company announced it would begin selling three flavors of diet Odwalla juices sweetened with Truvia. Derived from the somewhat controversial herb stevia, Truvia had yet to be approved by the FDA when the Coca-Cola company made its announcement. On Wednesday, Dec. 17, the soft drink giant received word from the FDA that Truvia is now "generally recognized as safe" 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