Stevia vs. Purevia vs. Truvia

I am sure you have all seen the latest stevia knock – off sweeteners that are now flooding into stores.  Among them PureVia and Truvia.  The latter two launched by Pepsi and Coke respectively.

So whats the deal?  Are they just as good as Stevia?  Are they different in composition? Should I sweeten things with those or look into it further?

Well, I will tell you what I have found, and I know I am sticking to my TRADER JOES STEVIA EXTRACT.  There is not much money to be made by Stevia itself, as its a natural substance and can’t be patented, etc.  That is fine by me – I don’t want anything chemically altered or with additives added.  Whats the point – just buy the real stuff?  (Just don’t get the PACKETS at Trader Joes – they have Maltodextrin – which is 150 on the Glycemic Index!  Get the STEVIA EXTRACT for $9.99)

“This  is worrying on many levels. Firstly, people seem to think that Truvia is made of Stevia + Erythritol, which is only true if you stretch the truth a bit! Because Stevia is an extract of half a dozen natural steviosides (glycosides), and Truvia is chemically pure Rebaudioside A, derived from genetically modified plants.

Not to mention the side effects of Erythritol, which is a “sugar alcohol” made by fermenting glucose with a yeast. I hope her alleged Truvia side effects are merely imaginary, because side effects that linger for four days are not good..” (from the article below)

Here is an collaboration article about the SIDE EFFECTS of Truvia

http://side-effects.owndoc.com/truvia-side-effects.html

I will post one of the worst submissions from this:

More side effects of Truvia..

I tried it for 3 months now. NO changes in my diet other than not using sugar and using truvia. Gained 15 pounds, loads of headaches and neck/shoulder pain. I called Truvia and they told me this was not a side effect, checked the internet and ooooo! I used stevia for years with no side effects, so there is something in this truvia that is no good! Gaining weight seems to be the opposite of what the point was!! Carol K

NO there are not any side effects for Stevia, but a TON of  benefits.  Here is another article with the shady behind the scenes of the Stevia knock-offs:

Stevia: Why the FDA isn’t So Sweet

by Vin Miller The makers of Pepsi and Coke recently received FDA approval for their new stevia based PureVia and Truvia sweeteners. While this may sound like good news, it only signifies the hipocrisy and corruption of the FDA.

Stevia is a genus of plant commonly found in South America. The extract of one particular species of this plant, rebaudiana, has been used as a natural sweetener in South America for over 1,000 years and in Japan since the 1970s. It has no calories, has no effect on blood sugar, and is up to 300 times sweeter than sugar. For a long time, stevia has been highly regarded in natural health circles as an excellent and natural alternative to sugar.
The Ban
In 1991, based on controversial research, the FDA banned the use and import of stevia in America. Under pressure, the FDA later revised their policy in 1995 to allow the use of stevia, but only under the regulations of a dietary supplement.
However, as recently as 2007, the FDA has made claims that stevia is unsafe. Although it’s approved for use as a dietary supplement, it’s not approved for use as a food additive and the FDA has denied multiple requests for stevia to be used in food.
What About Aspartame?
Aspartame is the synthetic sweetener found in products like Nutrasweet and Equal and is the sweetener used in popular diet sodas such as Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi. It’s considered by many to be the most dangerous food additive on the market and is associated with serious disorders including cancer and severe allergic reactions that can lead to seizure and death. As such, you shouldn’t take the dangers of aspartame lightly.
If the FDA is so concerned about safety, why have they had such issue with a natural plant based sweetener while overlooking the dangers of a toxic chemical? And despite the dangers of aspartame, it’s use is still alive and well. All you have to do to confirm this is look for Nutrasweet or Equal packets in a restaurant or read the list of ingredients on a can of Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi.
Money Talks
The two new stevia based sweeteners approved by the FDA, Truvia and PureVia, are associated with the makers of Coke and Pepsi respectively. Stevia itself is not patentable because it’s a natural substance, but when you apply a processing formula and add a few ingredients, it is. And having a patent brings the money making potential to justify the high cost of FDA approval. Of course this is just my opinion, but it certainly sounds like the FDA suddenly changed their mind about stevia once Coca-Cola and PepsiCo came knocking on their door with their checkbooks in hand.
If you don’t believe the FDA would do such a thing, you may want to read this article about what FDA scientists are admitting.
Who to Trust?
On the FDA’s website, right on their logo, it says “protecting and promoting your health” with the emphasis on “your” just as I typed it. But who’s health are they promoting, ours or the food industry’s?
If you can’t trust the FDA, then who can you trust? That’s a very important question for anyone hoping to achieve optimal health. Although it’s a question that requires finding your own answer, you shouldn’t trust an opinion based solely on the credentials of it’s source. It’s your responsibility to be well informed and able to think critically when assessing your needs because the only person truly accountable for your health is you!
Have you tried PureVia or Truevia?  What are your experiences?  

16 comments on “Stevia vs. Purevia vs. Truvia

  1. Robyn on

    No…I haven’t tried them, and I haven’t tried Stevia either. But I need to! I love all the “sweetener” info you post on your blog! So helpful. And yes…I really want to do a post swap. Maybe we should set a date to actually make it happen? Like maybe February 1st? (Just a random date in my head)! Let me know!

    Reply
  2. yodasmith on

    I agree with what you said about the FDA. Frankly, I couldn’t care less what they approve and what the don’t approve. I agree that people need to think critically for themselves what they put in to their body!

    Yeah, Truvia and PureVia, and at least a couple other stevia products are not really stevia products. Truvia is 9/10 of 1% Rebiana and masking agent. Rebiana is not the same as Rebaudioside A, as many believe. Rebiana is produced by the action of chemicals and stringent alcohols on various stevia glycosides. It is not an ingredient in the stevia plant, nor is it found in nature. It is simply the trade Cargill gave their chemically derived product (Truvia) in 2008. The FDA “No Questions” letter states that Rebiana contains residues of ethanol and methanol. The other 99.1% is erythritol, a sugar extracted from corn with alcohol, which can be hard on the digestive system. Cargill has reported that 30% of their corn is genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Truvia is essentially corn sugar.

    Others aren’t much better. PureVia is 8/10 of 1% of Rebiana and 99.2% sugars. Stevia in the Raw is 95.8% table sugar, and Sun Crystals, who admits there is sugar in their product, leaves out how much– it’s 96.5%. All these so-called stevia products are really sugar products.

    I’ve never tried the Trader Joe’s Stevia, but I do use SweetLeaf Stevia, which is a very pure stevia product. I also like that they use only pure water during the whole extraction process, so the nutrients remain, and it retains the natural stevia properties of 0 calories, 0 carbs, and a 0 glycemic index!

    I didn’t know that maltodextrin has a 150 GI–that’s disgusting because some ‘stevia products’ contain it, and diabetics ingest it thinking they are helping their diabetes! It’s amazing what people get away with!

    Reply
  3. Tami H. on

    stevia is great in kefir!!
    Can’t believe the content of truvia!!!
    It seems so hard to get pure food these days and I liked the point that it may be because you can’t patent it unless its altered or a specific recipe.

    Reply
  4. Sprout Sister on

    Yes I have tried Truvia and am currently using it. I live way in the country and it is about the only thing they have at “walmart”
    I have not had any side effects at all, but I don’t like the sound of what is in Truvia. I am going to order some green stevia over the internet- maybe from Frontier Herbs. and quit the Truvia

    Reply
  5. Athena on

    I started using Truvia about 5 years ago back when it was completely unknown to the general public and it could only be purchased online through health food suppliers. It wasn’t until about 3 years ago you could find it in stores. Never had any issues with it at all in 5 years, I’m slim and healthy. People often get gut problems from erythritol because it feeds the good gut bacteria.. and most people have an overabundance of yeast/bad bacteria and very little good bacteria. So when the good bacteria grows you get die off and cramping or loose stools. There’s nothing mysterious about it.

    Yeast breaking down glucose is exactly what happens in your own digestive tract, so I don’t see how you can logically claim that as a bad thing, lol.

    Corn-derived erythritol probably isn’t so great, same with corn-derived xylitol thanks to GMO corn. But birch xylitol and vegetable/fiber based erythritol is very healthy actually and feeds the healthy gut probiotics while killing the pathogenic gut bacteria.

    I use birch xylitol mostly and it is extremely good for us.

    Reply
  6. Linda on

    I’ve been using Truvia for quite a while now. Erroneously thought I had been using a good stevia product. Will be looking for a good place to buy stevia now. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Brian on

      Since natural stevia has some cancer risks. I find truvia to be better. Its not some horrible frankenstein chemical a lot of natural food places make it out to be. I find it weird that they always talk bad about truvia but completely ignore the cancer risk, nausea and bloating associated with stevia. But will bag on truvia for using a sugar alcohol that is actually easier on the intestines then true stevia is. People having intestinal problems with truvia look like from their descriptions that they are just sensitive to the sugar alcohol used. Which is just bad luck not evil chemicals.

      Reply
  7. Anonymous on

    Hello. I came across this blog in my search for what side effects are caused by the sweetener Stevia.
    I had in the past been a Crystal light lover of the Green Tea. A friend encouraged me to get off the nutra sweet and I took the advise…It;s been about 7 months now, was easy, no side effects..just missed the sweetness in the tea I was making. Tried Truvia, like it…did not experience any side effects. A week ago I was at Trader Joes and they dont carry Truvia, instead they sold me Stevia extract. I am sad to say, I am sick as a dog from this. I have sever abdominal cramping and diarrhea. It is as if I have taken a laxative. i have a yeast infection brewing, and the strangest of symptoms, my breasts are engorged, retaining water. I have fibroid cysts in my breasts, never bother me as I have stayed away from caffeine for about 20 years and rarely drink alcohol which are the 2 culprits that cause pain for breasts w/ fibroid.In addition, I am severely fatigued, most likely from having such bad diarrhea.
    There is an obvious diff between the Truvia and the Stevia ..for some reason my system does not do well at all with the Stevia. Any insight will b helpful info to have. Thank you 🙂 Dawn P.S. Great abs BTW

    Reply
    • Anonymous on

      Just to clarify, the TJ’s 10oz stevia EXTRACT is 97% Lactose. The 10oz 100% PURE stevia jar pictured above is as described as far as I can tell. Unfortunately they look very similar and are easily confused…until you use them (300 servings/jar vs. 1000!)

      Reply
    • Brian on

      I know this is old but its more for people who may be reading this. It does look like it could be the lactose causing the problem. But it could also be the stevia. Stevia also causes nausea, diarrhea, gas and/or bloating in some people. Truvia doesn’t do that because of having the numerous different kinds of steviodes found in stevia it is only rubenal and Erythritol. It just depends on the person some people don’t tolerate Erythritol well and get similiar symptoms from above as well.

      Reply
  8. Anonymous on

    Hi Anonymous!

    I know you were not asking me the question, but I’d like to sort of answer the question as I do have a background in stevia since I work for SweetLeaf Stevia. I’m sorry you had such a bad time with stevia–that sounds like you were miserable! The only thing I can think of is that there may be additives in the kind of stevia product you used. Were there any sugar alcohols in it? Some stevia products do contain sugar alcohols or sugars in their products, and sugar alcohols can have a laxative effect. Pure stevia should not have that effect and has been used for centuries without any documented adverse effects, but again, I don’t know what kind you used. Just make sure you check the ingredients and remember whatever is listed first, is what the product mostly is.

    Reply
  9. Anonymous on

    Make sure you get the tiny jar of Trader Joe’s stevia. The larger jar has lactose. Label says 100% Natural but the small jar’s says 100% Pure. I’ve had no problems and use it for beverages, cooking & baking. 61 lbs gone, 35 more to go. It’s really helping.

    Reply
  10. Anonymous on

    I have tried Stevia in the raw, TruVia and PureVia. I have had no reaction to any of these sugar substitutes, but if they contain poisonous chemicals, I don’t want to continue ingesting them. Presenyly, I am using the PureVia because it is the cheapest, but when I run out, I will not buy anymore of it.

    Reply
  11. Feeling Fooled on

    I am a type 2 diabetic and since being diagnosed almost 2 1/2 yrs ago, I traded in my sugar for the substitutes. I first tried Splenda and didn’t care for the after taste it left, then tried truvia with the same result. My next one was the pure via, not only was it a success with me but my family as well. Pure Via has been being used in my household for a long time now by myself ( thinking it was a better choice for my diabetes), my daughter & boyfriend. I’m now realizing I should have done more research as I never knew it still contained sugar or that it’s being “produced” by the coke & Pepsi companies. Time to reevaluate what I’m putting in our bodies.

    Reply

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