Introduction

From a health standpoint, sugar is your enemy, but this doesn’t mean you have to give up sweeteners. The sweetener stevia is made from the leaves of stevia rebaudiana, a plant native to South America. In December 2008, Stevia was approved as a natural sweetener by the Food and Drug Administration. This paved the way for many people to enjoy its benefits.

Since it was approved as a sweetener, the use of stevia has increased rapidly in the US It is now available under brand names such as Only Sweet, SweetLeaf, fructevia, Slimtevia, Nustevia, PureVia, Reb-A, and Truvia. The following is a representative but not exhaustive list of stevia-based sweeteners.

Stevia Products

Sweet leaf

SweetLeaf® is made using the leaves of the stevia plant and extracting its naturally sweet flavor with just cold, purified water. No chemicals, alcohols or additives are used. SweetLeaf® is the only 100% natural chemical free sweetener, zero calories, zero carbohydrates, zero glycemic index. Stevia is very sweet and contains no calories. It is a good option to use when trying to lose weight. A teaspoon of table sugar, for example, contains 16 calories. Stevia seems to be the ideal sweetener for people who are watching their weight and need to control their blood sugar. However, it has a bitter aftertaste that some people find unpleasant.

Fructevia

Fructevia is a blend of rebaudioside A, a stevia extract, fructose, magnesium carbonate, and nutritional supplements called fructo-oligosaccharides.

Fructevia is about three times sweeter than sugar, so use 1/3 to half. The company guarantees that Fructevia will not have a bitter aftertaste. There are no genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in Fructevia and it does not contain gluten or chemicals. It is completely a product of nature. Fructevia is a healthy sweetener but much sweeter than sugar, but with a small fraction of the calories and virtually no effect on blood sugar. It’s the fructose that keeps stevia from being bitter. This is particularly true when only small amounts are used.

The magnesium in Fructevia is an important mineral for your health, including your nerves, muscles, bones, and heart. Studies have reported that Americans are dangerously deficient in magnesium.

What is fructose?

The fructose, or fruit sugar, in Fructevia is a monosaccharide (simple sugar) found in many plants. The glycemic index of fructose is low (19). Fructose has the lowest index rating of all natural sugars. Fructose is not the same as high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

SLIMTEVIA

The ingredients in Slimtevia are basically the same as those in Fructevia. Slimtevia like Fructevia adds a bit of fructose to remove the bitter aftertaste and still have a product that doesn’t raise blood sugar. Slimtevia like Fructevia does not raise blood sugar and does not have the bitter taste associated with pure stevia.

NuStevia

An individual packet is a serving that is ½ teaspoon. powder (1). One packet of NuStevia contains 80 mg of stevia and 920 mg of maltodextrin and a very small amount of natural flavors. Therefore, NuStevia contains only 8.96% stevia and more than 91% is maltodextrin. The glycemic index of maltodextrin is 150, which is high. It is produced from starch by partial hydrolysis. The actual glycemic index for maltodextrin (150) is high. The amount of maltodextrin, however, a serving of NuStevia White Stevia is less than one gram. This 91% maltodextrin blend is reported to not have the bitter aftertaste associated with regular stevia, although it will spike your blood sugar a bit. 1 teaspoon of NuStevia is as sweet as 1 teaspoon of sugar (1 cup = 1 cup).

Truvia

The development of Truvia was supported by a major soft drink company that was instrumental in getting the FDA to approve the use of stevia. The power of money is really interesting. Truvia is a stevia-based sugar substitute. Truvia is a combination of two different types of sweeteners: rebiana and erythritol with natural flavors. Erythritol is a “sugar alcohol” made by fermenting glucose with yeast. Sugar alcohols are generally recognized as safe, but they can cause bloating, gas, diarrhea, and can have a laxative effect. Erythritol tends to have less of a problem with these effects than other types of sugar alcohols.

Rebiana is the main ingredient in Truvia. It is a purified form of rebaudioside A, which is one of the components of the stevia plant. Since its introduction in 2008, Truvia has become the second-best selling sugar substitute in the United States, surpassing Equal and Sweet’n Low. It’s still small next to Splenda, which reportedly has negative health implications. Splenda is not a stevia product. Splenda represents 60% of the market for sugar substitutes. Splenda will give you a big sugar spike as it is 95% Malto-Dextrin or some variant of it. The glycemic index is higher than table sugar. Truvia and PureVia are stevia extract sweeteners sold by major economic powerhouses that market soft drinks.

PureVia

PureVia® is Pepsi’s sweetener developed from stevia. It is a low calorie sugar substitute jointly developed by PepsiCo and Whole Earth Sweetener Company PureVia is a blend of several different ingredients. Contains dextrose, powdered cellulose; natural flavors as well as stevia rebaudioside A extract.
Summary

Some stevia products, such as the sweet leaf, are made by simply extracting the sweetener with water without any additives, resulting in a safe and healthy product. Fructevia and Slimtevia add a little fructose to eliminate the bitter aftertaste associated with stevia. They are a healthy sweetener that does not raise blood sugar. NuStevia uses maltodextrin to eliminate the bitter taste of stevia. One serving contains 80 mg of Stevia extract and 920 mg of maltodextrin. Therefore, NuStevia contains only 8.96% stevia and more than 91% maltodextrin. Truvia and PureVia® are sweeteners developed from stevia and made by two leading soft drink manufacturers.