Truvia (Stevia leaf) non-calorie sweetner - Do you like it?
Hi gals & guys
I did a search, but found very little discussion on Truvia sweetener. I was wondering how everyone liked it. I am VERY sensitive to Aspartame, (Nutrasweet), it gives me terrible head aches. Splenda majorly increases my anxiety. Sugar...well it's loaded with calories. (MSG and many food additives all seem to cause me some sort of problems...lol). I try to stay away from sweets, but sometimes it would be nice to add a little sweet to my life...well, at least to my Cheerios!
Anyway, I bought some little packets yesterday and added one to my iced tea... I personally loved the taste, almost like sweet vanilla flavor. The jury is still out if it will cause any crazy effects on me, as I had a major sinus headache before I even tried it... Supposedly it's "all natural", but that's what they said about splenda, and it freaks me out.
I have used liquid Stevia for years and love it. I also really like Splenda. And I have used Truvia and really like it too. So I have no idea any of the particulars on these but I do really like them. So, enjoy, until you are given so much information that you become crazy leery of these and quit using them. Good luck.
I've used Stevia for a couple of years also with no problem. Splenda makes me horribly sick (nausea, rash, dizzy), Aspartame gives me a headache. Stevia has been just fine!
Last edited by Shannon in ATL; 03-10-2009 at 10:31 AM.
I've used Stevia for a couple of years also with no problem. Splenda makes me horribly sick (nausea, rash, dizzy), Aspartame gives me a headache. Stevia has been just fine!
This is good to know from a fellow "artificial sweetener" sufferer. I hope I'm the same!
I've been using truvia for a short while now and I haven't noticed any side effects. I really enjoy the taste as well!
Thank you for your response. I remember reading a few years ago about stevia and how the FDA would not approve it to be called a "sugar substitute" and could only be called a 'food source' or something like that. They must have changed their minds....I'll have to research it I guess, (or maybe I shouldn't...lol)
The only thing I have found with Stevia is that if you use too much you can get a bad aftertaste. It's kind of licorice-y, but in a bad way. I haven't actually found the Truvia packets--I have a bottle of full strength Stevia liquid that you shake for a drop at a time and a bottle of full strength powder that you measure with what looks like could substitute as a cocaine spoon (very tiny!).
I like Truvia (I use it in chai tea) and find I can use less than with other sugar substitutes. I don't notice an aftertaste, but other people I know do. Good for me!
I'm trying out Truvia because it was on sale & I had a decent, $1 off coupon for it. For me, the vanilla taste in Truvia is very strong, so I've found that I am using it less than Splenda. (Because I don't have any difficulties with artificial sweeteners.) It's also got a grittier texture, closer to sugar, so I find myself stirring a lot more to get those stubborn little grains to dissolve. The other artificial sweeteners are a pulverized powder & disappear quickly. (In fact, one of them -- can't remember if it's Equal or Splenda -- practically effervesces like Alka Seltzer when I drop it in hot tea.)
I have a coupon for another competing stevia-based sweetener in my coupon cache somewhere. It's called Ideal.
I get a kick out of these brand names. Truvia. Ideal. They both sound like laundry detergent to me.
I don't have the Truvia brand, I have 'Sweetleaf Stevia' powder. I haven't noticed a vanilla taste with it, but I have noticed an aftertaste if I use too much, like Allison has. I think the serving is 1/2 of a packet, which is 1/2 of a gram. I have used the entire packet, but more than that is too much. I have a loose bottle at home, and I think I use 1/4 tsp at a time of it...
I like the liquid stevia. I think the brand that I use is "now foods". I also have one that is peppermint flavored by sweet leaf. It's also liquid. I like it if I only use a little bit. I still prefer agave in my hot tea, but I use stevia when I want my water to be a little more flavorful. I do think that I'll try Truvia to see what it is like. I like sweet and low, but it gave me complex migraines.
I haven't been able to bake successfully with it, but do like it in yogurts, puddings, fruit and drinks. I ordered the liquid flavored stevia from Amazon: Grape, Lemon, Orange, and English Toffee. I love the English Toffee in my greek yogurt. I just tried a vanilla creme and wasn't that impressed with it. Now there is a new sweetener that I found on vacation at a Sprout store called Z-Sweet. The girl, Marian Getz, that bakes for Wolfgang Puck, uses it and really likes it better than all sweeteners right now. But, it is about $25.00 a pound and until it comes down, I'll just have to take her word for it. I bake with the Splenda. I have several stevia cookbooks, but just haven't got the hang of it. If it is too much, you all are right about a bad aftertaste!