Hi JerseyGyrl,

Would you tell me what you know about Truvia, the sweetener marketed as a natural product made from a plant (stevia?)?

I've been using it and losing steadily; I only use a couple of teaspoons a day in my green tea. I don't use it at all in coffee. I've also used it to make salad dressings and Atkins desserts.

Any thoughts or information on Truvia? (besides it's expensive!) Thanks so much. As always, I appreciate your help.

(I don't mean that I wouldn't like to lose more quickly, by the way!)

I'm not JerseyGirl, but I do know that Truvia has MSG as a preservative. There are other Stevia products that don't include it. I'm MSG sensitive, makes be bloat, though it doesn't seem like it is giving you any trouble.

Thanks, Shannon. I may look around for the stevia products that don't contain MSG and see if it makes a difference for me. I'd also like to find a much less expensive alternative.

I just dug a packet out of my desk drawer and the one I use is SweetLeaf SteviaPlus. It comes in both packets and a larger jar, I think I got it at Publix. It was a little expensive, but I think cheaper than the Truvia.

ETA - Though don't know if it is Atkins friendly, it has something called Frutafit Inulin Fiber (fructooligosaccharides, also known as FOS) in it.

Thanks so much, JerseyGyrl. Happy New Year's!

There's very little research on "natural" products especially in the USA, mostly because there doesn't have to be. "Artificial" products have to be proven safe before they're allowed on the market, but "natural" products are assumed safe until proven otherwise (and have to be proven extremely dangerous to be banned).

That doesn't mean that all natural products are less safe than artificial ones, but it also doesn't mean that the potential isn't there. Hemlock is natural too.

What disturbs me about stevia is that the little research that is available raises possible concerns. Laboratory studies of stevia have found potential cancer and reproductive-health problems in lab animals. They may not affect humans, but then again, they might.

While it's true that stevia has been used in it's natural form for thousands of years without apparent ill-effect, that doesn't mean there aren't any risks, especially when used daily in a concentrated form, or in the amounts that Americans tend to use sweeteners.

I think this article summarizes the issues pretty well

http://www.cspinet.org/new/stevia.html


Personally, I'm more assured by the research on artificial sweeteners than the research (and worse the lack of research) on stevia.


I used to use quite a lot of artificial sweetener, but I've been progressively cutting back. A bag of Splenda that used to last me two months, now lasts so long I can't even remember when I bought it (I should probably date it with a sharpie when I buy it, to keep track).

I also drink too much sugar free soda (though I'm more concerned with the acid's affect on my teeth than the effects of the sweeteners), so I've been diluting my soda with water or tea.

I've found that sweeteners and sugars (natural and otherwise) are like salt, the less I eat the more sensitive I am to the flavor. For example, apples that I used to consider far more tart than sweet, taste sweeter to me now.

Low-carb eating in general has recalibrated my taste buds (even though I'm not eating as low as I could and should be).

Thank you, Kaplods. I'd like to get to the point I don't use artificial or "natural" sweeteners at all. Since one of my problems with my weight has been my sweet tooth, I'm sure using sweeteners of any kind just feeds it. I learned to drink coffee with just cream years ago when my husband discovered sweeteners aggravated a kidney injury...if I kept it in the house, he'd use it. So I just stopped buying it and learned to live without it.

I can learn to drink hot tea straight up, too. Giving up yummy Atkins desserts will be harder, but not impossible. I appreciate your help.