I’ll never forget the first time I tried stevia, a natural sweetener. My Juice Plus+ lady, who knows all about the “evils” of sugar and artificial sweeteners, pulled a packet out of her purse. She had me try it in my iced tea and I was impressed how sweet it tasted.
Soon I began to notice stevia along side sugar and other sweeteners in my supermarket and was wanting to try it again. So when Truvia™ asked me to review their product, I was happy to oblige.
The Truvia difference
Truvia is made from stevia, which is a plant (a member of the chrysanthemum family) that is native to northeastern Paraguay and has been used to sweeten foods and beverages for more than 200 years. The taste comes from a natural ingredient from the leaves called rebiana. Unlike other stevia based sweeteners, Truvia contains erythritol and natural flavors. Erythritol is a natural sweetener, produced by a natural process from a culture (like you would make yogurt), and is found in fruits like grapes and pears.
Erythritol is available in the U.S. from Cargill, who is also the producer of Truvia. Yes, Cargill and stevia are controversial – see the Eco-Chick blog for the down low on all the hoopla. In my opinion, a bit of a tempest in a teapot.
One packet of Truvia natural sweetener provides the same sweetness as two teaspoons of sugar and is a great alternative for people with diabetes. You can also cook with it. The Truvia website features many recipes using Truvia. There’s also a Sweetness Conversion Chart which helps you convert recipes that use white sugar.
Truvia can be found at most Whole Food Markets
My experience with Truvia
Truvia, I think I love you…
First, aesthetics are a big part of why I like Truvia. Most sugar substitute boxes are pretty darn ugly, so you end up hiding the packets in your sugar bowl. The Truvia box opens like a card file box, and is attractive enough to keep on your table. Love that!
I’ve been using Truvia in my green tea. It’s very sweet and a little goes a long way. For a regular coffee mug, you could get away with using half a packet.
I haven’t cooked anything with Truvia yet, but plan to use my last 24 packets (equal to one cup of sugar) in some blackberry cobbler this weekend. Can’t wait!
