Truvia sweetener was released for public consumption some four plus years ago, and I bought a couple boxes, eager to try it in tea and plain yogurt smoothies. Well, since then, I have consumed several boxes worth. Impressions of this low calorie product follow.
Benefits, Features, Pros, and Advantages
- It emits a strong yet pleasant and sweet aroma, that reminds me of butterscotch crumpets or certain brands of vanilla ice cream. I can smell it with my nose as far as six inches away from the box.
- Has the same granular powder consistency as sugar, and the paper packets have a bit of weight to them. So it feels and sounds like sugar when shaken. Truvia’s granules are a bit thicker than typical sugar though, and it is heavier per packet than comparable packets of Equal, Sweet N Low, Stevia, and Splenda.
- It is white in color, just like sugar, and it has a rough feel to it, that’s cool to the touch, again, just like sugar.
- It dissolves quickly in my tea, and I do like the sweet yet neutral flavor. It has no “plant” taste, as some stevia-based sweeteners do.
- Tastes no different from the Now Stevia I’ve been using for over fifteen years.
- Truvia sweetener contains Rebiana, which comes from the leaves of the stevia plant; the sweetest parts. A big fan of stevia, I’m glad to see that stevia is finally making it into the mainstream market, as it has as the primary sweetener in Truvia.
- Truvia does not create craving for more of it. Nice. So in me anyhow, this diet sweetener is non addictive, which differs markedly from sugar or Splenda.
- I experienced neither unpleasant aftertaste, nor any side-effects whatsoever with moderate consumption, and that’s after consuming 5 to 10 packets in my beverages in a 24-hour period.
- Unlike agave nectar, which contains significant calories, this herbal sweetener has zero calories and is probably more natural than agave nectar besides.
Disadvantages, Cons, Problems, and Health Concerns
- To get the level of sweetness to which I’m accustomed, I had to use 5 packets in my big cups of Bigelow Plantation Mint tea.
- This gives me sixteen cups of sweetened tea per 80-packet box of Truvia. At $5.78 per box when I last bought Truvia, my sweetener cost per cup of tea is $0.36. This seems rather costly, doesn’t it. Hopefully, the price will come down over time as often happens when the new becomes the usual. The box says that each packet sweetens like two teaspoons of sugar.
- It also indicates that Truvia is suitable for use by diabetics, because it has zero calories per serving. Its primary ingredient is Erythritol, a sugar alcohol. I wondered why my stomach became a bit unsettled after consuming several cups of tea with Truvia in them. This is not hard to manage however. As per usual, everything in moderation.
- Given the sugar alcohol content, Truvia sweetener might cause diarrhea in some folks; especially if they indulge in it as extremely as I did. It did not bother me that way once I got used to Truvia and learned how much I can consume in a day without problems. It did in me when consuming more than 20 packets per day in four large cups of tea and coffee.
- So I cannot consume Truvia sweetener with reckless abandon as I would pure stevia powders and liquids. This creates a health concern over the free and frequent use of Truvia in my mind, since other sweeteners, even sugar, do not produce these stomach problems.
Ingredients
Erythritol, rebiana, and natural flavors
Nutrition Facts
- Serving size: 1 packet.
- Servings per container: 140.
- Calories: 0.
- Calories from fat: 0.
- Total fat: 0 grams, 0% DV.
- Sodium: 0 milligrams, 0% DV.
- Total carbs: 3 grams, 1% DV.
- Erythritol: 3 grams.
- Protein: 0 grams.
Product Rating
So I would recommend Truvia sweetener if you’re not put off by the price or sickened by sugar alcohols. Look for lime-green and white box with a strawberry on it that has the word truvia in all lower case letters. Its slogan is, “Nature’s Calorie-Free Sweetener.”
References
- Erythritol definition on Wikipedia
- Rebiana definition on Wikipedia
- Stevia definition on Wikipedia
- Sugar Alcohol definition on Wikipedia
Revision History
- 2015-01-27: Moved this post to the Tom’s Diet Quest blog, and tweaked the content. Adjusted ad placement, added whitespace, and extended the References section.
- 2014-11-30: Added experiential based updates since original publication.
- 2011-06-02: Originally published.