Truvia is a non-caloric sweetener. It’s a “blend” type product made with three ingredients: 1) erythritol, which is a sugar alcohol, 2) stevia leaf extract, which is an herb, and 3) natural flavors, more on that later.
Truvia is marketed as a “natural” product, but this is misleading because anything that is derived from a plant or animal source can be called natural. That means caloric sweeteners like sugar and HFCS are natural, too. What is confusing to most consumers is the fact that the term natural has absolutely nothing to do with processing. The product can be processed to death and still be natural.
Erythritol, for example, is a chemically extracted and fermented substance derived from corn. Since erythritol comes from corn, it can legally be called natural, but it is still a highly processed substance. Erythritol is about half as sweet as table sugar and belongs to a class of substances known as sugar alcohols. Most, but not all, sugar alcohols are easily identified by the “ol” at the end of the name. Erythritol is the least objectionable of all the sugar alcohols because it causes the fewest digestive problems. Other sugar alcohols can cause you to cramp, fart, and have a lot of bowel movements. Erythritol is different in that it is produced through a fermentation process rather than a hydrogenation process, and the hydrogenation process appears to be the source of the digestive problems.
Stevia leaf extract is only 0.5% of a serving of Truvia. That’s not much, but Cargill makes a big deal out of the fact that it’s using a natural herb in its product. The stevia plant has naturally sweet leaves that taste a bit like licorice. In the old days, about 10 years ago, stevia was a highly regulated substance that was wrongly feared to be carcinogenic. It was only available in health food stores in crushed leaf form (which looks a bit like oregano) or in liquid form. Once Cargill and the other big food manufacturers got in on the action, stevia found its way into grocery store products as a healthier and more desirable alternative to sugar.
And finally, the term “natural flavors” is a general phrase where small amounts of any substance can be included in a product without being listed as an ingredient. A non-caloric sweetening agent called Neotame is a suspect substance that is often listed as a natural flavoring. Neotame is a megapotent artificial sweetener that belongs to the same family as aspartame, an excitotoxin. (FYI, excitotoxins overstimulate and kill brain cells.) In fact, neotame is so potent that only a small amount needs to be included to have a sweetening effect. This is important because stevia and erythritol are not that sweet.
So is Truvia a safe and reasonable option? Safe. It is not a toxic substance, but like any sweetening agent it can be a digestive irritant. This will be immediately obvious to you right after you use it. Pregnant women, infants, young children, and anyone with neurological problems should avoid Truvia and any other alternative sweeteners. For everyone else, the best advice is to limit your daily intake of Truvia to 2 tablespoons per day. Understood? Just 2 tbsp.