Truvia is a new all natural zero calorie sweetener intended to be used as a sugar substitute, but Is this sweetener safe?
For years scientists have been look for a safe, zero calorie sugar substitute. Is Truvia, also known as rebiana, the sweetener they have been looking for? Rebiana is an all natural sweetener derived from only the sweetest parts of the stevia leaf.
According to the Truvia website rebiana the FDA has approved rebaudioside A (the technical term for rebiana) as Generally Recognized As Safe for human consumption (GRAS) as a general purpose sweetener.
Truvia (rebiana) is a purer sweetener that comes from stevia which is commonly know as sweet leaf, or sugar leaf. Standardized stevia can be 250-300 times sweeter than sugar. 1 cup sugar = 12 teaspoons (1/4 cup) powdered stevia or 2 1/2 teaspoons clear liquid stevia.
This is something to take into consideration when using stevia or truvia as a sugar substitute. Like other non-sugar sweeteners rebiana has a slightly licorice like aftertaste that may take some getting used to. Some people even find the aftertaste to be bitter. The biggest benefit is that it contains zero calories and has a glycemic index of zero as well. Another benefit is that it contains no carbs. Which is important to low carb dieters.
Although it has been approved and many studies have been done to test the safety of this new sugar alternative there are still concerns about the effects of long term use. Some of those concerns include: renal toxicity, reproductive effects, and the effects of stevia products on people with diabetes and low blood-pressure.
According to the Truvia website and the independent researchers hired to test rebiana, these are not issues with normal consumption of rebiana. The body is able to break down the substance before any harmful parts of it reach the kidneys and the reproductive effects only occurred when the substance was injected into the blood stream. As for the effects on people with low blood pressure and diabetes there seems to be no abnormal effects compared with healthy people.
For anyone who is looking to lose weight while still enjoying their sweets Truvia is said to be Generally Recognized as Safe for human consumption (GRAS) by the FDA. The Truvia website has a variety of low-calorie sweets recipes to satisfy any sweet tooth while trying to stick to a diet. Keep in mind when you are cooking that stevia products are much sweeter then sugar and enjoy some guilt free snacks.
