I was sent some Truvia to try out recently and I’ve been using it in all sorts of applications to see how it compares to regular sugar and sweeteners.

I’ve been trying to make small changes in my diet to be a bit healthier (a never-ending journey!) so when the PR company offered me the sample I was happy to try it.

Truvia is a brand of stevia-based calorie-free sweetener. Unfortunately it is very loosely based on stevia, with only 0.05% of the product being Rebiana, which is a derivative product of stevia. I was pretty disappointed to discover this in my research. I was hoping the product would be more natural and higher in stevia, since I was concerned about chemicals entering my body. When I visited the website for the product they made it seem like it was a natural, safe, stevia-based sweetener, but again it was super-misleading. Just because there is a tiny bit of a trendy ingredient in it, doesn’t make it legit.

Originally I wrote this as a positive review. I found the product to be a decent alternative to sweeteners and sugar, but I find the name to be quite misleading. Shame on me for assuming it was made from stevia, I guess. 🙁

If you’re in the market for something other than Sweet n Low, Equal or Splenda, Truvia would be a good choice. However if you are looking for a natural alternative to sugar I would suggest something else. Personally I’ll stick with my honey and agave syrup.

You can learn more about the ingredients in Truvia from this great article from a dietitian. Another one is here.

Take this as a lesson to always read the ingredients!