Ok, so I’m usually the first one to preach against artificial sweeteners, and that’s why I’m taking the opportunity today to introduce you to a non-artificial sweetener, this is an all-natural product and I’ll give it its due. I’m a brown cane sugar man myself, but to each their own… some of us don’t want any calories in that morning coffee, so here you go!
So, what is PureVia? Well, it’s a sweetener made by Whole Earth Sweetener Co, but that doesn’t really help, does it?
PureVia is a sweetener that is based on the Stevia plant (Stevia Rebaudiana Bertoni). This leafy green plant is member of the Chrysanthemum family and has acted as a natural herbal sweetener in South America for centuries. Stevia has no calories and no carbohydrates. The plant is often called “Ka’a He’e” (“Sweet Herb”) in Guarani, the indigenous language of Paraguay and parts of Brazil where the stevia leaf has been used as a sweetener for hundreds of years.
PureVia is made by a natural process. A pure extract of the naturally sweet stevia plant is used as the feature of PureVia’s sweetness. The extract (called ‘Reb A’) is the sweetest part of the stevia plant and is an integral part of the creation of this sweetner. PureVia starts with simple stevia leaves, which are first milled and then steeped in water using a brewing method that is 
similar to brewing tea. The resulting extract is then further purified to separate the Reb A using a mixture of water and ethanol. Reb A is then blended with other natural ingredients and flavors to create the great tasting, all natural, zero calorie sweetener.
I don’t know if I’m ready to start substituting it into my baking recipes (and I don’t think it’s intended for that yet, as servings are sugar packets, not boxes), but Purevia certainly has an authentic texture like that of sugar without all the calories. The product is safe for diabetics and people watching their sugar intake. I can easily see stevia (and PureVia) growing in popularity as a sweetener for coffees and teas. Good, no more artificial garbage!
-bryan
Most Stevia sweeteners taste awful. Purevia and Truvia taste better than most other no calorie sweeteners.
I’m more concerned with stevia’s health risks: laboratory studies of stevia have found potential cancer and reproductive health problems. Stevia is outlawed in Europe for a reason (a scientific review panel for the European Community declared that stevia is unacceptable for use in food).
Canada also has not approved the use of stevia. We don’t know enough about stevia. Everyone thinks that because stevia is natural, then it’s safe and good for you. A sharp stick in your eye is natural, but not safe or good for you.
I’m shocked the US FDA gave Stevia products GRAS approval (generally regarded as safe in small quantitites).
The FDA over the last 10 years has rejected 3 food-additive petitions for stevia because of its safety had not been adequately demonstrated.
Why does Stevia have all the buzz? Wake up America!! Get healthy and sweet with xylitol!!!
Why is no one using any Xylitol-based no calorie sweeteners (e.g. Xylosweet or Ideal)? These taste great AND have numerous health BENEFITS (fewer cavities, reduced ears/nose/throat/sinus infections…).
Ideal no calorie sweetener costs less than Purevia and Truvia too!
Thank you Brenda for posting information that is good for the public to be aware of. I am also against this sweetner. After having a severe allergic reaction to the drink SOBE which is a zero calorie drink sweetened with “PureVia” mixture which is made from a highly pure extract of the Stevia. I have never had an allergic reaction before, so I could not determine the cause until I found out that my brother also had a similar side effect after drinking this a differnt flavor of this drink.
One day, after working out I went to Quizno’s for a sub and I decided to try this new fountain drink available and I was very thirsty. I drank one cup while waiting on my husband, then I took one cup to go. The next day I woke up with hives all over. It took 2 days to go away, I also went to the doctor for a shot and took benadryl.
The crazy thing is that after my family helped me research more, I found that this sweetner is orignated from Paraguay, South America, where my family orignated from!!!
Xylitol is not a zero calorie sweetener. It has about a third fewer calories than sugar. It is great for baking as well as other things. But there is an issue with it for me. It is very toxic to dogs in even very small amounts. It drops their blood sugar to nothing and they die. This can be easily confirmed by googling “xylitol toxicity dogs”. So anyone who lives with dogs and uses it needs to be very cautious with it. Also, it is an ingredient in many chewing gums, so that needs to be kept away from dogs too.
I was on a sales call at a hospital yesterday, I picked up a bottle of the Sorbe ACAI Berry flavor and drank, within 15 minutes I had an alllergic reaction. My eyes started to itch and water and they swelled almost shut. I did go to the Pharmacy and took a Benydryl. This helped my eyes are better today but still swollen. I have never experienced anything like this before.
I am on a low carb diet for high Triglyserides. Are you aware of any commercially prepared foods sweetened with Xylitol?
Xylitol is a sugar alcohol that is used as a sweetener in many foods and gums…for instance you’ll find it in Jell-O Mousse Temptations Snacks. Just check the ingredient list on the labels!
Ideal Sweetener is my prefered No Calorie Sweetener. Ideal’s primary ingredient is xylitol, so it’s very healthy for you (not dogs). It tastes better than sugar and bakes cup-for-cup more like sugar than any other sugar substitute.
Stevia is natural, but there are several research studies that show stevia is harmful at the DNA level! FDA only gave Stevia GRAS approval (only in small quantities).
Stevia isn’t approved in Europe (or many other countries) at all!
Xylitol is FDA approved in any massive quantity! Xylitol has major health benefits too!! Stay sweet and healthy!
Having done quite a lot of research on sweeteners, ProVia is mostly “artificial garbage” as you call it, with very little(and I mean minimal) Stevia in it… If you can get hold of the pure Paraguayan leaves, then you will be artificial-garbage-free. Hope this helps.