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This is the second part of a 5-part series of the definitive guide to sugar substitutes.  This 5-part series  covers several popular brands of sugar substitutes which include  Splenda®, Stevia, Equal®, Truvía® and Sweet N’ Low®.  In this installment, I will cover the latest craze in sweeteners – Stevia.

What Is Stevia?

Stevia is a genus of the sunflower and is an herb in the Chrysanthemum family.  Though the botanical classification of the plant is called Stevia rebaudiana, it is commonly known as sweetleaf, sweet leaf, sugarleaf, or simply stevia; it is widely grown for its sweet leaves.  Generally speaking, the word stevia refers to the entire plant, but it is only some parts of the plant which are sweet.  The sweet-tasting components of the plant are  isolated from what is called the steviol glycosides.   Once the steviol glycosides are isolated and purified from the plant the stevia sweetener as we find now in supermarkets can be produced.

Stevia Extract in the Raw®

The History of Stevia

As with so many “new”  plants discovered, the stevia plant turns out to not be new at all.  The plant was widely used by herbalists in Paraguay, and the South American naturalist, Bertoni, “discovered” stevia in the late 1800’s.  Stevia is cultivated in Paraguay, Brazil, Japan and China, however, probably due to it’s recent popularity, stevia is also being cultivated in Canada, Mexico and California.

The Benefits of Stevia

Stevia is a natural sugar substitute with zero calories.  Here are some of its other benefits:

Benefit  Number 1 – Stevia Aides in the Treatment of Obesity – As a no-calorie sweetener, desserts may be prepared without the excessive calories of sugar.

Benefit  Number 2 – Stevia Inhibits the Growth of Some Bacteria in the Mouth – Unlike the cavity causing effects of sugar, stevia can aide in the prevention of tooth decay and gum disease.

Benefit  Number 3 – Stevia Helps Regulate Blood Sugar Levels (Good News for Diabetics) – Stevia has almost no effect on blood glucose (blood sugar) levels.  This is good news for those suffering with diabetes and hypoglycemia.  (Hypoglycemia occurs when your blood sugar glucose is too low, and is usually a side effect of diabetes medicines; stevia can help in the balance of blood sugar.)

The 2 Key Ingredients of Stevia

• Malodextrin – a filler added to prolong shelf life (also a type of sugar)
• Stevia Rebaudiana – the key ingredient of the stevia sugar substitute

How Sweet Is Stevia?

Stevia has a curious property of sweetness that I found.  When you first taste it, it doesn’t taste that sweet on the onset – but ­ – it appears that the sweetness increases gradually and tends to last longer in your mouth than sugar (and without the negative tooth-decaying effects of sugar.) On The Prosper “Sweet-Ometer”, my personal sweetness rating, I give stevia a 3-star rating (four stars being best).

Stevia rates (3 stars)  •  2 packet needed to sweeten my cup of tea

How Affordable Is Stevia?

A 9.7 ounce of Stevia in the Raw® goes for $8.29.  A servig is considered a teaspoon.  In this bag, you get the equivalent of 550 servings, that is, 550 teaspoons of sweetner.  Not bad.

In the next instalment of the series on sugar substitutes, part 3 of this 5-part series, I will talk about the sugar substitute known as Equal®.   Until then…

Yours in health,

Charles Prosper

“The 12-Week Fitness Guru”

P.S. Leave us your comment.  Thank you.

This is the first part of a 5-part series on sugar substitutes.  In this 5-part series, I will cover several popular proprietary brands of sugar substitutes:  Splenda®, Stevia®, Equal®, Truvía® and Sweet N’ Low®.  In this part 1 of the series, I will cover the sweetener Splenda®.

Key Concepts While Reading This Series on Sugar Substitutes

To help you get the most from this information, it is good that you keep in mind as few things about your choice of sugar substitutes.

Key Concept Number 1 – A Proprietary Brand Name Is Less Important Than The Ingredients – Each brand name will equal certain ingredients.  This is important because now you have a handle to comparing it with supermarket generic brands – which have the exact same ingredients ­– but the generic supermarket brand may cost you up to 50% less than the brand name!  Why pay more for the exact same product!

A Supermarket’s Lower-Priced Sucralose Generic Version

Key Concept Number 2 – When Comparing Prices, Always Look At The Cost-Per-Ounce – Don’t just look at the total price of the package or box.  Take your time.  Go deeper.  Look closer – at the small tags below each package-price-tag.  Your grocer will also have listed for you ­– the cost per ounce! This is extremely important if saving money matters to you.  Example.  I saw a small bottle of Splenda® containing 50 packets for $3.99 (at a cost of $2.28 per ounce).  Right next to it, I saw on sale another box of the supermarket generic blend containing the same ingredients as Splenda® – but for only $6.99 – and containing 200 packets (at a cost of $1.28 per ounce!)  Is this a savings – or what!

Key Concept Number 3 – What Is  The Sweetness Level on The Prosper “Sweet-Ometer” – The  sweetness of each sugar substitute product to be reviewed will be measured and calibrated scientifically for sweetness – by my taste buds.  It is supposed that each 1 packet  = 2 teaspoons of sugar which is theoretically enough to sweeten my cup of hot green tea.  I will taste and tell.  On The Prosper “Sweet-Ometer”, the sweetness rating is measured from 1 to 4 sweetness stars, 4 stars being good and sweet, the highest rating, and 1 star being not so sweet, the lowest sweetness rating (according to my taste buds).

The Prosper “Sweet-Ometer” Scale

(4 stars) •  1 packet   = enough to sweeten my cup of tea

(3 stars) •  2 packets = needed to sweeten my cup of tea

(2 stars) •  3 packets = needed to sweeten my cup of tea

(1 star)   •  4 packets = needed to sweeten my cup of tea

(Warning: I’ve always had a “sweet tooth”. Taste buds may vary.)

Basic Facts About Splenda®

Splenda® is a non-nutritive sweetener that contains no calories. Splenda® is used in equal amounts as granulated sugar.

The 3 Key Ingredients of Splenda®

• Dextrose – a filler added to prolong shelf life (also a type of sugar)
• Malodextrin – a filler added to prolong shelf life (also a type of sugar)
• Sucralose ­– a by-product of sugar, and the main and primary ingredient of Splenda®.  When you look at generic versions of Splenda® in your supermarket, they will show on the side of the box the three key ingredients of dextrose, malodextrin and sucralose, but they will emphasize, on the front of the box that it is a sucralose sweetener.

The 3 Key Advantages of Splenda®

Advantage Number 1 –Splenda®, unlike some other sweeteners has the ability to retain its flavor when it is heated.

Advantage Number 2 – Splenda® will keep a very long time on your shelf, and it does not require any refrigeration.

Advantage Number 3 – Splenda® contains no digestible carbohydrates therefore it does not affect blood glucose by causing a spike in insulin levels as does sugar taken.  When excess sugar triggers insulin levels this signals the body to store fat.  This problem is circumvented through the use of Splenda®.

Splenda® rates on The Prosper “Sweet-Ometer” Scale:  3 stars (2 packets needed to sweeten my cup of green tea)

In part 2 of this 5-part series on sugar substitutes, I will talk about the latest craze  in sweeteners – Stevia®.

Yours in health,

Charles Prosper

“The 12-Week Fitness Guru”

P.S. Leave us your comment.  Thank you.