PureVia
A couple weeks ago Thinspired posted a blog about her "break up" with sweeteners. This sparked some good discussion about the topic of artificial sweeteners. Many of you seem to be interested in the possible dangers and/or benefits of the multitude of different sweeteners (artificial or natural).
I purchased a box of PureVia at Kroger, because it was on sale for 2 dollars. This means they aren't selling well, but I wanted to give them a try. Purevia is an "all-natural zero-calorie sweetener derived from the stevia plant". Purevia and Truvia are the major stevia sweeteners. The two main sweetener components of stevia (PureVia) are stevioside and rebaudioside A. These are the two components that scientists tested in order to get FDA approval for the product.
Many people think sweeteners, such as stevia, are automatically safe since they are all natural, but stevia has been in the spotlight for many of the same safety concerns as other "artificial" sweeteners, such as; DNA damage and cancer, and impaired fertility. Despite this, stevia (PureVia) has been approved by the FDA, therefore enough studies have been done to show the effects of stevia are not severe. Stevia will therefore be showing up (and has been showing up) in many food and drink products.
Many of the studies that have been done with stevia components (and that are normally done on sweeteners) create a situation where the subject, or rats, are consuming huge quantities of the substance, then scientists can study the effects. One study gave people 1000 mg of stevia per day to test blood sugar levels. Do you know how many grams are in this one stick of PureVia? 2.4 grams!
So these studies are really trying to test the worst possible situation, which helps protect those who are consuming huge quantities of sweeteners. The bottom line is nothing is "100% safe", whether it's all-natural, organic, or artificial. Heck, even sugar (the most "natural" sweetener) has potential dangers (think DIABETES...).My Sweetener (natural or artificial) Philosophy
My sweetener philosophy is very similar to my food philosophy; "I eat what I want, when I want it, but do so in moderation and by including variety in my choices".
I am not one of those people who stays away from artificial or natural sweeteners. I try not to buy many artificially sweetened foods, but I'm not totally against it. I include a variety of different sweeteners in my diet, including sugar, Splenda, Aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal), and now PureVia. I use sweeteners in moderation, and I vary the different types since they all have different "potential dangers".
I put Splenda on my cereal every morning (about 1 tsp), and sometimes in my coffee.
I consume real sugar in the form of my chocolates and ice cream, I consume Aspartame in my Fiber One in the morning, and now I use PureVia (half a stick) if I need to sweeten my Greek yogurt! So clearly I use all types of sweeteners, but I do do in moderation and by varying the type of sweeteners I use.
Question: What is your "sweetener philosophy"?
Thanks for reading today. Stay tuned for my next post, which will focus on brain foods. Have a great day!
21 comments:
I like your philosophy of mixing the sweeteners up and consuming them in moderation.
I used to consume quite a bit artificial sweeteners when I drank a lot of diet coke a few years back. (I haven't had a diet coke in over a year!) I also used to put some Splenda in my Greek yogurt, but I have gotten used to eating it without the sweetener. I grew up eating plain yogurt, and I actually like it.
These days, I hardly ever add sugar or a sweetener to things. But I know there is sugar and some artificial sweeteners in some of the products I eat.
Artificial sweeteners hurt my tummy, and they sorta scare me in general so I just avoid them. But I think nearly everything in moderation is okay :)
gina thanks for the always positive comments on my blog !
Your informative posts are such a great addition to anyone who is learning to live a healthy, moderate lifestyle! ( sending only the best vibes your way for your thesis defense!!!)
My sweetener philosophy is similar to yours. When I'm out at a restaurant for breakfast I use white sugar in my coffee. When I'm at my Dad's house I use Splenda because that's what he has. I use Truvia and Raw sugar at home and then when I eat packaged food I'm eating all different stuff. I just try not to get too freaked out about all of it. I'm so glad to hear that you (a RD) aren't totally banning all sweeteners. That makes me feel so much better. Sometimes when i read articles I get freaked out. Thanks for affirming my mind set! Also, I agree...... what's up with all the Goji berry stuff out now a days?!?!?! :)
-A
Love the clearance rack at the store! It's the first place I go when I walk in! :D
I am with you on the artificial sweetener - I bake with it quite often and use sugar free coffee creamer. That's about it so I think I am not overdoing it!
I drink a Diet Coke in the summer, one, about 5 times a week...and chew sugarless gum, and sometimes put a sweet n low in my coffee. I am writing up a K Compares about these sweeteners!
You are too smart!
And I know you're thinking a lot about your defense...and when it's done, maybe you'll feel relieved, (I hope so!) But I've often felt, like..."that was it???" Plan to do something ornate, like cook yourself a ME meal (and SHOW us! for the giveaway!) because only you can truly know the work you've accomplished...
goji berries are powerhouses!! i work with a derm who promotes inclusive health and he is all about the goji LOL
Hi Gina! great job with sweetners. Other than splenda and stevia, I didn't know much about it. BTW..your sex talk was pretty raunchy..:)
I was kind of upset about the ThinK fruit bars too because there was no serving of fruit either!! what the heck, right?!
I consume disgusting amounts of sweetener...not so much in foods as ingredients, but I add (a lot) to things I eat/drink. I keep saying that I am trying to cut back- I want to, more out of embaressment than anything else...standing in starbucks putting 12 equal in a coffee gets strange looks! I've been doing it for so long though that it's rare that things are naturally sweet enough. Though things with natural sugars like Lara bars, I find WAY to sweet. So strange!
I think you already know my thoughts about artificial sweeteners. I guess I'm just wary of anything artificial and would rather eat the real stuff. I think that moderation is really the best way to go, regardless of what you feel about sweeteners.
Good luck with your defense prep! You'll do great, and I'm sure you will wow your thesis committee! :-)
I pled guilty. I consume way to much, and I mean, way too much artificial sweeteners. I grew up on sweetnlow... the worst for me. I have tried to give it up and just can't. Do you have an advice on how to give it up?
HOORAY for your sweetener philosphy! I'm the exact same way, consuming a moderate amount of a variety of sweeteners, but for ages I've caught myself feeling guilty that I'm either consuming something "unnatural" one one hand or "too sweet" on the other hand... I'm SO glad to hear you endorse the "some of everything in moderation" method, as I truly trust and value your expert and informed opinion as an RD! Thank you!
P.S. Kroger sales rock! :-)
P.P.S. CONGRATULATIONS on being so close to the completion of your thesis! I'm SO excited for you!
P.P.P.S Thank you so much for your comment - I'm glad I'm not the only one who bakes healthy cakes and then puts frosting on them... ;-)
lol that's what always happens to me when I go into the store for only a couple of things. I seem to always find something to buy!
I've never tried purevia, but I'm not much of an artificial sweetener user because they don't make me feel right. I get really bad headaches from aspartame and sugar alcohols make my tummy crazy. But I do believe there are situations that they can be useful like in diabetes, and moderation is never a bad thing :)
Yay for your thesis!!! You're going to do so well!! and then it will be complete :)
I purchased Truvia for the first time about a month ago. I admit I had been weaning myself off of artificial sweeteners for quite a while and Truvia seemed like an okay alternative. However, I didn't realize that it showed similarities to artificial sweeteners in recent studies. I do like the taste of it though. It lacks the bitter aftertaste of other natural granule sweeteners. But, I do think it requires moderation. Thanks for the info, Gina!!
I like your sweetener philosophy... trying different things and consuming different things in order to reduce to risk of too much exposure to one potential risk.. very smart Gina!
I used to consume more aspartame like splenda.. but after Stevia came out and it's supposed to be more natural and safer, I switched to it. But lately i found raw honey the perfect sweet spread to bread and oats... it's really really flavored instead of only give the sweetness.
good luck with thesis writing. I know what you mean by being over excited and at the same time want to finish it as soon as possible and relax!
I agree with your everything in moderation approach to sweeteners. If I feel like using an artificial sweetener, I will. However, I make sure to not go overboard!
I have pple who are chugging down fast food and yet scream at me when they see me drinking diet coke. Urgh.
I'm trying to limit my diet soda consumption, but I do use splenda in my oats, greek yogurt, and coffee...I don't use much anyway!
But with baked goods, I dont mind having real sugar.
oh! think fruit looks realllllllly good! thanks for the review :)
looks like it was a great kroegers stop!
I try to use less artificial sweeteners - but I do use them from time to time and I think they're fine in moderation!
Thanks for your information!!
Have fun golfing tomorrow! Sounds like fun!
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Thesis paper Writers
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