Natural Artificial Sweeteners From Stevia

Last month, I wrote about trying a new artificial sweetener, called Truvia.  I really didn’t like it, due to the aftertaste.  Several readers wrote in and said that the natural artificial sweetener, SweetLeaf, was much better.  I was thinking about this while at the grocery last week, and decided to go search some out to give it a try.  I actually found the SweetLeaf, and another Stevia-based natural artificial sweetener, called OnlySweet.  I decided to bring some home, and give them a try.

Natural Artificial Sweeteners

I’ve tried a handful of so-called natural artificial sweeteners, with little luck, and the synthetics just leave me feeling sick to my stomach.  So, when I heard about Stevia, I thought I might be onto something promising.  The new product mentioned above (Truvia) didn’t work out so well for me, but I thought perhaps one of the other Stevia-based products might be better.  So, we the other night, we made a pot of coffee and I made three cups, side-by-side.  One contained our good friend, sugar, while the other two were our test subjects.

SweetLeaf

We decided to try the SweetLeaf first, since it has gotten some pretty good press.  SweetLeaf is a blend of Stevia and inulin.  Inulin is, itself, used as a natural low calorie sweetener, and a soluble fiber supplement.  According to the directions, one packet of SweetLeaf is equivalent to two teaspoons of sugar.  That worked out well, because I take two teaspoons of sugar in a cup of coffee.  Coming out of the packet, it could be best described as a finely divided white powder that stirred in easily.

Well, I would have to say that it wasn’t quite as bad as the Truvia, but it still left a bitter taste on the tip of my tongue.  To make matters worse, it was persistent.  I couldn’t get rid of the taste, and finally resorted to eating a bowl of ice cream to get rid of it.  My wife agreed with me, describing the flavor as “pretty bad.”  Even though its a better endorsement than the Truvia received, I’d have to say this one is a thumbs down.

OnlySweet

The OnlySweet is a blend of maltodextrin and stevia.  There was no conversion factor for use in place of sugar, so I assumed it to be the same as SweetLeaf (1 packet = 2 tsp).  This also came out of the packet as a finely divided powder that dissolved readily.  Much like inulin, maltodextrin is a natural low calorie sweetener that finds widespread use in food products as well.  A significant difference between this and the SweetLeaf is that maltodextrin is classified as a carbohydrate, which likely has implications for diabetics.

The coffee sweetened with OnlySweet had a much less pronounced aftertaste, that I also found to be less “lasting” (for lack of a better word).  It was much more tolerable, but not quite as sweet as the sugar or SweetLeaf.  I may have missed on the conversion factor.

My Conclusion

I’ve now tried three different Stevia-based artificial sweeteners.  Quite frankly, I can’t stand the taste of either the Truvia or the SweetLeaf.  The OnlySweet may be marginally tolerable.  I’ll have to decide if its worth trying it over an extended period of time before I can make a judgement.  If you’re considering the OnlySweet as a sugar replacement for diabetics, you may want to do some reading on maltodextrin, since it is a carbohydrate, and as such, may impact blood sugar levels.  It’s worth noting that some people also report being unable to tolerate consuming products that contain maltodextrin.

So, I’m still in search of a low calorie artificial sweetener to replace sugar.  Somehow, I doubt I’m going to have much luck with this quest, but if anyone has other suggestions, I’d love to hear them.

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