FDA Approval of the Stevia Product Truvia Isn't All It's Cracked Up to Be
By now, you've probably seen the ads for Truvia. And if you've been reading the eTips for awhile, you might remember that we started talking about it a year ago, when some of the biggest giants in the food industry -- namely Cargill and CocaCola -- decided to respond to the increasing public demand for safe, natural sweeteners with none other than stevia, the herb Dr. Wright and his colleagues have been recommending for years. But this is no time to celebrate...
At the time, they were using Truvia's generic name, rebiana, but the buzz only got louder when the product was awarded its brand name and the long-awaited stamp of approval from the FDA.
As I mentioned last year, this news appears to be the stuff natural medicine dreams are made of: FDA approval -- and widespread advertising -- of stevia. But before you run out and stock up, there are a few things you should know.
First, it's true that Truvia is natural. And since it's natural, it's far less likely to cause problems than completely unnatural chemical sweeteners such as aspartame and sucralose. But even though it's natural, Truvia is actually an incomplete version of stevia, using only a fraction of the whole herb.
What's more disturbing about it, though, is just how dramatically the FDA's tune about stevia changed when two multibillion dollar companies finally plunked down the hefty sum required for "approval." They went from referring to stevia as a potentially dangerous "supplement" to considering it harmless -- essentially overnight (or however long it took the check to clear).
Yes, on one hand, it's a great stride for a natural sweetener to gain this sort of status. But buying Truvia just helps propagate a hypocritical system that only has its own thickly lined pockets -- not our best interests -- in mind.
The good news is, there are many versions of whole stevia available. They may not have fancy marketing campaigns behind them, or an exorbitantly priced stamp of approval from the FDA, but they're just as safe and even MORE natural than Truvia. MORE natural than Truvia.
Amanda Ross is the Managing Editor of Dr. Jonathan V. Wright’s Nutrition & Healing newsletter.
You can sign up for the free Health eTips by visiting www.wrightnewsletter.com.
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Comments
k131smith
I looked at the ingredients list on a package of Truvia at the grocery store the other day. The first ingredient listed was Erythritol, but I have not seen that mentioned in the news anywhere. Is it a non-issue?
Anonymous
I also would like the answer. I heard Splenda can turn to formaldahyde in the body. My daughter is highly allergic to formaldahyde so need a sweetener for her.
Mr. Jorma Takala
Splenda should be avoided regardless of any risk that it may turn into formaldahyde.
It is very simply...
Bad Stuff!
Early reports suggested that it was invented by mistake, While some Chemists were attempting to make an insecticide.
That pretty much means it's not far from being an insecticide.
The artificial sweetener used in Diet Coke and Pepsi, was discovered when those products were shipped to and were left sitting in the hot Saudi sun, Our military personel that drank those beverages suffered from formaldahyde poisoning because at around 85 degrees Aspartame turns into formaldahyde.
The Food and Drug Administration’s Final Ruling on Sucralose(Splenda), correctly identifies it as a chlorine compound.
Also I would not recommend these for human consumption.
All artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes should avoided.
With the combination of the enzyme inactivating affects of petroleum based coal tar derived food, drug and cosmetic colorings, (aka Azo dyes) Meaning that they inactivate the effectiveness, or ability of Insulin(produced by the pancreas) to break down the sugars we consume and the high quantities, or percentages of **Glucose found in High Fructose Corn Syrup.
They appear to be the primary and leading cause of the diabetes epidemic in America today!
**The most common types of high-fructose corn syrup are: HFCS 90 (mostly for making HFCS 55), approximately 90% fructose and 10% glucose; HFCS 55 (mostly used in soft drinks), approximately 55% fructose and 45% glucose; and HFCS 42 (used in most foods and baked goods), approximately 42% fructose and 58% glucose.[3]
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