I bought a box of Truvia the other day, because lots of my dietitian friends have been telling me how it's delicious and natural; probably one of the best calorie free sweeteners for several different reasons. I've been using it here and there in my coffee or tea, and it's really delicious.
I decided to do some research to look into why Truvia is natural & calorie free, and here's what I found:
Truvia contains Stevia + erythritol + natural flavors.
Stevia is a leaf that was originally grown in Paraguay & used for hundreds of years as a sweetener, and now is grown all over Asia & South America. The leaf is harvested & dried at a certain time of the year, and then the leaves are steeped into water (similar to making tea)
Erythritol is a sugar alcohol which occurs naturally in some fruits, and is considered a "food additive" in the US. If you look at the Truvia nutrition label, you'll see it provides 3 g of carbs per packet, so if the carbs were from regular sugar, each packet would contain 12 calories. But since erythritol crystals are not digested/metabolized in the body, they provide 0 calories.
Natural Flavors, I'm not sure what kind.
Well, it bothers me that they don't list the natural flavors, but I still feel better about this sweetener than several others on the market.
Also, here's some recipes:
Very Berry Oatmeal Bars
Yield: 24 servings (1 bar per serving)
Ingredients:
Topping
-2 cups oats
-2 cups all-purpose whole wheat flour
-1 tsp cinnamon
-3/4 cup softened unsalted butter
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 tsp vanilla extract
Filling
-4 cups raspberries (fresh or frozen) OR, mix it up and try strawberries or blackberries instead
-1/3 cup Truvia baking blend
-1/3 cup Truvia (Baking Blend)
-2 tsp. lemon juice
-1/3 cup corn starch
Directions:
1. Assemble all ingredients & preheat oven to 325 F
2. Place oats, flour, cinnamon, butter, salt, vanilla and Truvia Baking Blend in mixing bowl; mix on medium speed for 2 minutes
3. Scrape sides of bowl; mix on medium speed for 2 minutes
4.Portion 2/3 of oat mix into a greased 13" x 9" baking pan; set aside remaining 1/3 of mixture for topping.
5. Press oat mixture into bottom of pan to form crust.
6. For filling: blend raspberries (or other berries) Truvia, lemon juice & corn starch. Spread over pressed oat mixture.
7.For topping: add remaining oatmeal mixture
8. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown
Nutrition Info:
Calories: 150
Fat: 6 g
Sat. Fat: 3.5 g
Total Carbohydrate: 22 g (1.5 CHO servings for diabetic exchange list)
Fiber: 2 g
Protein: 3 g
Perfect for Summer: Strawberry Freezer Jam
Yield: 38 servings (1 Tbs. per serving)
Ingredients:
-2 cups crushed strawberries, or try raspberries
-2/3 cup Truvia (spoonable or 36 packets)
-1/2 packet (25g) pectin for no-sugar-needed recipes
-1/2 cup water
Directions:
1. Wash & rinse plastic containers with tight-fitting lids
2. Wash and hull strawberries. Crush 1 cup of berries at a time, leaving some bits of fruit (which is why you don't to puree it)
3. Measure 2 cups of crushed fruit & place in a large bowl
4. Blend Truvia and pectin in a large saucepan
5. Stir in water and bring Truvia, pectin and water mixture to a boil on medium high heat, stirring constantly. Boil & stir for 1 minute, then remove from heat
6. Add fruit into hot pectin mixture and stir for 1 minute until thoroughly mixed
7. Pour jam into prepared containers, leaving 1/2 inch of space at the top (to allow for expansion during freezing) & cover
8. Let stand at room temperature for 2 hours until set
9. Store jam in freezer for up to a year, Thaw each jar in the refrigerator before using (you can store it in the fridge for up to 3 weeks)
Nutrition Info:
Calories: 5
Fat: 0 g
Sat. Fat: 0 g
Total Carbohydrate: 3 g
Dietary Fiber: 0 g
Protein: 0 g
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