Difference between Stevia and Truvia

Stevia and Truvia are natural sweeteners. Both are marketed as a substitute to high-calorie sugars and considered healthier sugar substitutes than most of the natural sweeteners available in the market like neotame, aspartame, acesulfame potassium etc. People often ask which is better, Stevia or Truvia? Let us see how they differ from each other!

Stevia:

Stevia is a natural sweetener obtained from the green Stevia plant, which is a native to South America. Stevia leaves are known for their sweetness and medicinal properties and have been used for thousands of years as a sweetener by the people of Latin America and Asia. According to studies, Stevia leaves extract is upto 350 times sweeter than refined sugar. The sweet taste is due to the synergistic effect of various compounds classified as stevioside and rebaudioside.

Stevia Benefits:

• It is truly a natural sugar alternative.
• Its leaves have been used for centuries without any side effects.
• It helps control blood sugar and lower blood pressure.
• It helps improve oral health, and good for skin and bones.
• It is low in calories, i.e. Stevia leaves don't contain calories. So, it is very helpful if you are trying to lose weight.
• It helps dilate blood vessels, increase sodium excretion and urine output and thus suitable for people suffering from heart diseases and hypertension.

Truvia:

Truvia is a natural sweetener which is made from a compound found in the Stevia plant. It was developed by Coca-Cola and Cargill and its constituents include Erythritol, Rebaudioside A (from stevia plant) and Natural flavors. A 3.5 gm serving of Truvia contains 3 grams of erythritol which used to provide bulk and sugar-like crystalline appearance and texture to Truvia. Truvia is mostly used as a sweetener for baked or cooked food and as a tabletop sweetener. It is marketed as a natural sweetener as it contains stevia plant extract.

Truvia Benefits:

• It helps control blood sugar thereby prevents the chances of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
• It activates the taste receptors without being broken down by the body.
• It is low in calories, i.e. it has almost zero calories per serving and thus suitable for people who want to lose weight without avoiding sweetness in the food and beverages.

Based on the above information, some of the key differences between stevia and truvia are as follows: