Swerve vs Truvia – detailed comparison:
Swerve
It is a natural sweetener that is made from ingredients found in starchy root vegetables and some fruits. It contains no preservatives, artificial ingredients, or flavors and is also certified as being GMO-free.
Ingredients
This sweetener contains:
Silicon dioxide – it is used in foods to prevent clumping or caking and is the most abundant mineral in the Earth’s crust.
Resistant maltodextrin – it is a low viscosity, water-soluble, indigestible carbohydrate that is produced by treating cornstarch with enzymes, acid, and heat.
Oligofructose – it is a type of carbohydrate known as a fructan which is typically produced from Jerusalem artichokes.
Erythritol – it is a sugar alcohol that is absorbed into the bloodstream before it enters the large intestine. In comparison to sugar, it is said to be 60 to 70 percent as sweet and has a similar taste profile. Because it is absorbed in the small intestine and then eliminated by the body, it is never metabolized and can’t increase your caloric intake.
Uses
This sweetener works well in most baked goods. It is used a cup for a cup of sugar. Also, it does not always dissolve completely when chilled.
Health Benefits
Oligosaccharides can help modulate gut flora, promote healthy weight maintenance, reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes Mellitus, boost immunity, and lower cardiovascular risk.
Taste
It doesn’t have the bitter aftertaste that you find with other sweeteners.
Side Effects
Diarrhea and headaches are the most common side effects.
Headaches are another common but less studied side effect. Although not highly common, it can cause an allergic skin reaction in some individuals.
The other thing to take into account is that these side effects become more common with increased consumption. Therefore, if you are worried about side effects, the easiest option is to start off slowly with this sweetener.
Truvia
It is an “all-natural” sweetener produced from the stevia plant. It is labeled “natural” due to the fact that the sugar-like substances which compose it are derived from plants.
This sweetener is developed jointly by The Coca-Cola Company and Cargill. Since its launch in 2008, it has risen to become the 2nd most popular sugar substitute in the United States.
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Ingredients
According to the manufacturer, it is a non-caloric sweetener made from a blend of three ingredients, which are:
Natural flavors – it is unclear exactly what this means, but these components are important to bring out the sweetness of rebaudioside A and erythritol. Also, Cargill patented the combination of these natural flavors in 2009, hence, the company is not legally obligated to disclose how they are made and what they are.
Rebaudioside A – it is a sweet compound isolated from the stevia plant. It is known to be 200 times sweeter than regular sugar. The US Food and Drug Administration hasn’t approved whole-leaf stevia for use as food additives due to concerns about possible health effects. For instance, in the 1980s, animal studies linked stevia with adverse effects on reproductive development.
Erythritol – it is a sugar alcohol, which means that although it is sweet, it does not cause tooth damage and bacterial accumulation as it is not metabolized by microorganisms.
Note – erythritol is completely different than ethanol, which is what makes people drunk when they overindulge in beer, wine, or spirits.
Uses
This sweetener is used in a variety of products, like:
- tarts;
- cookies;
- cakes;
- pies;
- sports drinks;
- low-calorie soft drinks;
- yogurts;
- sugar-free mints;
- flavored waters.
Note – it does not get destroyed during cooking since it is heat-stable.
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Health Benefits
No Tooth Decay
Since oral bacteria have no use for the ingredients in this sweetener, it doesn’t ferment the left-over food in the mouth, which may wear down the teeth.
Weight Loss
This sweetener can be a great help for people aiming for weight loss since it has about 0.2 kilocalories per gram.
Taste
It has a very strong vanilla overtone.
Side Effects
In Coca-Cola and Cargill funded studies, this sweetener showed no sign of health problems, like – increased blood sugar and blood pressure.
But, some users experience side effects, especially gastrointestinal discomfort. You may feel bloated and uncomfortable, and your bowel movements may change.
Rarely, some people may experience muscle twitching and cramping, usually in the legs or arms. This tends to happen a few hours after intake of this sweetener.
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Bottom Line – Swerve vs Truvia
This stevia sweetener, which is sold as the brand Truvia sweetener, actually contains compounds like Erythritol, Rebiana, and ”natural flavors.”
Swerve is actually a combination of natural citrus flavor, erythritol, and oligosaccharides, which are carbohydrates made by adding enzymes to starchy root vegetables.
In conclusion, even if both products are advertised as natural, Truvia only contains about 1 percent stevia. Not so ”natural.” On the other hand, swerve looks a bit more natural with fewer side effects.
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References https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0891584915004591 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3198517/