IS TRUVIA PALEO?
If there’s one thing we learn on the Paleo diet, it’s that nothing is what it seems. When it comes to packaged food, the only label you can trust is the Ingredients label, and when it comes to Truvia, the “all-natural” stevia-based sweetener, the ingredients label tells a much different story. Is Truvia Paleo?
What is Truvia?
Truvia is a brand of sugar-free sweetener made from stevia, erythritol, and “natural flavors.” It was developed by big names in the food industry, Coca-Cola and Cargill, as a daily calorie-free sugar substitute. Truvia is made up of stevia leaf extract, and a sugar alcohol called erythritol. Erythritol by itself is found naturally in many fruits, but in very small quantities. For this reason, it must be harvested in a laboratory. Corn is processed into starch, then the starch is fermented with yeast to create glucose, then the glucose is fermented with sucrose to produce the sugar alcohol erythritol.
Last year, a class action lawsuit was filed against Truvia for misleading consumers by calling their product “all-natural.” In fact, Truvia uses ingredients that are highly processed and/or derived from genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Additionally, a recent study just found that Truvia, or more specifically the erythritol, is toxic to fruit flies, killing them off in 5-6 days.
Is Truvia Paleo?
No, definitely not. While both pure stevia extract and naturally derived erythritol are technically Paleo, their processed forms are decidedly not Paleo. Plus, Truvia’s erythritol is likely derived from GMO corn, and the ingredient, “natural flavors,” is always a dead giveaway that something isn’t Paleo. If it’s so natural, why not list it on the box?
Related Articles:
- Is Truvia Healthy? (foodrenegade.com)
- The Truth on Truvia (marksdailyapple.com)
- Paleo Sweeteners (janeshealthykitchen.com)
Image Source: Truvia
