A Sampling of Stevia Products
Some are sold as supplements, some as sweeteners
There are a slew of new stevia products on the market, and you can expect even more now that Coca-Cola and Cargill have gotten behind the herb. It's good to try more than one brand: As with coffee blends, the taste of different products can vary considerably. Many companies mix other natural sweeteners, such as the sugar alcohol erythritol or the carbohydrate maltodextrin, into stevia products to mask a slightly bitter aftertaste or add bulk.
Stevia-based sweeteners don't break down in high temperatures as some artificial sweeteners do, so they can be used in baking, says James Kirkland, the author of Sugar-Free Cooking With Stevia. But they don't caramelize the way sugar does, which means you may have to experiment a bit to get good results with some of your favorite recipes.
Here's an overview of some of the products already on the market:
| Product Name | Company | Marketed As | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| SweetLeaf | Wisdom Natural Brands | A sweetener | $6.99/box of 50 packets |
| Truvia | Coca-Cola/Cargill | A sweetener | $3.99/box of 40 packets |
| Simply Stevia | Stevita Stevia Co. | A dietary supplement | $9.95/box of 100 packets |
| Only Sweet | Sunwin Stevia International | A dietary supplement | $8.59/box of 100 packets |
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