A New, Safer Calorie-Free Sweetener?

For many of us, artificial sweeteners are the only things that make a low calorie lifestyle bearable. From soda, to yogurt, to snack bars and sweets, artificial sweeteners give us our sugar fix without all the calories. But who doesn't feel a twinge of unease ingesting all those chemicals?

Now another, more natural option may be on the horizon. Stevia, a sweetener that has been used for hundreds of years in South America and has become increasingly popular in Asia, is finally becoming readily available in the U.S. The all-natural sweetener is derived from a plant native to South America and contains no calories, no carbohydrates and has no glycemic index.

In June, Coca Cola announced it would sell a Stevia based sweetener, Truvia, much like Splenda and other artificial sweeteners, in individual packets. It is currently sold at the New York based supermarket chain D'Agostino and will soon be available at grocery stores nationwide. Until it comes to your town, you can buy a box of 40 packets for $3.99 online at Truvia.com. In partnership with Cargill Inc., an agricultural business giant, Coca Cola plans to release a Truvia sweetened soda by the end of this year and to include the sweetener in cereals, yogurt, and snack bars starting in early 2009.

Not to be outdone, PepsiCo announced in late July that it would release a drink under its Sobe label using PureVia, its own version of a Stevia sweetener, in the coming weeks. The drink will be available first in Latin America, and then rolled out stateside shortly thereafter. Dr. Pepper/Snapple is also working on developing Stevia sweetened drinks.

In the meantime if you're craving an all natural, guilt free drink try a Stevia sweetened soda like Zevia, which comes in cola, orange, root beer and lemon-lime twist. A case of 24 costs about $24 and is available at local grocery stores or online at www.zevia.com.

Then be on the lookout! Because Stevia is coming to you soon in many different forms-in all of its sugar-free, calorie-free, guilt-free glory.

For more info on how to spend less, get more and sweeten your life keep exploring all the info, updates, deals and coupons on RedPlum!

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