Stevia and Splenda are popular sweeteners that many people use as sugar alternatives. They offer a sweet taste without providing added calories or affecting your blood sugar levels. Both are sold as stand-alone products and ingredients in many calorie-free, light, stevia sweet liquid with agave diet products. This article examines the difference between stevia and Splenda, including how they’re used and whether one is healthier.
Splenda has been around since 1998 and is the most common sucralose-based, low calorie sweetener. To make Splenda, digestible sweeteners like maltodextrin are added to sucralose. Splenda comes in powdered, granulated, and liquid form and is often offered in packets alongside other artificial sweeteners and regular sugar at restaurants. One alternative to Splenda is stevia, which is a naturally derived, calorie-free sweetener. It comes from the leaves of the stevia plant, which are harvested, dried, and steeped in hot water. The leaves are then processed and sold in powder, liquid, or dried forms.
Stevia is also sold in stevia blends. These are highly processed and made with a refined stevia extract called rebaudioside A. Other sweeteners like maltodextrin and erythritol are added, too. Popular stevia blends include Truvia and Stevia in the Raw. Highly purified stevia extracts contain a lot of glycosides, the compounds that give stevia leaves their sweetness.
Crude stevia extract is unpurified stevia that contains leaf particles. Both come in powdered, liquid, granulated, and dried forms, as well as in sweetener blends. Stevia is a zero-calorie sweetener, but Splenda contains some calories. As such, neither offers much in the way of nutritional value. The same amount of Splenda contains 2 calories, 0. 5 grams of carbs, and 0.
Splenda and stevia are widely used sweeteners that have some considerable differences. Additionally, sweetness is subjective, so you’ll have to experiment to find the amount that satisfies your taste, regardless of which type of sweetener you use. Thus, a smaller amount of Splenda is needed to reach your preferred level of sweetness. It’s also sold in flavors like lemon-lime and root beer, which can be added to carbonated water to make calorie-free sparkling beverages.