So many things say "all natural," but if you read the label some of those so-called natural ingredients are not good for you.
A couple nights ago my sweetie came home saying they had Stevia by the bag like Splenda now, but he didn't buy it yet, because he wanted me to look at it first.
Good thing! The first ingredient on the ingredient list was "Maltodextrin." Here is the definition of Maltodextrin per Wikipedia:
Maltodextrin is a polysaccharide that is used as a food additive. It is produced from starch by partial hydrolysis and is usually found as a creamy-white hygroscopic spraydried powder. Maltodextrin is easily digestible, being absorbed as rapidly as glucose, and might be either moderately sweet or almost flavorless. It is commonly used for the production of sodas and candy. It can also be found as an ingredient in a variety of other processed foods.
And a little more information you need to be aware of:
Maltodextrin can be enzymatically derived from any starch. In the US, this starch is usually corn; in Europe, it is commonly wheat. While wheat-derived maltodextrin may cause concern for individuals suffering from gluten intolerance, maltodextrin is such a highly processed ingredient that the majority of the protein is removed, rendering it effectively gluten free. If wheat is used to make maltodextrin, it will appear on the label. Even so, the maltodextrin itself will be gluten free.[4]
Maltodextrin is a common adjunct to beer brewing to increase the specific gravity of the final beer product.[citation needed] This improves the mouthfeel of the beer and reduces the dryness of the drink. Maltodextrin is not fermented by the yeast and has no flavor.
Maltodextrin is NOT all "natural." And on the back of the "STEVIA IN THE RAW" BAG the FIRST, which means the MOST significant ingredient was, you guessed it, Maltodextrin.
Not only is it not the same thing or all natural, it tastes different!
Although it is made from "all natural" products like potato starch...it certainly is NOT Stevia.
Another web reference says:
You know I have become obsessed with reading labels, and since I keep coming across maltodextrin I decided to find out what it really is.
Maltodextrin is an easily digestible carbohydrate made from rice, corn or potato starch. It's a white powder used in processed foods as a thickener, or a filler since it's fairly inexpensive. Also used in pharmaceuticals as a binding agent, it is also found in sugar substitutes, like Splenda for example.
Maltodextrin is made by cooking down the starch, and then acid and/or enzymes break the starch down even further, kind of like what the body does to digest carbohydrates. It's usually used in such small amounts, so it doesn't have a significant impact in terms amount of protein, fat, carbohydrate, or fiber. Every gram of maltodextrin has 4 calories, which is not really a significant caloric load.Although maltodextrin is processed and it's not the best thing to be consuming, at least now we know that it's made from real food - not some nasty chemicals.
Note the comment about it being "fairly inexpensive." Why do you think it is included in the Stevia product being sold as Stevia? Because Stevia is not cheap. Once again you get what you pay for people!
If health and wellness and the health of your family are important to you, you MUST learn to read the labels for ALL the ingredients. Don't go by the name on the outside of the box, but find out exactly what is inside the box.
By the way, I had gotten some of this product to sample at one point, and it isn't even as sweet as real, pure stevia....thus you will use MORE of it to obtain the sweet taste of stevia.
Stick with the real thing people...stevia, pure stevia is your best option in the war against sugar and obesity.
Here's to YOUR health!
JUST A LITTLE FYI INFORMATION IS PROVIDED BELOW ON OTHER SWEETENERS OUT THERE WHICH ARE "GENERALLY CONSIDERED SAFE" ???
Aspartame:
Aspartame (APM; /ˈæspərteɪm/ or /əˈspɑrteɪm/) is an artificial, non-saccharide sweetener used as a sugar substitute in some foods and beverages. In the European Union, it is codified as E951. Aspartame is a methyl ester of the aspartic acid/phenylalanine dipeptide. It was first sold under the brand name NutraSweet; since 2009 it also has been sold under the brand name AminoSweet. It was first synthesized in 1965 and the patent expired in 1992.
The safety of aspartame has been the subject of several political and medical controversies, congressional hearings and internet hoaxes[3][4][5] since its initial approval for use in food products by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1974. A 2007 medical review on the subject concluded that "the weight of existing scientific evidence indicates that aspartame is safe at current levels of consumption as a non-nutritive sweetener".[6] However, because its breakdown products include phenylalanine, aspartame must be avoided by people with the genetic condition phenylketonuria (PKU).
SPLENDA
Splenda (pronounced /ˈsplɛndə/) is the commercial name and registered trade mark of a sucralose-based artificial sweetener derived from sugar,[1][2] owned by the British company Tate & Lyle. Sucralose was discovered by Tate & Lyle and researchers at Queen Elizabeth College, University of London, in 1976. Tate & Lyle subsequently developed sucralose-based Splenda products in partnership with Johnson & Johnson subsidiary McNeil Nutritionals LLC.[3]
Since its approval by the United States government in 1998[4] and introduction there in 1999, sucralose has overtaken Equal in the $1.5 billion artificial sweetener market, holding a 62% market share.[5] According to market research firm IRI Splenda sold $212 million in 2006 in the U.S. while Equal sold $48.7 million.[6]
In April 2009, the International Trade Commission closed a patent infringement case that will permit Chinese manufacturers to produce copycat versions of Splenda products which will be sold under different brand names.[7][8]
Splenda is available in granular and tablet form.[9]
Health and safety regulation
Splenda usually contains 95% dextrose (D-glucose) and maltodextrin which the body readily metabolizes, combined with a small amount of mostly indigestible sucralose. Sucralose is made by replacing three select hydrogen-oxygen groups on sucrose (table sugar) molecules with three chlorine atoms. The tightly bound chlorine atoms create a molecular structure that is remarkably stable.[15] Sucralose itself is recognized as safe to ingest as a diabetic sugar substitute,[16][17] but some Splenda products may contain sugars or other carbohydrates that should be evaluated individually. Research as of 2003 suggested that the amount of sucralose that can be consumed on a daily basis over a person's lifetime without any adverse effects is 15 mg/kg/day,[18] or about 1 g for a 70 kg (150 lb) person. This was revised downward in 2008 to 9 mg/kg/day, or about 0.6 g.[19]A repeated dose study of sucralose in human subjects concluded that "there is no indication that adverse effects on human health would occur from frequent or long-term exposure to sucralose at the maximum anticipated levels of intake".[20] Conversely, a Duke University study conducted on rats (funded by The Sugar Association[21]) shows that at sucralose consumption levels of 1.1 mg/kg (below the FDA 'safe' level) to 11 mg/kg, throughout a 12-week administration of Splenda exerted numerous adverse effects, including reduction in beneficial fecal microflora, increased fecal pH, and enhanced expression levels of P-gp, CYP3A4, and CYP2D1, which are known to limit the bioavailability of nutrients and orally administered drugs.[22] These effects have not been observed in humans,[20] and the relevance of this animal study to human health is unknown. The study has been the subject of some controversy, with experts disagreeing over the validity of its conclusions.[23] The other ingredients in Splenda, dextrose and maltodextrin, are listed as generally recognized as safe because of their long history of safe consumption.[24][25
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