As with so many highly processed foods today, the scoop on stevia is not so simple. To begin with, there are primarily two categories of stevia sweetener products: the truly naturals and the claim-to-be-naturals. The claim-to-be naturals include popular brands such as Truvia, Stevia in the Raw, and Pure via.

Truvia’s boast is that it is a “natural sweetener” and lures the consumer with the phrase, “From nature, for sweetness.”[1] Likewise, Stevia in the Raw poses …