Sugar sugar

I am a big fan of sugar. I consider those little white granules a separate food group of their own. It’s not so much that I add sugar to my meals, but more that I love candy, sweets, cookies, chocolate, cakes, etc.
I bake chocolate chip cookies often – at least once a month. My recipe includes one half cup of sugar and one half cup of brown sugar. Those are some tasty cookies too, especially when plucked fresh from the oven.
Because I eat so many sweets, I have to watch my sugar intake elsewhere. It’s kind of a trade off situation. So if I eat 4 chocolate chip cookies in the afternoon, I will then give up putting sticky, sweet BBQ sauce on my chicken sandwich for dinner.
Given the nature of my sugar habit, it is quite funny that I even use sugar substitutes for various meals that may require sugar. At this point, why even bother? But I do bother. Particularly for my morning grapefruit.

I have been using Splenda for the past few years as my go-to sugar substitute. It’s calorie free, well known and respected, and relatively inexpensive. It has proven trustworthy over the years.

I recently read that Splenda was no longer “good for me.” But because we eventually find out that nothing we eat or do is ever good for us, I tried to ignore that nagging little bit of research. Then I saw a commercial for Truvia, the newest all-natural, calorie-free sweetener (which I’m sure one day will no longer be good for us either).

Truvia is made from steeped and purified stevia leaves (a South America plant) and erythritol, “a natural sweetener produced by a natural process, found in grapes and pears.” The commercial shows a dripping wet stevia leaf, just oozing with natural sweetness.

I had to buy it. Though quite expensive at our local Kroger, I purchased a box of 40 packets of Truvia during my most recent grocery trip. Each little packet lasts me at least 3 grapefruit sessions.
The flavor tastes even more natural than Splenda and I like that the individual granules of Truvia don’t really dissolve; they remain just a bit crunchy atop the grapefruit wedges, which provides a delightful combination of textures. I’m sure the product would dissolve if say, poured in a pitcher of hot tea.
So as of yet I’m sold on this sweet little product. Truvia…the sweetener of the future. Or until something better comes along.