For years and years I've been using Kal brand stevia.

I tried many different brands of Stevia. Some have a peculiar aftertaste, and Kal brand doesn't.

I also liked the ingredients "Stevia extract. No additional ingredients." I don't buy Truvia or Sweet Leaf or anything that has additional ingredients in it. Why should I? All I want is pure stevia extract.

So today I look at the jar Kal brand stevia as I sweeten my tea, and out of the corner of my eye, I see the word maltodextrin. WHAT? Maltodextrin? Isn't that a sugar or a starch? It is a Polysaccharide which is defined as: Any of a class of carbohydrates, such as starch and cellulose, consisting of a number of monosaccharides joined by glycosidic bonds. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/polysaccharide

When did this start? Why didn't they tell me they changed the ingredients? (Put "New and improved" or something on the label). I feel I've been had.

Upon further investigation I find: Maltodextrin comes from treated grain starch, primarily corn or rice starch. It can also come from wheat and potatoes, but is less common in the U.S. Hydrolyze this starch by adding some enzymes and acids, filter and purify it some more and you get either Maltodextrin, or Corn Syrup Solids. The difference is that Maltodextrin is hydrolyzed to have less than 20% sugar content, whereas Corn Syrup Solids have more than 20%. It gives fat-like body to food products, increases their shelf life, and mixes quite well with other ingredients. It's also cheap to make and produce. Though not a sugar, it still has a glycemic index of 130 by itself (table sugar is only 65). http://fitnessfortravel.com/is-malt...in-bad-for-you/

Aren't I buying Stevia to get away from high glycemic foods?

And most of the corn in the USA is made from GMO corn. GMO corn has:

1. An insecticide gene spliced into the corn genome. This causes the insect's gut to perforate when it eats the corn, killing the insect. Is it coincidence that after GMO corn was introduced to the USA the number of human leaky gut syndrome cases skyrocketed through the roof?
2. GMO corn is engineered ti withstand massive doses of Round-up (a known carcinogen). The weeds have evolved to become resistant to Round-up, so mega-tons of round up is applied to the plants. Some of that carcinogenic Round-up is absorbed into the corn, and more rides along on top of it so that when you eat GMO corn, you are also getting a dose of a strong carcinogen.

As of today, I will no longer recommend Kal brand stevia.

So that leaves me with the question.

Does anybody know of a pure stevia extract (no additional ingredients is important) that doesn't have the nasty aftertaste that some inferior stevia products have?

Thanks.
Bob

PS, if you are a Kal user, please go to Kal http://www.nutraceutical.com/contact-us/ and tell them you aren't going to buy their Stevia unless they get the maltodextrin out of it.

http://www1.netrition.com/now_stevi...e.html#NUTFACTS

You can find it on Amazon in multipacks for less money.

I bought some of this yesterday...

Sweetleaf SteviaClear Liquid Stevia

I found it at a local grocery store for about $10. I have not tried it yet, so I can't say anything about the taste. But it appears to be the basic ingredient list you are interested in.

Im pretty sure I saw some at Trader Joe's if you have one near you. I believe it was 9.99 or something. Im not partial to Stevia or I would try their brand in a heartbeat.

Trader Joe's packets also switched to Rice Maltodextrin…I could swear they use to use Inulin. But I checked yesterday, nope.

The Stevia extract however is De-Ionized Water, Organic Stevia extract, and 11% Organic Alcohol. Since I only use 3 drops in a large coffee, I'm OK with a little alcohol It's either 5.99 or 6.99 (don't buy it often!) about $3 less than the SweetLeaf at other stores. Whole Foods also has some extracts.

Thanks,

A search found this:
http://store.trimhealthymama.com/pr...5-455175149.htm

And when I e-mailed the company I got this response:

Hi Bob,

No, there are no other ingredients.

C. Barrett Support & Customer Service

The 100% organic is a plus.


I may try it when the Kal runs out. It's a sad day for me, as I've been using Kal for years. I don't know how long the maltodextrin has been added, I wrote to Kal but they haven't responded yet. Well if I like the replacement I end up with even better, it will turn into a better day.

I prefer powder to liquid, as there doesn't need to be a glycerin or other carrier. I'll keep looking for other options too.

All suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks again,
Bob

All this talk about stevia, I broke away from my Trader Joe's comfort zone and ventured a whole mile away to Whole Foods. Thought I would finally buy one of their flavored extracts, then spent some time reading every sweetener package. There with NEW on the box is Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Stevia made with Organic Agave Inulin and Silica. Since Dr. Davis said Inulin is good for gut health, I bought a box for us to try. All the others, like their own brand, had the same rice maltodextrin as TJ, or some kind of dextrin added as the bulking agent.

Unfortunately I have neither a Whole Foods nor a Trader Joe's in either my county or that adjacent 3 counties. So it's Internet ordering for me.

We do have a small chain, Nutrition Smart but what they carry is both limited and a little high priced.

I know the amount of maltodextrin in the stevia is going to be miniscule, but to add it to a product that never had it before to me is cheating.

Bob