Stevia use is trending down, Monk Fruit on the rise

×
Author photo

The Pure TheraPro Team

The Pure TheraPro Education Team is comprised of researchers from diverse backgrounds including nutrition, functional medicine, fitness, supplement formulation & food science. All articles have been reviewed for content, accuracy, and compliance by a holistic integrative nutritionist certified by an accredited institution.
Published
Last updated for accuracy

Pure TheraPro Rx is one of the first supplement companies to completely eliminate all stevia/sugar based sweeteners from our formulas.

Why?

When a sweetener is necessary (typically protein or other powders), we’ve chosen to replace Stevia with Monk Fruit. Other supplement companies are catching on and following our lead which is welcome to an industry filled with problematic ingredients. The reasons we made this change are all in the name of wellness and transparency. You should know why each ingredient is used in a supplement. This is one of our core values. Now on to the sweet stuff. Let’s first define these sweeteners…

What is Stevia?

Commercially available stevia sweeteners are made by processing of the stevia plant, an herb from the Asteraceae family.

stevia

According to the Cleveland Clinic, Stevia is 200 to 300 times sweeter than sugar. Surprisingly, the FDA hasn’t approved whole leaf or crude stevia extracts as a food additive. Despite being used for centuries as a natural sweetener, the FDA considers them not “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS).

The FDA claims that the available literature indicates stevia in its most natural form may negatively affect blood sugar. Stevia has been known to cause side effects such as bloating, nausea, and gas. It may also affect reproductive, renal, and cardiovascular systems. These are just some of the multitude of reasons Pure Therapeutics chose to eliminate its use in all our formulations - we simply do not trust this sweetener.

What is Monk Fruit?

Somewhat resembling a melon, Monk fruit (also known as lo han guo) is a small, green-color gourd grown on a vine in Southeast Asia. It’s believed that the fruit was first utilized by Buddhist monks in the 13th century, hence the fruit’s name.

Monk fruit contains compounds that, when extracted, are natural sweeteners 300–400 times the sweetness of cane sugar but with no calories and no effect on blood sugar. Along with its sweetening capability, monk fruit has long been regarded as the “longevity fruit” thanks to its high antioxidant levels. These antioxidants - mogrosides (see 2009 study), are metabolized differently by the body than natural sugars. In the United States, sweeteners made from monk fruit are classified by the FDA as “generally recognized as safe,” (GRAS) and highly beneficial.

monk_vine_dried

 

What are some of the benefits of monk fruit?

  1. Sweeteners utilizing monk fruit do not impact blood sugar levels.
  2. With zero calories, monk fruit sweeteners do not add to to weight gain.
  3. Unlike Stevia and other artificial sweeteners, there’s no evidence showing monk fruit has negative side effects.
  4. They’re available in liquid, granule, and powder forms.
  5. Acts as an Anti-Inflammatory and Coolant - Ancient Chinese usage of this fruit included drinking tea made from the boiled fruit to cool the body from external and internal sources and ailments from fever to heat stroke or soothe a sore throat. This method worked because of monk fruit’s anti-inflammatory abilities.
  6. A 2013 study concluded mogrosides may help reduce oxidative stress. Oxidative stress may lead to disease. Although it’s unclear how specific monk fruit sweeteners come into play, the study shows monk fruit’s potential.

As you can see, the benefits of Monk Fruit far out weigh any benefit we’ve seen from other sweeteners. We believe unlike other sweeteners and trends (i.e. agave, stevia, xylitol, aspartame, sucralose) Monk Fruit is superior and here to stay. We are now utilizing Monk Fruit in the following products:

Our Leaky Gut Defense includes specialized ingredients for improved gastrointestinal support. Included is concentrated extract of licorice that has been processed to remove glycyrrhizin (reducing risk of side effects accompanying licorice). Utilized by thousands of satisfied customers worldwide. 

 

Our Just Relax contains a blend of ingredients that support the body’s natural synthesis of catecholamines, the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, hormonal balance, and healthy glucose metabolism. As a convenient drink mix, Just Relax is formulated to provide a peaceful, calm and relaxed state of body and mind. Available in Citrus or Cherry flavor.

 

Our Intesticleanse is a vegan-friendly detoxifying meal replacement from non-GMO pea protein available in rich vanilla or chocolate flavors. Sweetened only with monk-fruit extract, this low-allergy dietary supplement is formulated to optimize gastrointestinal (GI) function and detoxification.

All of our products are third party laboratory tested post-production for heavy metals and other contaminants. We are also cGMP Certified (Current Good Manufacturing Process) with strict FDA compliance. These are a few of the measures Pure TheraPro Rx uses to ensure the consistent quality and potency of our formulas. In addition, our production facility and formulas have physician and scientist oversight. We are meticulous to ensure our supplements are free of all common allergens. In other words, what is on the label must be in the bottle - no fillers, no excipients, no junk. 

All products are made in the USA; no raw materials are from China. Unlike most other supplement companies, the ingredients that go into our supplements are not selected based on cost. Instead, they are selected based on purity (to ensure contaminants such as microbes and heavy metals comply with regulatory GMP requirements), potency, and chosen based on successful scientific research. Patented ingredients are utilized when appropriate.

PURITY IS OUR PRIORITY!