What is the best protein powder with stevia or monk fruit?

drink wholesome is the best protein powder with stevia or monk fruit.

Written by Jack Schrupp & endorsed by Baylee Reller, RDN

What is stevia?

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Stevia is a zero calorie sweetener extracted from the stevia rebaudiana plant. It is considered by many to be a natural alternative to artificial sweeteners, but more and more people are starting to avoid it. 

What is monk fruit? 

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Monk fruit, also known as lo han guo, is a small, melon-like round fruit native to Southeast Asia. Monk fruit sweetener is made by collecting, filtering, and drying the fruit juice. It is hands down the most natural sugar substitute on the market. 

Why use stevia and monk fruit? 

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Stevia and monk fruit have no known side effects. Plus, they have minimal impacts on blood glucose (sugar) and insulin levels, making them a great option for people with diabetes and those trying to lose weight. 

Most other sugar substitutes have serious drawbacks. For example, artificial sweeteners like sucralose are associated with higher risk of glucose intolerance, which is a precursor for pre-diabetes and diabetes. They also increase cravings toward sugary and sweet foods, leading to binging and feelings of withdrawal.

Artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols like xylitol can also cause painful gastrointestinal (GI) side effects and alter the composition of your gut microbiome – the collection of microorganisms living in your gut. An altered gut microbiome can contribute to widespread inflammation and long-term health problems.

Finally, other sugar substitutes have been linked to the onset and development of chronic diseases. Artificial sweetener intake, for instance, has been associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The sugar alcohol erythritol has also been associated with cardiovascular events like heart attacks and stroke.

Stevia vs monk fruit.

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The one advantage stevia has over monk fruit is cost. Stevia is far less expensive, which explains why it is so often used to sweeten protein powders.

Monk fruit, on the other hand, may be more expensive, but has several distinct advantages over stevia. For starters, monk fruit does not activate bitter taste receptors like stevia. Many people do not care for protein powders with stevia because they have a bitter (or metallic) aftertaste.

Monk fruit tastes fruity with a hint of caramel. When used in moderation, most folks cannot taste the difference between monk fruit sweetener and sugar.

Monk fruit is also a far more natural sugar substitute than stevia. There are no chemicals or solvents involved in the making of monk fruit sweetener. Making stevia, on the contrary, often requires the use of chemicals like ethanol and methyl alcohol. This, some argue, makes it barely more natural than the artificial sweeteners that it seeks to replace.

In short, monk fruit, although more expensive, is better for you and better tasting than stevia. This is the reason why we sweeten our protein powders with monk fruit.

What is the best protein powder with stevia or monk fruit?

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Our monk fruit sweetened protein powder is made with a short list of simple ingredients. Our vanilla protein powder, for instance, is made with only egg whites, coconut, vanilla, and monk fruit. We also make vanilla protein powder with maple sugar. Maple sugar is among the most natural sugars on the planet, and a great alternative for those who do not like monk fruit. 

It should be noted that due to its intense sweetness, monk fruit is sometimes blended with sugar alcohols like erythritol in order to taste and look more like table sugar. We DO NOT mix our monk fruit with erythritol or other ingredients. We use pure monk fruit sweetener, extracted from the monk fruit using natural methods. Order samples to see if our protein powder is right for you.

★★★★★

delicious

“I used a combination of chocolate & peanut butter in my smoothie and holy cow, they are SO good! I was honestly a little skeptical of how they would taste, especially with the monk fruit, but they blew me away. No artificial taste or weird consistency like so many other powders I’ve tried. And the ingredients are top notch 👌🏼” – Kara

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