A few weeks ago
saw an odd little canister in a grocery store on the baking aisle. It was called Nevella Monk Fruit . I had never heard of a monk fruit before. So I hit up Wikipedia and and learned that is has been used as a sweetener and for medicinal purposes for centuries in China. The liquid monk fruit to go is zero calories and zero carbs which is great for my low carb paleo diet.Let me share my thoughts on this product.
Taste Test
My first test of this product was the plain test. I tried a drop on my finger. It taste amazingly like normal table sugar with a slight “fruity” after taste. Much better than the horrible aftertaste those not used to diet drinks get. I no longer get the aftertaste with them but can tell it from different artificial sweeteners. For those that want to sweeten without aftertaste or calories this would pass the taste test.
Traditional Use
There are records that date back to the 13th century being used by the luóhàn monks. Traditionally the fruit was dried and sold in herbal shops. Also the drying process has to occur quickly after the fruit matures or it develops off taste. In its medical use it seemed to have many uses. Some of the uses was to extend life span, help respiratory conditions, reduce body temperature, cure headaches and boost the immune system. Modern scientific research into medicinal uses are lacking but monk fruit is high in Vitamin C which would account for the immune boost at least.
My thoughts
I held off on this article until I had a few weeks with the Monk fruit. The first time I used it was in my coffee. I put just a little in to give it a little sweetness. It tasted pretty good. Normally I always drink my coffee black and enjoys the bitterness. Shortly after though I developed a headache. Which I thought could have been something else. I think though now after having it several more times with accompanying headaches most of them I must be the Monk Fruit. I tried some more on my finger today for this article and am now as writing getting a headache. I find this pretty odd since traditional it has been used to treat headaches. Maybe it is I’m using too much or just random. So as a warning it may give you a headache. I tried to find other cases but I seem to be the only one. At the price of around $2 it might be worth a try. For the occasional sweetness I might keep it around till I use it all. I’ll say this is not the magic sweetener bullet but maybe worth a try.
Have you tried Monk Fruit? What did you think? Did you get a headache? Let me know in the comments!
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You don’t mention how this stuff compares to stevia. I’d be curious to hear about that parallel.
I’ve seen these as well. I’ve briefly toyed with the idea of trying it, but I use agave syrup and am quite happy with it. I might try this one day though. I am always leery of alternative sweeteners though.
Ooh speaking of coffee, have you ever heard of RoBarr? It’s a company that sells a coffee alternative. It is ground roasted barley that you use in a coffee maker just like normal ground coffee. I tried some last week and it is surprisingly good. No caffeine, and it comes in bold and mild forms like coffee. I dunno if barley goes along with your “carbs are bad” diet, but thought I’d mention it in case you want to look into it :p
I’m sure the roasted barley would contain gluten, which is bad. I’ve heard of roasted dandelion root as a coffee alternative. Also a few species of holly Bush actually contain caffeine.
I bought Monk to Go a month ago. I used to use a granulated type sugar made from monk fruit. The granulated type was great.
This liquid kind is HORRIBLE!!! I put approx. 1/2 teaspoon in a large, cold chai the first time. Woke up the next day barelyable to get out of bed- major headache. Suspected the Monk to Go, but blew it off. 1 week later had same amount in hot chai tea with same result. I’m talking the kind of extreme headache that makes you vomit. I felt positive it was the Monk to Go.
But wanting to be absolutely positive, I waited 2 1/2 weeks,tried a smidgeon- not even a 1/4 teaspoon, woke up with another headache from hell!!! This stuff is poison. I actually signed on looking for class action lawsuits against this company. My head hurts THAT bad. I’m concerned for all of the people that don’t realize what is making them sick. I feel certain they are using an alcohol extraction method- TOXIC!!!
That’s my rant.
I’ve never been one to have headaches. On first use I am having a headache with waves similar to blood pressure being off. No after taste. Really want to break my Splenda habit. Not crazy about Stev ia or Agave. Can’t I agine Continuing with anything that might affect my BP.
DH bought a box of chocolate coconut milk for me at the store. I thought it tasted off and started going through the ingredients since it wasn’t my normal brand and figured it was the monk fruit. I haven’t tried it straight, but it had a very off almost artificial fruit taste to it and the only other sweetener listed was plain sugar. I also got a headache every time I drank some, and felt like I was getting sick. I tried it several different times, and every time I got the same reaction. Maybe it doesn’t bother everyone, but it definitely affects me and I’m usually not sensitive to things like that. I’ve never had a “food” give me a headache.
I love monk fruit sweetener I just do NOT like the artificial cancerous preservatives found in the liquid form. I have contacted them about this and have warned all my FB friends. I love the powdered form though!
I tried the powdered monk fruit a couple weeks ago and it made need extremely nauseous and gave me a horrible headache too
Stopped artificial sweeteners a few years ago but missed the diet pop intake that kept me from snacking too much. Tried Zevia cola and cherry cola flavors and liked those, but seem to get terrible head/neck aches every time I drink the lemon-lime kind. Turns out it, of the three, has monk fruit extract. Maybe just some of us are sensitive to it, but I can’t deny the connection as I lie here in pain and wondering if either aspirin or vomiting would help.
I have just tried this Monk Fruit. I have not encountered a headache yet. i will keep u posted:)
so far it is good alternative for me.
I too get a headache from it. What the heck. I will stick with coconut sugar or none.
I’m a big fan now of liquid stevia. But i only use it for coffee
I too got a headache that worsened with repeated use. Sadly, because it tasted good. Nothing is worth this pain!
I too got a headache, and I was wondering what tasted different in my pineapples. I get a headache from any artificial sweeteners , so this doesn’t surprise me. I looked on package, Monk Fruit concentrate. Gross stuff. (My hubby didn’t look at the package wen he bought it) 🙁
I get horrible head aches from it. I get head aches from stevia too.