A lot of us are cleaning up our diets, so what are we supposed to do when something needs to be sweetened? Out of all the choices out there we try and go the most natural route, right? Let’s see we can use honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar to name a few. Today we are going to focus on agave nectar. Agave nectar is marketed as “diabetic friendly”, a “low glycemic natural sweetener”, or “raw”. From the sound of this it seems like a smart choice. Not so fast.
Agave nectar is not all that it appears to be. The name leads us to believe that it is a naturally occurring sweetener, which has very little to no negative side effects. It turns out that agave nectar as some might call it “liquid death” is anything but good for you. The reason agave nectar scores so low on the glycemic index is that it only contains 10% glucose. What compromises the other 90%? Fructose. Well, as it turns out, too much fructose isn’t good for you either. Even though fructose does not cause the kind of immediate insulin response that glucose does, too much over time can lead to all the same old problems associated with a high carb diet, like insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and high triglycerides. Not only that but it may make you fat. Fructose is an isomer of glucose, meaning that both have the same chemical formulas but different molecular arrangements. Because of their different molecular arrangements, fructose is not digested in the same fashion as glucose. This is problematic because fructose tends to promote a process known as lipogenesis (lipo- meaning “fat” and -genesis meaning “creation of”), in other words fructose consumption results in your body manufacturing fatty acids from carbohydrates. Far from ideal when looking good in a swimsuit is your goal.
Furthermore, the process by which agave nectar and high fructose corn syrup is made is very similar. Agave nectar is produced from the starch of the agave (not from boiling the sap or juice of the plant as the Aztecs would have) just as high fructose corn syrup is manufactured from the starch of the corn.
If you want something sweet, eat a piece of fruit, not a candy bar labeled as a “health food.” If you want to create something sweet, use sweeteners that are known to be safer. For example, you could use raw honey, 100% maple syrup, dates, fresh fruit juices, or coconut sugar in moderation.
However, to be healthy, we cannot eat sugar all day, no matter how natural the form. When considering a sweet treat, choose wisely. Just because something may be “Paleo” or natural doesn’t give us the green light to eat it without moderation.
This brings about the desire to boycott agave nectar just to punish the industry for its deceptive marketing tactics.
Weekly Recipe
Fudge Babies
1 1/3 cup Dates-pitted
1 cup Walnuts
4 Tbs Cocoa Powder
1 tsp Vanilla
Dump into a food processor, hit the big button that says ON. Process the food…roll with fingers into little “balls” also known as Fudge Babies…chill and serve.
