Is Agave Nectar Good for You?
one of the maximum not unusual questions i get is which natural sweeteners I advise using. At this factor everybody know that sugar and excessive fructose corn syrup are lousy for us, however almost about the products at the shelves of natural health meals stores, things are a bit much much less clear.
without fail, someone will constantly ask my opinion of agave nectar, it really is a heat topic proper now for two crucial reasons:
1. The alternative sweeteners enterprise netted $1.2 billion in 2010, making agave big industrial agency.
2. there's a debate in natural fitness and scientific circles whether or no longer the health claims by using manufacturers are proper, making agave quite the debate.
Is agave nectar healthful? in case you've been the usage of it, download my guide now for why it may no longer be an terrific sweetener to apply.
To get a higher understanding of why there can be this form of heated debate over the fitness advantages/risks of agave, we can not bargain the importance of #1. inside the spirit of commercialism, i can apprehend why a competitor business enterprise would bash the advertising and advertising and marketing approach that promotes agave nectar as a health meals. however, what about the claims from a growing variety of scientists and natural health specialists?
Can their argument be valid? Is agave nectar terrible?
what's Agave Nectar?
blue agave plant closeup
mainly produced in Mexico, agave (stated ‘uh-GAH-vay’), is a syrup that is made from the Agave tequiliana (tequila) plant. it's miles about 1 half of times sweeter than regular sugar and consists of sort of 60 calories consistent with tablespoon, which is ready 20 power more than the equal quantity of table sugar. notwithstanding being extra dense in power, agave producers are straight away advertising and advertising diabetics because of the fact it's miles supposedly decrease on the glycemic index (a number that represents the impact a particular food has on someone’s blood sugar). however, the ones claims don’t appear to be founded on sound technological expertise. A developing number of resources are calling out an elephant inside the room that, “There’s now not a whole lot of research to lower returned that up, and one of the research modified into finished in lab animals, not people!” (1)
Being a relative new product within the marketplace, limited research has been performed on the fitness benfits and risks of agave. but, as studies surfaces, we’re starting to see the ones varieties of legitimate definitions and outlines from scientific dictionaries, which highlight that agave won't be what it’s cracked as an awful lot as be:
“Agave is not extra healthy than honey, sugar, excessive fructose corn syrup (HFCS), or another kind of sweetener.”
~ A.D.A.M scientific Encyclopedia (2)
In fact, the reality approximately agave nectar has come full circle and now some of health specialists are honestly condemning it.
an terrific instance is how Dr. ounceshas officially modified his professional stance at the sweetenter.
“at some stage in the previous few months, I’ve turn out to be an increasing number of involved approximately a sweetener that I’ve endorsed on my display inside the beyond. After careful attention of the to be had research, in recent times I’m asking you to eliminate agave from your kitchen and your diet.” (3)
analyzing this could surprise you due to the fact you’ve probably heard that agave is a “herbal” health meals. it is clearly synthetic the usage of a relatively processed way that essentially strips the manifestly taking area agave juice (called piña) of all dietary cost. Shockingly, the stop product incorporates extra fructose than HFCS, which makes it particularly risky to consume!
AGAVE NECTAR nutrients facts
The truth remains that there’s a excellent deal more to the story than the so-known as “low glycemic load.”
because it stands, one ounce (28 grams) of agave contains a glycemic index of approximately thirteen, 20 grams of sugar, and 1 gram of fiber. (four) unluckily, in terms of agave nectar nutrients, this is about it!
research on excessive Fructose & Sugar Diets
whenever you eat excess sugar your white blood cells’ capacity to preserve off ailment is truly dampened for severa hours. (5) This does extra than you might imagine and, while you look at the studies, the dangers of sugar are quite lovely. consistent with Nancy Appleton, PhD, there are 141 strategies that sugar destroys your fitness. (6, 7, eight, 9)
ArthritisDifferent styles of sugar
maximum cancers
Candida
continual fatigue
Dental includes
Depleted metabolism
Gallstones
Hormone imbalance and adrenal fatigue
Osteopenia/osteoporosis
pores and skin situations like pimples and eczema
stomach ulcers
type 2 diabetes
even as someone learns how sugar can motive most cancers, the hazard of this tasty morsel usually hits domestic. within the words of the yankee Anti-cancer Institute,
while we consume sugar, we are concurrently shutting off our defenses whilst pouring gasoline at the fireplace this is most cancers. at the same time as we keep in mind that “50 to 70% of our basic immune gadget cells can not see most cancers … even on our best day,” the notion of along with it to our diet seems even greater blasphemous. (10)
Gmo on Corn CobThe equal with high fructose corn syrup.
artificial through and big from genetically modified corn, HFCS is anything but herbal and a few aspect but healthy. The primary factor in maximum sodas, baked objects and many canned merchandise HFCS is processed through enzymatically converting glucose into fructose. it's far notably cheaper to manufacture, which makes it extraordinarily appropriate as a sweetener for most meals agencies. it's also specifically risky for human consumption. that is just a sample of the numerous motives why excessive fructose corn syrup have to be banned from our food deliver:
HFCS consists of as a lot as 570 micrograms of mercury in keeping with gram. (eleven)
HFCS will increase your danger of developing immoderate blood strain, kind II diabetes & coronary coronary heart disease. (1, 1)
HFCS is a wonderful issue inside the weight issues epidemic that is inflicting type II diabetes and maximum cancers to skyrocket. (1)
HFCS can cause leaky gut syndrome. (12)
HFCS is one of the predominant motives why so many people have most cancers nowadays. (thirteen, 14)
And the listing goes on…
individuals devour a median of fifty grams of HFCS each day and the yankee nutrients affiliation has stated that, (eleven)
Sugar additives label dietary information
“in keeping with the american coronary heart affiliation (AHA), the common person in the america of the us takes in 22 teaspoons of delivered sugar a day, or a whopping one hundred and fifty kilos a year, while teenagers pile in 34 teaspoons an afternoon. That’s extra than two times the amount of sugar we ought to be consuming.” (15)
And if this weren’t sufficient, the actual threat is that sugar and high fructose corn syrup are certainly anywhere and completely impossible to keep away from if your weight loss program consists of processed, rapid meals!
AGAVE NECTAR vs. Sugar & excessive Fructose Corn Syrup?
Agave green leaves plantIn the phrases of Dr. Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S., “Agave syrup (nectar) is largely excessive-fructose corn syrup masquerading as a fitness food.” (sixteen)
In its precise, herbal form extracts from the agave plant incorporate sturdy antioxidant and anti-inflammatory residences. but, none of those useful elements are gift within the agave that we see in the shops. this is why maximum natural health specialists agree that agave nectar isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be:
It has a low-glycemic index because it’s in large part manufactured from fructose, the single most unfavorable form of sugar.
It has the highest fructose content material of any industrial sweetener available available on the market.
as compared to the 1:1 fructose/glucose ratio of sugar and excessive fructose corn syrup, agave nearly has a whopping 2:1 ratio.
in keeping with Dr. Bowden,
“research indicates that it’s the fructose a part of sweeteners that’s the maximum dangerous. Fructose motives insulin resistance and appreciably will increase triglycerides (a hazard problem for coronary heart ailment). It additionally increases fats across the middle which in flip places you at extra chance for diabetes, heart sickness and metabolic, syndrome (AKA pre-diabetes).” (16)
AGAVE NECTAR Substitutes
although better than white sugar, higher options do exist and that i don’t recommend the use of agave nectar at all. if you presently use agave or want to use a recipe that calls for it as a number one component, I recommend the use of these 3 tasty, healthful agave nectar substitutes:
jar of uncooked honey
Honey
i am getting asked masses, which do I determine on agave vs. honey, and my answer is constantly raw honey! It consists of a glycemic load of 14, 23 grams of sugar, 0 grams of fiber and a honest quantity of sodium, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc and selenium. (17) it's miles advanced to agave in most each manner, and that i determine upon Manuka honey due to the fact its fitness benefits a long way surpass something else on the market
stevia dried leaves
Stevia
There are nearly four hundred peer-reviewed clinical research comparing the effectiveness of stevia to help treat the whole lot from cancer to excessive blood strain. (18) one of my private favorites, stevia is safe for diabetics as it has zero calories and a glycemic load of 0. If minimally processed, this herb is a great agave nectar alternative. but be careful! not all stevia merchandise on the market are created equal. There can be top or awful stevia aspect outcomes relying on the deliver of the stevia which you use!
bowl of Dried Dates
Dates
Dates are scrumptious as a natural sweetener in food recipes. you could puree it for brought smoothie sweetness, or add it to chocolate mousse. And due to the fact dates are rich in fiber, and incorporate several nutrients and minerals, they upload lots of vitamins, now not really flavor. (18)
you can placed them within the meals processor to make a tasty, sweet paste; soak them in the coconut oil for a few days to make a nice syrup or just devour without delay out of the sphere. like all chewy sugary address, don’t consume an excessive amount of or it can despite the fact that contribute to tooth decay
Comments
Post a Comment