Tag: healthy sweeteners

Agave-A Healthy Sweetener or Fat Fuel?

Is Agave the New “Healthy” Sweetener?

Agave syrup has been advertised as a new “healthy” sweetener that is low glycemic, good for weight loss, and better for you than either regular sugar (sucrose) or high fructose corn syrup.

And sales of agave syrup have skyrocketed in the last few years.

But is it really that much healthier? No, not so much.

What is agave?

Agave is an exotic plant that is a member of the yucca family that grows in the tropical heat of Mexico. It has been used for thousands of years by the Mayans in herbal remedies to help with indigestion, bowel irregularity, and skin wounds. Fermented agave juice is the familiar alcoholic beverage, tequila.

The agave industry would like you to think that agave nectar is a very natural product that goes straight from the plant to a jar and is a healthy, natural sweetener great for weight loss, but this is not really the case.

Agave syrup has been deceptively marketed as a ‘health food’ and it most certainly is not.

The truth is, agave nectar or agave syrup is not a natural sweetener at all, but a highly refined type of fructose sweetener—very similar to the common sweetener, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Depending upon where the agave comes from and the way it is processed, agave syrup can be anywhere from 50-90% fructose!

Guess what?? High fructose corn syrup is about 55% fructose, the rest glucose.

Yep, you heard that right–almost the same exact composition as agave syrup! So that doesn’t make agave syrup a good choice if you’re hoping to avoid the high levels of fructose in HFCS (high fructose corn syrup).

Ok, so what is wrong with fructose?

Isn’t that the sugar that is found in fruit? Well yes, and no.

There is a huge difference between how our bodies handle the natural fructose in fruit and the highly refined unnatural fructose in sweeteners. The fructose eaten in the form of fruit is in its natural form along with lots of fiber, vitamins and antioxidants, and is way different than the concentrated, refined fructose in agave syrup.

When fructose is extracted from fruit, concentrated and made into a sweetener, it wreaks havoc with your metabolism.

Don’t be fooled by agave syrup’s reputation as a great weight loss sweetener. It is not low calorie—in fact it has about the same number of calories as regular table sugar. And while it is often marketed as “low glycemic”, it still contributes to weight gain.

According to most research, fructose, more than any other kind of sugar, contributes not only to insulin resistance, but it raises blood levels of triglycerides (a risk factor for heart disease) in both obese and healthy people.

Triglycerides are a form of fat in the blood, and are stored in the body as excess body fat.

Elevated triglycerides (a key marker for heart disease), contribute to clogged arteries and increased inflammation. Fructose also has a greater propensity than other sugars to increase abdominal fat, which then elevates the risk for diabetes, heart disease and metabolic syndrome.

And the fructose, like that in agave, is most often linked to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

So, if you need to lose weight, fructose is a sweetener you will definitely want to avoid, especially in its refined form.

And if that’s not enough, here are a few other good reasons to avoid agave:

• Eating sweeteners in the form of fructose (both agave and HFCS) doubles advanced glycation end products, (AGE's), which are harmful chemical byproducts that age (no pun intended) the human body.

• Yucca species, together with other agaves, are known to contain large quantities of saponins. Saponins are toxic steroid derivatives, and should be avoided during pregnancy because they might contribute to miscarriage.

These toxins have negative effects on non-pregnant people as well. They can destroy red blood cells, and are especially harmful to people taking statins (cholesterol medicine) and high blood pressure drugs.

• Poor quality control and pesticides. There are very few quality controls in place to monitor farming and production of agave syrup. Most agave sold in the U.S. comes from Mexico. There is concern that agave producers are using other more toxic species of agave plants due to a shortage of blue agave and the agave is heavily sprayed with pesticides.

• Some agave syrups contain a contaminant called hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF, also called 5-hydroxymethyl furfural), an organic heat-formed compound that forms during the refining process of both agave syrup and HFCS. HMF has possible toxic and carcinogenic effects on humans. HMF is also extremely toxic to honey bees.

• Agave syrup is not a whole food–it is refined and processed; devoid of the nutrients contained in the original, whole plant.

Bottom line—agave syrup or agave nectar is NOT the healthy alternative to high fructose corn syrup or sugar.

Nor is it a good sweetener for fat burning or weight loss.

If you are looking for a low calorie, healthy and natural sweetener, use Stevia, or  use raw honey or maple syrup (although not low calorie) in small amounts.

 

Till next time, stay healthy and lean!

 

 

Catherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, is a back to basics diet and nutrition specialist. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing from a major medical school, she has spent the last 30 years intensely studying diet, health and nutrition. She also has a book titled "The Fat Burning Kitchen, Your 24 Hour Diet Transformation" that has sold over 60,000 copies worldwide, and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.

               Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.    

       Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.


 

Sources:

Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS, Jeannette Bessinger, “Agave Health Claim Doesn't Match Its Hype;

Prickly Health Problems Arise from Agave Nectar Sweeteners” Bottom Line’s Daily Health News, March 8, 2010. Bottomlinesecrets.com

Joseph Mercola, “Agave: A Triumph of Marketing over Truth”, July 2, 2009. Mercola.com Joseph Mercola, “Shocking! This 'Tequila' Sweetener is Far Worse than High Fructose Corn Syrup”, March 30, 2010.

Mercola.com Joseph Mercola, “Is this Popular Natural Sweetener Worse than High Fructose Corn Syrup?” July 3, 2010.

Mercola.com Morell SF and Nagel R. , "Agave nectar: Worse than we thought," April 30, 2009.

Weston A. Price Foundation. Westonaprice.org Carr C. "Agave’s sweet spot," January 31, 2009. Time Magazine.

Best Healthy Sweeteners

Our craving for sweets often ruins the most well intentioned lean body plan, and we succumb to
chocolates, handfuls of cookies, a slice of cake, a generous scoop of ice cream, or other such decadent
fare. The key ingredient in all of these items and essentially most of the sweets available on the market
is sugar or worse, high fructose corn syrup.

Too much sugar is often the culprit in sabotaging our diets, but it seems hard to avoid or resist. Sometimes you just crave a little something sweet. Artificial sweeteners are loaded into so many foods and snacks promoted as “diet” foods, but the long-term negative health aspects, as well as the potential weight gain is good reason
for you to avoid any and all artificial sweeteners.

Fortunately there are a variety of natural sweeteners that have been quite common in
supermarkets for a very long time, and are likely sitting on your shelf in your pantry at this
very moment.

Honey makes an excellent alternative to sugar and has some health benefits for you
compared to refined sugar. Although honey is still a form of sugar (and you need to be
aware of its caloric impact), one benefit of honey vs. refined sugar is that several studies
have found that raw honey can actually improve your body’s ability to process glucose. On
the other hand, refined sugar negatively affects your body’s ability to process glucose over
time.

Different types of honey contain different nutrients and health benefits, depending on types
of pollen and flowers the honey comes from. All honey possesses antibacterial agents and
act as an antioxidant. Honey contains vitamins B2 and B6, and is a good source of iron.
Consuming just a spoonful of honey each day can raise the antioxidant levels in our bodies,
and it is also the healthiest natural sweetener available for those with Type 2 Diabetes. Raw
honey can often be found at Whole Foods, local farm stands, and even some grocery stores,
and is by far the best you can get—and chock full of enzymes, as well as the above listed
nutrients.

Honey is a great replacement for sugar in many recipes, and because it is quite a bit sweeter,
you can use a smaller amount. The rule of thumb is about a 1/2-cup of honey per cup of
sugar. Also when cooking, you should also reduce liquids in the recipe by a 1/4 cup to
ensure proper consistency. Honey also serves to brown foods more easily as they cook, so
cooking temperatures should be lowered by 25°F.

Maple syrup is another product many of us have in the home and another natural sweetener
that can often be used in place of sugar. We are talking about real, pure, natural maple
syrup—not Aunt Jemima (which is just flavored corn syrup)! Real maple syrup is a good source of minerals and trace nutrients. As with honey, maple syrup is also a useful antioxidant, and possesses a good amount of zinc,
which can help prevent atherosclerosis and lower cholesterol, as well
as strengthen the immune system.

Maple syrup can be purchased in three specific colors or grades, each
denoting a particular flavor. The lighter syrups (grade A) will possess a more subtle flavor, while the darkest coloring (grade B or C) yields the strongest, sweetest flavor. The darker maple syrups typically contain higher
antioxidant and nutrient levels than Grade A maple syrup.

As with honey, you need to be aware of the high caloric level of maple syrup as it is still a
concentrated source of sugar, but it is definitely a better choice than refined sugar. My
personal preference is to use just a tiny pour of real maple syrup in my coffee instead of
white sugar. For teas, I prefer to use a small dab of raw honey instead of refined sugar.
Maple syrup is also great on oatmeal too.

Even though honey and maple syrup are slightly healthier options compared to refined white
sugar, your best bet is to still reduce your dependence on added sweeteners to food and
drinks by learning to adjust your taste buds to prefer less sweetness. As a matter of fact,
I’ve trained my taste buds over the years to prefer the taste of unsweetened iced tea these
days compared to years ago when I absolutely needed some added sweetener. Same with
coffee – although I still occasionally use a small dab of real maple syrup in my coffee, I’ve
adapted my taste buds to be able to enjoy a plain black coffee as well.

Blackstrap molasses is another option for a natural sweetener that can be used in baking. It
is a particular type of molasses that is rich in several essential vitamins and minerals,
including a good concentration of manganese, iron, calcium, potassium, and more. It is also
substantially lower in calories than other natural sweeteners.
Because molasses has a such a distinctive flavor, it may not be used as often as other natural
sweeteners as a replacement for sugar, but it can impart some foods with unique flavors,
such as baked beans and gingerbread.

A natural sweetener option that is calorie-free

Newer low or no-calorie sweeteners are just coming out. The healthiest of these is
stevia. Stevia comes from the leaves of a shrub native to Paraguay and Brazil, stevia has
been used as a sweetener for many years in South America. Stevia is about three hundred
times sweeter than sugar, and has all the benefits of a sweetener without being bad for you
or fattening. It’s truly natural, not some chemical compound from a laboratory, free of
calories, doesn’t promote tooth decay, and won’t elevate blood sugar levels, or cause weight
gain.

To sugar-crazy, and diet conscious Americans, stevia should be incredibly popular and well
known, but up until recently, it was not allowed in food or easily found. The Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) banned stevia in 1991. Why? Like many proponents of stevia, the
sugar industry has a hand in the FDA’s strict stance. The FDA ban allowed it to be sold as a
dietary ‘supplement’, and it can be found in most health food stores in the supplement aisle,
right next to the vitamins. Most of the time, it is pretty difficult to find and never in the
sugar or sweetener aisle…until now.

In the many years that stevia has been used in South America, and Japan, no ill health
effects have ever been attributed to its use.

Just this year, US-based beverage giants PepsiCo and Coca-Cola reported they were looking
to switch from (or at least offer customers the choice) Splenda for a sweetener they have
more invested in: Rebaudiosides A (Reb-A), developed from stevia.
The actual name of the plant is stevia. The stevia plant also contains the sweeteners Reb-A,
B, C, D and E; dulcoside A; and steviolbioside. “We’re testing stevia and Reb-A in a variety
of products, but it absolutely comes down to taste,” said Joe Tripodi, chief marketing officer
for Coca-Cola.

Like all the previous low-calorie sweeteners out there, there have been some conflicting
stories on the health benefits and safety of stevia but it has been approved by the FDA as a
general-purpose sweetener since December 2008.

In 2005, Coca-Cola and the food giant Cargill began to work on their own form of the
sweetener. The companies are now marketing their stevia sweetener as Truvia. You may see
food items now sweetened with Truvia. Coca-Cola is initially using Truvia in two of its
Odwalla juice drinks and in the new Sprite Green.

PepsiCo’s stevia sweetener is being marketed as PureVia, and like Truvia, the marketing is
pushing the fact that it is natural. “This is a potential game-changer among zero-calorie sweeteners,” said Lou Imbrogno, PepsiCo’s senior vice president of Pepsi Worldwide Technical Operations, at a press
conference in July 2008. PepsiCo’s partner is using stevia in its Sobe Lifewater drinks and in
a new line of Tropicana orange juice, Trop50.

Stevia is the standout sweetener in the marketplace, because it is what the public is looking
for in a low-calorie sweetener to replace the questionable and not-so-natural Splenda and
NutraSweet chemical artificial sweeteners.

Stevia’s sweetness comes from its leaves. The stevia leaves are milled, and a freshwater
brewing method is used to extract the sweetness. This extract is then purified further until a
very high purity Reb-A is obtained.

Splenda’s creater, McNeil Nutritionals is getting in on the stevia craze as well. In March,
Sun Crystals All-Natural Sweetener was launched, which combines stevia with pure cane
sugar. This will be marketed as being as natural as sugar with half the calories.
NutraSweet has reported that they were not worried about stevia.

But coincidentally, the company is working on its own NutraSweet Natural made with
stevia! At least now they can compete head-to-head with stevia in the market.
While the previous chemically-processed artificial sweeteners have been connected to lung
tumors, breast tumors, and other rare types of tumors; several forms of leukemia, and
chronic respiratory disease in several rodent studies, as well as rashes, headaches, and other
serious and nasty side effects, stevia, Reb-A and its derivatives seem to be the safest of all
low-calorie sweeteners for the moment.

You can find stevia blends for your own use at this site: Naturally Stevia

Try Stevia in your favorite beverages like coffee, tea, lemonade, and more. Depending on
the brand and type of Stevia you use, the taste may vary. Some of the health food store
varieties had a “green” aftertaste, but really not bad—just something to get used to. Now
that Stevia is becoming more mainstream, the taste has improved. And some Stevia comes
in liquid form with great flavors like vanilla, toffee, lemon, etc. Give it a try!