My favorite drink of celebration is a shot of Patron, two ice cubes, two limes. Agave…Ahhh what a fine plant! Then, I was thrilled to find that agave nectar was being manufactured into something else I could use. Like many people, I am insulin sensitive and am always looking for something sweet that won’t elevate my blood sugar. Agave nectar was low on the glycemic index (how quickly foods turn into sugar in the body): win / win, I thought.
Since my discovery of agave nectar, I have also uncovered the ugly truth about how it affects the body. The problem is that even though agave is low on the glycemic index, it’s high in fructose. And here’s the deal, sugar (sucrose) is 50% fructose, 50% glucose. Blood sugar goes up but it also comes down, crashing sometimes if ya eat too much. High fructose corn syrup averages in at about 55% fructose and for years we’ve been hearing reports of all the harm that it does. Agave nectar (even the organic less processed brands) on the low end is 57% fructose and at the high processed end can be as much as 97% fructose.
High fructose syrups started entering the processed foods market in the 70’s because it was cheaper to manfacture than sugar. Most popular was high fructose corn syrup. Since the switch, obesity levels have also risen in proportion to the use of high fructose syrups.
Processed high fructose syrups increase insulin resistance. Insulin resistance causes blood sugar to rise and stay elevated. This is very bad. Work done by Dr. Richard Johnson, chief of kidney disease and hypertension at the University of Colorado and author of “The Sugar Fix” states that all sugars are not equal. Fructose alone drives up the body’s uric acid levels, increases hypertension, causes insulin resistance / diabetes and kidney disease. Fructose in particular is an extremely potent pro-inflammatory agent that speeds up the aging process….YUCK!
When you eat whole fruit you get fructose, but it’s accompanied with fiber which slows down the release of fructose into the blood stream. Also in whole fruit we find antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that help keep the fructose metabolites low, which in moderation have no ill effects.
Nature provides us healthy sweet foods. Be proactive with your health, read labels and google info to educate. Don’t eat it if ya don’t know what it is. And that’s why I’ll take my agave as tequila…cheers!!
By Krista Kurvits