The Natural Sweetener That Isn’t Actually Healthy

I might upset a few people with this post but the truth needs to be spoken. When you start getting healthy and conscious of the type of sugar you’re putting in your body, this pseudo-health food is bound to come up.

It’s a sneaky one because the way it’s branded often makes it seem like a good alternative to plain old sugar, but that’s simply not the case.  
 
Enter… agave syrup. Agave sounds great in theory because it’s derived from the agave cactus, they make it out to be like the maple syrup of the south. Unfortunately, agave syrup has a few major faults that make it best to stay away from.   

Agave is closer to HFCS than it is to natural sugar  

Agave is promoted a low-glycemic sweetener, which is true, but what it lacks in glucose it makes up for in fructose. Agave is 85% fructose and like high fructose corn syrup causes problems in the human body. Fructose, unlike glucose, overloads the liver and adds to insulin resistance. Fructose isn’t a problem when consumed in actual fruit because fruit has fiber, but by itself, fructose is no bueno.  

Agave is a highly processed product  

The sugary liquid extracted from the agave plant isn’t all that bad, it still contains enzymes and compounds called fructans which actually have beneficial effects on insulin. But that liquid is taken and boiled to become a thick syrup, destroying all the beneficial fructans and enzymes, making it a highly refined and processed sweetener.  

There are lots of much healthier sweeteners out there  

Truly natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, and coconut sugar are better options.  True low glycemic sweeteners such as stevia,  Luo ha (monk fruit) or inulin are even a better option.  

Why You Need to Care About Your Sugar Intake:

1.  SUGAR AND NUTRIENT DEFICIENCIES

One critical reason for giving up sugar is that when too much of it is consumed, your body has a difficult time metabolizing and assimilating nutrients, which essentially causes your body to starve.

These are some of the key minerals that the body loses out on when it cannot properly assimilate:

• Magnesium
• Sodium
• Potassium
• Vitamin D
• Calcium
• Chromium
• Vitamin C

2.  INSULIN RESISTANCE AND BLOOD SUGAR IMBALANCES

Insulin resistance - when your body processes what you eat it turns into glucose in your blood stream.  When you are insulin resistant then you cannot process these sugars that come in through your food, whether they’re good sugars or bad sugars – they get into your bloodstream, and just sit there.

They just sit and sit and sit.  This keeps your blood sugar elevated until finally, the mechanisms are triggered that take that blood sugar (glucose) and store it as fat. And the primary area where it gets stored as fat first is your belly, both subcutaneous and around your organs, which is called visceral fat, which is the most damaging of all because it produces inflammatory chemicals.

There are very serious consequences of insulin resistance.

• thyroid and growth hormone deficiency
• increased risk of cancer
• high blood pressure
• injury to blood vessel linings
• systemic inflammation
• increased risk of Alzheimer's - now being called type 4 diabetes
• and of course full blown type 2 diabetes 

The best thing you can do for you overall health and energy is to manage your blood sugars.

Curious to see if your symptoms are related to a blood sugar imbalance?

Complete this Insulin Resistance Questionnare.

Book a Complimentary Depleted to Energized 30 min Session with me.
 
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tips and recipes to help you live a happier, healthier life, blood sugar balanced life!
 
With Grace and Gratitude,

Shonda