SugarShock!

By Holladay Allen

Native Foods Tribe Member

 

There is a nasty rumor going around about Agave.  Have you heard all about it?  I think Sugar must have started it!  I really can’t blame Sugar, can you?  I mean for years Sugar, and its delectable melt in your mouth crystals, reigned supreme.  Sure High Fructose Corn Syrup had its stint in the spotlight, but the public was soon on to its highly processed composition and possible detrimental effects on health, so Sugar made a comeback, and it was a glorious comeback indeed (I wonder who handles Sugar’s PR). 

  
Agave Plant

 

Everything, from soda pop crack rock to cookies to fast food milkshakes, was all of a sudden being made with “Real Sugar.”  Sugar was back!  But then Agave appeared on the scene with its exotic name, golden amber liquid, and allure of having a lower glycemic index than sugar.  Darn you Agave!  But what goes up must come down (I really need the name of Sugar’s PR firm).  Now Agave is the Sweet Demon who actually sends a surge of sucrose into the bloodstream far worse than anything Sweet old Sugar could ever do.  Oh you guys!  The fact is all three of you HFCS, Sugar, and Agave come from plants and undergo some sort of processing no matter how “minimal.” 

 
Sugar Cane

 

I think what we (as in we Americans) want is a source of sweetness that will negate caloric content and the glycemic index altogether.  Sorry folks, but I would never trust a sweetener that would allow me to consume a dozen cupcakes without feeling a spike in my blood sugar and the guilt of having eaten three and a half times my daily caloric intake.  Most of the truly health based diets (and I am talking changing the way you eat to improve your life not just shed extra pounds for summer diets), such as the Macrobiotic diet, call for a halt to the intake of most sugar and alcohol based foods.  The Macrobiotic diet is very much based on balance and the yin and yang of the body and is an excellent restorative and healing diet.

 

  Check out “the Hip Chick’s Guide to Macrobiotics” for a great introduction to the lifestyle.  Sugar and alcohol (which essentially converts into sugar in the blood) greatly alter the body’s chemistry, which creates cravings for more of the same, and so begins that addictive cycle.  I love food of all kinds (animal-free that is).  And I oftentimes really love a glass of wine or two and a piece of Native Foods’ Chocolate Love Pie to complement that perfect meal.  But I also realize that balance is key, and I will not forego dinner in order to consume 3 pieces of that unbelievably delicious pie.

 

 

But I just want to eat what I want!  To each his own right?  My friend Jessica doesn’t eat any vegetables and only eats bread, meat, pasta, and sweets and is the picture of perfect health!  And yes there is that anomaly of a man from the movie Supersize Me that ate a Big Mac or two everyday and was also in perfect health according to his doctors.  Heck, my great-grandfather Anders from Sweden subsisted on a steady diet of red meat, scotch, and cigarettes and led a very long and healthy life until he died of old age.  Deviations from the norm exist, but the norm usually accounts for the majority, and the majority of people these days need to find balance in their diets.

Comments

[Shelly]

I'm confused as to why this blog went the direction it did. I was anxious for you to squash the rumor that agave is terrible for you. Instead it ends talking about anomalies of meat eaters being healthful?

[Holladay Allen]

... I was really trying to convey the idea of balance in our everyday diets rather than promote one sweetener as better than the other. I find it very interesting how people (in general) latch onto anything new that is promoted as "healthy" and "good for you" rather than first checking out the facts about the product, especially processed food and drink. Alot of people seem to be searching for that miracle product that will allow them to eat high on the food chain (i.e. fats and sugars) without suffering any side effects. This product does not exist. I gave the examples of those carnivorous folks as a peremptory rebuttal to those who immediately throw out a comment like "Oh my Aunt Jane only eats gummy worms, cheeseburgers, and Diet Cokes and never gets sick and looks like a million bucks." I like to go back to that age old adage "you are what you eat." I would much rather be a leafy head of kale than a can of Coke. Unfortunately, I cannot debunk the bad rumors going around about Agave because based on the research that has been done, it is pretty much the same as sugar and HFCS just in different packaging. The fact is that if consumed in small amounts occasionally, you will probably be just fine ingesting any three of these.