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| Forums: January 2010 Kickstart Forum Archive: Sweeteners | |||
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| banpwong
Joined: 01/10/10 Posts: 24 |
Sweeteners Posted Sunday, January 10, 2010 at 3:51 PM Agave nectar is an expensive form of HFCS and behaves the same as HFCS in our bodies and if you know about how bad HFCS, so is agave nectar. Please check out Robert H Lustig MD lecture at UCSF site on "hazards of sugar". Don't skip the biochemistry part of the lecture as it will provide understand of how the body metabolizes fructose whether it is from sucrose, HFCS or agave nectar and hopefully be well inform as to not be rippped off by a highly hype agave nectar and actually injesting what Dr. Lustig calls a toxin! He too was surprized at the finding of the research which he was sharing at the UCSF website. |
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| shanna
Joined: 12/30/09 Posts: 287 |
RE: Sweeteners Posted Sunday, January 10, 2010 at 3:57 PM Um, no. Agave is not the same substance or "an expensive form of HFCS." It has a low glycemic response for one thing. The idea, of course, is to reduce refined sugars in whatever form. But agave is a great natural way to do that, without the sugar spikes. There are no recipes anywhere in this plan that I have seen using excessive amounts of agave, or any other sweetener. As it should be. |
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VeganRecipeGuy
 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 131 |
RE: Sweeteners Posted Sunday, January 10, 2010 at 4:03 PM Yeah I agree. High Fructose Corn Syrup can't be any worse for you than the fructose that makes up agave syrup. When HFCS hits the liver instead of spiking sugar it is a menace, but when agave does the same exact thing, it is described as "low GI". In both instances it is because fructose (the sugar in both of these syrups) is metabolized into fats in the liver. Over time, heavy fructose hits, cause the liver to degenerate eventually causing fatty liver syndrome. Greatly restricting the agave syrup we use had a huge impact on my wife's triglycerides. saccharides without fiber is health damaging.
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| gibson
Joined: 01/10/10 Posts: 5 |
RE: Sweeteners Posted Sunday, January 10, 2010 at 4:15 PM My understanding is that agave behaves like sugar and other refined sweetners, too. I have been using brown rice syrup in baking and directly on things like oatmeal. It has a mellow, not-too-sweet flavor, and best of all it has a low glycemic index so no sugar rush. I became aware of it through The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone -- a book I would recommend to anyone interested in a plant-based, "kinder" diet. |
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| VeganRecipeGuy
Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 131 |
RE: Sweeteners Posted Sunday, January 10, 2010 at 4:21 PM Most of the sugar in brown rice syrup is maltose. It is actually made by using rice enzymes on malted barley. It may be a better choice for anyone who is scared of the fructose cascade, but it spikes blood sugar faster than fructose, so there are trade-offs.
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| banpwong
Joined: 01/10/10 Posts: 24 |
RE: Sweeteners Posted Sunday, January 10, 2010 at 4:31 PM "Um, no. Agave is not the same substance or "an expensive form of HFCS." It has a low glycemic response for one thing." Shanna, looks like the agave marketing campaign has been successful! It is true agave is natural and a low glycemic load but it raises your triglicerides which is now widely known as a major risk factor for heart disease. The reason it does not invoke an insulin response is that it metabolized by the liver only which has a limited capacity to deal with free fructose whether it is from HFCS or agave. Fructose is converted to fat by a process cal de-neuvo lipogenesis and can lead to fatty liver. Glucose is harmless and can be stored in the liver but not fructose. If you consume slow releasing glucose as in whole plant starchy foods you get slow release glucose which the body handles really well (low glycemic response) but not fructose from any source which is fiberless as in agave as well. Don't be fooled please look as the latest research on sugar and in particular fructose. |
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| banpwong
Joined: 01/10/10 Posts: 24 |
RE: Sweeteners Posted Sunday, January 10, 2010 at 4:38 PM Veganrecipeguy, looks like you have done your homework regarding sweeteners! I am impressed by your understanding of the topic. The antidote to the tradeoff is fiber and if you eat whole plant foods it mitigates the glycemic response. |
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| shanna
Joined: 12/30/09 Posts: 287 |
RE: Sweeteners Posted Sunday, January 10, 2010 at 5:05 PM And it looks like you're only here to post on a single topic which is a nonissue in this plan. Have fun. |
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| banpwong
Joined: 01/10/10 Posts: 24 |
RE: Sweeteners Posted Sunday, January 10, 2010 at 5:21 PM It may be a non-issue for you. I do intend to post other topics as well in due course. I did this in respond to the cooking demo on orange glazed pak choy which extol the virtues of agave nectar. Many have been mislead by misleading advertisements that tell you a half truth. Fructose from agave is no different from fructose from HFCS or from the fruit itself except there is fiber in the whole fruit but eating too much fruit can be a problem too if you are trying to lose weigh. |
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| VeganRecipeGuy
Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 131 |
RE: Sweeteners Posted Sunday, January 10, 2010 at 6:01 PM Inulin the fructose in real agave nectar causes less of a spike than HFCS, but that may be due to a harder hit to the liver. Then there is the issue of real agave nectar. Most of the stuff tested two years ago wasn't what it was labeled to be. I won't talk you out of it. We still use some at my house. But for any vegans with triglyceride issues wondering why, this might be a key. I do agree with the small amounts I have seen in this program, and the high fiber to balance it out, I feel safe with what I see here.
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| Susan Levin
Joined: 12/26/09 Posts: 1191 |
RE: Sweeteners Posted Sunday, January 10, 2010 at 6:24 PM My personal favorite sweeteners are pure maple syrup and molasses. I use them for baking and adding to foods like oatmeal. I love them because they have a variety of nutrients in them. For example, one tablespoon of molasses has 20% of your daily dose of vitamin A, calcium, and iron, and about 300 mg of potassium. Not too shabby! Susan Levin, MS, RD |
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| gramma
Joined: 12/30/09 Location: Michigan Posts: 31 |
RE: Sweeteners Posted Sunday, January 10, 2010 at 6:33 PM Thanks for the molasses tip as sweetner option. I will definately try. |
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| Susan Levin
Joined: 12/26/09 Posts: 1191 |
RE: Sweeteners Posted Sunday, January 10, 2010 at 6:37 PM Probably, my corn bread recipe is half whole wheat and half corn meal. I would imagine since both barley and wheat are gluten grains, it wouldn't be that different. Susan Levin, MS, RD |
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| banpwong
Joined: 01/10/10 Posts: 24 |
RE: Sweeteners Posted Sunday, January 10, 2010 at 7:01 PM Susan, thanks for run down of the molasses nutrients. Sometime ago I had switched to molasses as my sweetener too but lately I have used even less of any sweetener and for oatmeal I have used blueberries as my sweetener. Once you are used to less sweetness your taste buds gets more sensitive to sweet tastes! I find reducing any form of sugar helps me maintain my weigh. |
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| Susan Levin
Joined: 12/26/09 Posts: 1191 |
RE: Sweeteners Posted Sunday, January 10, 2010 at 7:09 PM Absolutely. If fruit is doing it for you, then you are in better health for it. Susan Levin, MS, RD |
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