Wonder Juice 'Ta-kill-ya'
Hi there: Recently I had the chance to visit with some friends. One of the conversations that came up had to with a new supplement they had tried and were raving about. The supplement was agave nectar.
Maybe you've heard of this before and perhaps even tried it. For a while there everyone was getting pretty caught up in trying to reduce their consumption of refined sugar and were making the switch to 'natural sweeteners'.
So along comes agave nectar with its claims to be a better choice for diabetics, have anti-inflammatory properties and may even be good for your immune system.
But here's the ugly truth.
This stuff may use the name of 'nectar' and make you think of it as a juice but is more similar to a syrup. And the sugar contained within it has the same impact on your cells, metabolism and fat burning as regular table sugar does.
Actually I take that back. Regular table sugar has about 50% fructose in it whereas agave nectar is about 90% fructose.
So what's the big deal with fructose?
Well when you feed animals a lot of fructose they develop fatty livers. And as we see our consumption of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) continue to climb there appears to be a link to this and more cases of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
But fructose is the sugar in fruit, so are you saying to limit or even stop eating fruit?
No, not at all. And here's why.
First of all the fructose in HFCS and agave nectar has a slightly different chemical make up than the fructose found in fruit. One is the D isomer and the other L. Huh? Don't worry about it. Just know that structurally they differ.
Secondly, real fruit also has other benefits such as the vitamin, mineral, fibre and hydration that comes with eating a piece.
Lastly, the fructose in fruit is normally not free but bound to other substances as compared to the fructose in HFCS and agave nectar which is free and not bound anything else. This affects how quickly and it what ways it is absorbed, digested and metabolized.
So why would they say this is a good product for diabetics?
I guess part of the reason is that because it doesn't have the same impact on insulin it can be considered beneficial for those concerned with their insulin levels. The trade-off however is all this extra fructose is converted to fat stored by the liver. The best option is be aware of the consumption of all sugars.
Kind of like 'one step forward, two steps back'. But maybe worse because many simply see this option as a step forward and so ignorantly continue repeating it.
Oh I almost forgot to tie in the subject line 'Wonder Juice Ta-kill-ya'.
Some of you probably already picked up on this this. The nectar we have been talking about comes from the same plant that is used to make tequila. And we should know to stay away from anything that makes us feel like drinking tequila does.
In the comments below let know if you've tried agave nectar and your thoughts on fructose. Or maybe you have a better story involving tequila. I've got one involving a stag, tequila shots and a trampoline but someone else will have to get the ball rolling first.
Chris okanaganpeakperformance.com 'always moving forward'
Maybe you've heard of this before and perhaps even tried it. For a while there everyone was getting pretty caught up in trying to reduce their consumption of refined sugar and were making the switch to 'natural sweeteners'.
So along comes agave nectar with its claims to be a better choice for diabetics, have anti-inflammatory properties and may even be good for your immune system.
But here's the ugly truth.
This stuff may use the name of 'nectar' and make you think of it as a juice but is more similar to a syrup. And the sugar contained within it has the same impact on your cells, metabolism and fat burning as regular table sugar does.
Actually I take that back. Regular table sugar has about 50% fructose in it whereas agave nectar is about 90% fructose.
So what's the big deal with fructose?
Well when you feed animals a lot of fructose they develop fatty livers. And as we see our consumption of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) continue to climb there appears to be a link to this and more cases of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
But fructose is the sugar in fruit, so are you saying to limit or even stop eating fruit?
No, not at all. And here's why.
First of all the fructose in HFCS and agave nectar has a slightly different chemical make up than the fructose found in fruit. One is the D isomer and the other L. Huh? Don't worry about it. Just know that structurally they differ.
Secondly, real fruit also has other benefits such as the vitamin, mineral, fibre and hydration that comes with eating a piece.
Lastly, the fructose in fruit is normally not free but bound to other substances as compared to the fructose in HFCS and agave nectar which is free and not bound anything else. This affects how quickly and it what ways it is absorbed, digested and metabolized.
So why would they say this is a good product for diabetics?
I guess part of the reason is that because it doesn't have the same impact on insulin it can be considered beneficial for those concerned with their insulin levels. The trade-off however is all this extra fructose is converted to fat stored by the liver. The best option is be aware of the consumption of all sugars.
Kind of like 'one step forward, two steps back'. But maybe worse because many simply see this option as a step forward and so ignorantly continue repeating it.
Oh I almost forgot to tie in the subject line 'Wonder Juice Ta-kill-ya'.
Some of you probably already picked up on this this. The nectar we have been talking about comes from the same plant that is used to make tequila. And we should know to stay away from anything that makes us feel like drinking tequila does.
In the comments below let know if you've tried agave nectar and your thoughts on fructose. Or maybe you have a better story involving tequila. I've got one involving a stag, tequila shots and a trampoline but someone else will have to get the ball rolling first.
Chris okanaganpeakperformance.com 'always moving forward'
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Comments 19
Guest - Anny
on Wednesday, 01 December 2010 11:12
Interesting....things that make you go hmmm.... I'll bite, lets hear the tequilla, trampoline story!!!!!
Guest - Chris
on Tuesday, 07 December 2010 16:44
Anny: Thanks for the comment. Unfortunately I'm taking this one to the grave.
Chris
okanaganpeakperformance.com 'always moving forward'
Guest - Caro
(website) on Friday, 21 March 2014 09:21
It's not news that Americans eat more sugar than the should. I mean it's not as if we're not aware that we're #1 in obtiesy but infographics like this are less meaningful when you don't look at our overall consumption of food. More disgusting is that the bottom 4/5ths of that dumpster is a sloshing mess of corn syrup. That dumpster of sugar would be parked behind an apartment tenement made of chicken pork and beef. I'd be much more interested in how many dumpsters we fill of ingredients that don't occur in nature, red dye, preservatives, artificial flavoring, MSG, reconstituted food products.
Guest - kadams
(website) on Wednesday, 01 December 2010 13:02
omg, tequila stories.... I have several hmmmmm, where to start - Many years ago, we were up north in a small town for a friend's wedding and of course we were out on the town the night before. My best friend (who never drinks tequila) was coerced into drinking a shot of cheap silver tequila at the crowded bar. At this time, he was already well "lubricated" and he slammed it back like it was fruit juice... I could tell by the look on his face that this would not stay down and sure enough, the shot came up as fast as it went down and he spit up a little .... the group had a good laugh at his expense but the funniest part was that he recovered his composure and then proceeded to walk over to a group of local girls and asked one of them to dance... she looked right at him with an "are you kidding me" look and said "I'm not dancing with you, you puked on the floor!".... We carried on until the wee hours of the morning and enjoyed many stories and many laughs the next day at the reception.... all's well that ends well :-)
Guest - Chris
on Tuesday, 07 December 2010 16:43
kadams: Alright you win the funniest tequila post. If there was an award for such a distinction it would be all yours!
Chris
okanaganpeakperformance.com 'always moving forward'
Guest - Megan
on Wednesday, 01 December 2010 15:19
I have not tried the agave nectar before, but I have had some bad experiences with tequila before. Id much rather hear about your tequila story then think about mine.
Guest - Chris
on Tuesday, 07 December 2010 16:42
Megan: Now I don't even want to imagine the tequila stories you've probably experienced already! Maybe you'll hear about it another time but not now.
Chris
okanaganpeakperformance.com 'always moving forward'
Guest - Annette
on Wednesday, 01 December 2010 16:03
I'm with Anny...do tell Mr. Collins !
Guest - Chris
on Tuesday, 07 December 2010 16:40
Annette: We'll see. We'll see.
Chris
okanaganpeakperformanc.com 'always moving forward'
Guest - Christine
on Wednesday, 01 December 2010 18:18
Oh no! I just bought the Costco double pack. UGH!
Guest - Chris
on Tuesday, 07 December 2010 16:39
Christine: Costco will take anything back! After you do so give them the link for this post!
Chris
okanaganpeakperformance.com 'always moving forward'
Guest - Ron
on Wednesday, 01 December 2010 20:43
Okay, so you're telling me I should avoid the 'all tequila'diet?
Guest - Chris
on Tuesday, 07 December 2010 16:38
Ron: If you can pull off the 'all tequila diet' then you are the man! One whiff of it and I'm out!
Chris
okanaganpeakperformance.com 'always moving forward'
Guest - Wonder Woman
on Thursday, 02 December 2010 17:22
Thank Goodness I read this first...I almost bought a bottle of this stuff as a gift for a diabetic, thinking it would be helpful! Whoops. I guess I will just stick with the Tequila... I know what to expect when consuming it! Plus its 'all natural'! hahahaha
Guest - Chris
on Tuesday, 07 December 2010 16:37
Wonder Woman: Glad you read this before making that purchase!
Chris
okanaganpeakperformance.com 'always moving forward'
Guest - grantrambold
on Friday, 03 December 2010 13:26
I have not tried this product, but Tequila story, one was drinking this one night, and woke up the next morning in a different city???? A long time ago.
Guest - Chris
on Tuesday, 07 December 2010 16:34
Grant! Too funny!
Chris
okanaganpeakperformance.com 'always moving forward'
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