Agave, Good or Bad: More Truth About Agave Syrup

October 2nd, 2010 by Savvy Veg

Whether you’re an agave fan, or you’re leery because it’s “controversial”, and you don’t know who to believe, agave  syrup is here to stay, as a low glycemic, vegan, sometimes raw alternative to honey or other sweeteners.

Personally, I think that the agave controversy is a tempest in a teapot, drummed up by people who have a vested interest, an axe to grind, love attention, or have nothing better to do.

There are much worse things to be concerned about in the food industry than agave, believe me!

Unlike high fructose corn syrup, which is in just about everything, agave syrup is made from desert agave plants, non-gmo and organic by default. Agave isn’t contributing to the obesity epidemic, or having a serious impact on diabetics. I’m sceptical that it causes cancer in rats.

It seems unlikely that agave nectar will edge HFCS or sugar out of the market place any time soon.

The only real thing we should worry about is that agave syrup will become so popular that blue agave will become an endangered species. Don’t laugh, it could happen! Now that I’ve got that little rant out of the way, read on:

Glycemic Index & Agave: Compared to table sugar, honey, maple syrup, and date sugar, agave syrup has the lowest GI  - around 30.Insulin Release & Agave: Some agave products have fructans, a unique kind of fiber. According to a study in Mexico, a diet rich in fructans may stimulate production of the hormone GLP-1, which encourages the release of insulin.HFCS & Agave: On the other hand, because of the way it’s usually processed, agave nectar or syrup has as much or more fructose than high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), a leading cause of obesity in the U.S.Agave Processing: Some manufacturers use potentially harmful chemicals to process agave into syrup. A few small companies preserve nutrients in processing agave, by heating the crushed agave plant to extract and intensify the sweetness of the liquid, or by using enzymes.Raw Agave: The use of enzymes to process the agave plant produces the only “true” raw agave. Since it’s almost impossible to know whether a bottle of agave syrup labelled “raw” is actually raw, I guess you just have to take the manufacturer’s word for it.Vegan Agave: Since agave processing doesn’t involve any animal parts, it’s considered a vegan product, like brown rice syrup or maple syrup. Sugar processing commonly uses ash from animal bones for refining.Sweetness of Agave: Agave can be up to three times as sweet as table sugar, so you can use less. Agave syrup mixes easily and has a mild flavor, which makes it a favorite for adding to drinks. Unlike honey, which becomes toxic when heated, agave syrup can be safely added to hot drinks, or used in cooking.Blue Agave & Other Agave: According to XAgave, there are two types of agave plant used to make agave nectar or syrup: Agave Salmiana (White Agave Plant) and Agave Tequilana (Blue Agave Plant). White Agave has a clean sugar taste, and Blue Agave has a slightly ‘nutty’ aftertaste. Both can have the same consistency, depending upon processing.Popular Brands of Agave Syrup or Nectar: Volcanic Nectar’s Blue Agave Nectar is billed as raw, i.e. produced below 118 F, Organic and Kosher certified;  so is Wholesome Sweeteners Raw Blue Agave. Madhava is a popular brand of  light agave syrup, but doesn’t make any claims about rawness, which means they probably process agave in the usual way – i.e. with heat, and (gasp) chemicals. Grey Agave is another up and coming brand for which I couldn’t find any info.

View the original article here

Drinking Fruit Juice Increases Heart Attack Risk

September 2nd, 2010 by Savvy Veg

The CARDIA study shows that all sugared drinks, including fruit juices, raise total cholesterol, the bad LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, August 13,  2010).

People who drink fruit juice also have much larger waist circumferences. Abdominal obesity means that a person has high insulin levels and is at markedly increased risk for heart attacks and diabetes.

Taking sugar in drinks when you are not exercising increases risk for heart attacks, diabetes and premature death. Before food can pass from the stomach into the intestines, it must be converted to a liquid soup. No solid food passes into the intestines.

When solid food enters your stomach, the pyloric sphincter at the end of the stomach closes and the stomach continuously squeezes the food until it is turned into a liquid soup. This can take up to four hours which markedly delays the rise in blood sugar. Since fruit juice is already a liquid, it passes immediately into the bloodstream to cause a high rise in blood sugar.

Here’s how high rises in blood sugar cause heart disease:

When blood sugar levels rise too high, *your pancreas releases huge amounts of insulin which *converts sugar to triglycerides (high triglycerides), which clog up your bloodstream to increase risk for clots, so *you use up huge amounts of your good HDL cholesterol (low HDL cholesterol) in carrying triglycerides and your bad LDL cholesterol from your bloodstream into your liver.

*Low HDL (good) cholesterol causes heart attacks because HDL is not available to carry cholesterol and triglycerides from your bloodstream.  *High insulin levels constrict arteries to cause heart attacks.  High blood sugar levels cause sugar to stick to the surface membranes of cells to destroy them and cause all the horrible side effects of diabetes. *High triglycerides in your liver cause a fatty liver that can lead to diabetes.

Comment from Savvy Vegetarian:

So what’s a body to do if you’re not ’sposed to drink juice? More than that, what’s the OJ industry to do? I’m not too concerned about them. What Real People can do is to drink water or herbal tea instead of OJ, and eat fresh fruit – which is a whole food containing fiber and complex carbohydrates, which means that it will digest much more slowly, and even diabetics can eat it.

Nutrition profile for a whole fresh California Valencia orange: 59 calories, 14 grams carbohydrate, sugars – not even mentioned, 3 grams fiber, 1 gram protein, 0 cholesterol, 0 fat, Vit. A 6% Daily Value, Vit. C 98% DV, Calcium 5% DV, Iron 1% DV

Nutrition profile for 8 ounces of unsweetened OJ without pulp: 112 calories, 27 grams total carbohydrate, including 21 grams sugars, 0 grams fiber, 3 grams protein, 0 cholesterol, 0 fat, , Vit. A 5% Daily Value, Vit. C 161% DV, Calcium 2% DV, Iron 1% DV

You can see for yourself the value of eating the orange instead of drinking the juice!

From Dr. Gabe Mirkin’s Health & Fitness Ezine, 9.2.10

View the original article here

Insulin Insensitive Diabetes, Exercise & Plant Based Diet

September 9th, 2010 by Savvy Veg

Savvy Veg Note: Dr. Mirkin – who is himself diabetic - doesn’t just recommend vigorous exercise to control blood sugar and improve insulin response.

He also states that “insulin-insensitive diabetes can usually be cured” by losing weight, avoiding red meat, avoiding refined carbs when not exercising, and eating plenty of fruits and vegetables.

You can do all of the above by eating a healthy vegetarian or plant-based diet which includes a variety of fresh whole foods.

Yes! “Insulin-insensitive” means that a diabetic has plenty of insulin, but lacks the ability to respond adequately to insulin that their body produces so blood sugar levels remain higher than normal.  Twenty-two insulin-insensitive diabetic women participated in a supervised group endurance and resistance exercise program for six months (European Journal of Internal Medicine, October 2010).  The more intensely they exercised, the better their bodies responded to insulin.  Even those who did not improve their exercise capacity were able to markedly improve their body’s ability to respond to insulin.

Diabetic control and cell damage is measured with a blood test called HBA1C that measures sugar stuck on cells.  The more they exercised, the lower and better their HBA1C.  More than 90 percent of diabetics are insulin-insensitive and have a potentially curable disease.   This study shows that the harder diabetics exercise, the better their bodies respond to insulin.  Insulin-insensitive diabetes can usually be cured by *losing weight, *avoiding red meat, *avoiding refined carbohydrates when not exercising, *growing larger muscles, *losing body fat, *getting blood levels of vitamin D3 above 75 nmol/L, *eating plenty of vegetables and fruits, and *EXERCISING INTENSELY.

Caution: Intense exercise can cause heart attacks in people with blocked arteries.  Check with your doctor BEFORE beginning any intense exercise program.

Free Reports: To help get you started on a healthy vegetarian or plant-based diet, check out our free reports: Vegetarian Nutrition and 10 Tips for Going Vegetarian

View the original article here