Stop Depriving Yourself

How do you like that? According to this article, agave nectar is not the be-all, end-all, after all.

"Largely because of its very low glycemic impact, Agave nectar is marketed as "diabetic friendly". What's not to like?

As it turns out, quite a lot.

Agave nectar has a low-glycemic index for one reason only: It's largely made of fructose, which although it has a low-glycemic index, is now known to be a very damaging form of sugar when used as a sweetener. Agave nectar has the highest fructose content of any commercial sweetener (with the exception of pure liquid fructose)...

Research shows that it's the fructose part of sweeteners that's the most dangerous. Fructose causes insulin resistance and significantly raises triglycerides (a risk factor for heart disease). It also increases fat around the middle, which in turn puts you at greater risk for diabetes, heart disease and metabolic syndrome.

Fructose has also been linked to non-alcoholic fatty-liver disease. Rats given high fructose diets develop a number of undesirable metabolic abnormalities including elevated triglycerides, weight gain and extra abdominal fat...

Agave nectar syrup is a triumph of marketing over science. True, it has a low-glycemic index, but so does gasoline -- that doesn't mean it's good for you.

If you simply must have some sweets once in a while, a small amount of agave nectar isn't going to kill you. Just don't buy into the idea that it's any better for you than plain old sugar or HFCS."

I love that gasoline line! Better put the nozzle down. Here I've been traipsing all over town looking for the golden bottle, which by the way costs $4.00 for 11 ounces vs $2.00 for 4 pounds of sugar, and the nectar is not only not doing me any good, but sounds like it's contributing to the very problems I'm trying to get rid of! My triglyceride count is through the roof, I'm bordering on becoming a diabetic and have that nasty little abdominal fat thing I'm trying to shed. The whole diet I was following, which I've strayed from causing me to gain back five pounds quicker than I lost them, used agave as a staple. I don't even like the way it tastes so any recipe that called for it I just left it out. The only thing I was using the agave for was to sweeten my coffee. When I use sugar in my coffee it's less than half a teaspoon, so does that really make such a huge difference? I think probably not.

Now it's got me wondering if maybe my daughter isn't right about all these diets..."Forget about the latest fad mom, just eat smaller portions and exercise more...use more calories than you take in and for gosh sakes, stop depriving yourself!"