Personal Worldview Essay

Agave may be unity of the most popular natural enticements today, but its rise in popularity in the U. S. didnt bugger off until around 2003. Now its commonly used as an alternative to sugar, honey, or maple syrup for cooking, baking, and sweetening everything from coffee to oatmeal. Agave nectar (or syrup) is produced from the agave found the same plant used to make tequila. It tastes similar to honey with a hint of molasses and is manufactured by extracting the juice from the plants core, which is then filtered, modify or treated with enzymes and concentrated until it becomes a syrupy liquid.Proponents of this natural sweetener claim that its a healthy alternative to sugar, honey, and other sweeteners because of its low glycemic index. Its advertised as ideal for large number who are watching their weight or folks with diabetes who are working to lower their blood sugar levels. however before you add agave nectar to your grocery list, heres what the heck you need to know. Agave nectar contains up to 90 percent fructose. Thats importantly more than table sugar, which is 50 percent fructose (and 50 percent glucose) once its broken down by your body.A gaves high fructose content gives it advantages and disadvantages. The good part first Because fructose has a low glycemic index, agave doesnt cause your blood sugars to spike as rapidly after(prenominal) eating it, which means it can temper the sugar rush that occurs after eating something sweet. And even though agave and white sugar contain slightly the same number of calories, agave is markedly sweeter. That means you can get away with exploitation less to flavor your coffee, morning oatmeal, or baked goods and potentially save yourself a few calories. Now for the bad part.The high fructose content in agave can have some undesirable health effects. Studies have shown that large amounts of fructose can increase blood-triglyceride levels, and high triglycerides are a known risk factor for heart diseas e. In addition, some batch have trouble absorbing fructose, so eating it can cause bloating, gas and abdominal discomfort. Agave can be especially problematic for people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The Verdict Should You Switch to Agave? As with so many issues in nutrition, the health-related pros and cons of agave arent clear-cut.My feeling is, if youre only using a few teaspoons of sweetener a day, the differences are negligible and you can choose whichever one you prefer. In other words, limiting the total amount of sweetener youre using will have a much bigger impact on your health than altering the type of sugar you use. With that in mind, gullt use agave as an excuse to pump more sweet stuff into your diet just because it has a lower glycemic index. Most of us consume far more sugar in all forms than we should. And if agave is your sweetener of choice, just remember to keep your intake to no more than one tablespoon (thats three teaspoons) TOTAL per day.