I get a fair number of questions from the people in my life about what I eat, what I don’t eat, whether I think X food is good or bad, etc. It comes with the territory, I think, of being a personal trainer/bootcamp instructor and basically putting myself out there when it comes to diabetes as well.
So I really love when I read something that an expert says that mirrors something I just said last week to someone, or something an expert said that put tactfully something I wish I could have said but didn’t say because I’m not the most tactful person.
Oh, and because I just adore being right.
Today’s example (of me being right, in case you missed it) is found in the September 2010 IDEA Fitness Journal and has to do with using agave syrup rather than sugar.
So, the expert (Jennie McCary, MS, RD, LD and New Mexico’s 2009 Outstanding Dietician of the Year) shares that as a fructose sweetener, agave syrup has about the same number of calories per teaspoon as white sugar. It is sweeter than table sugar and honey, so you can save some calories by using less. Because of its high fructose content, it is touted as a sweetener with a low glycemic index. But be aware that this may not be true across all agave products. Agave’s fructose content varies, depending on the source of the nectar and how highly processed the syrup is.
Bottom line? Sugar is sugar is sugar. Agave syrup still contains calories, so as with any caloric sweetener, use it moderately and examine product labels to know what you are getting.
Here is what I know about any type of sweetener people are told is the next greatest thing: It’s still the same. As the expert states: sugar is sugar is sugar.
Sure, the different types of sweeteners may hit your blood stream slightly differently than one another, but overall, we find ourselves again at healthy eating being something requiring moderation every day.
I know it’s a drag in some ways, but is it really that challenging? How differently do you think we would eat if we didn’t hear the latest infomercial or see the brightest bag on the grocery shelf? How do you think you would eat if you had never heard the term “glycemic index”? For that matter, how do you think you would eat if every time you went down the cereal aisle you only looked at the shelves above four feet?
(I decided years ago that for me, I don’t need to put more chemicals in my body if I can avoid it. As a result of that decision, I stopped consuming artificial sweeteners of all types (no Splenda, no NutraSweet, no Equal, etc) and try to only eat foods with ingredients I can pronounce. I’m nowhere near 100% with that, but I am happy with my decision and don’t regret a thing.
I’m all for eating real sugar and real butter rather than laboratory invented foodstuffs. Like I said, I’m not anywhere near 100% but it’s a goal of mine to eat with as minimal factory intervention as possible.)
