Aside from being delicious, honey has also been found to have other health benefits. It has been shown to be effective in reducing frequency of cough, calming sore throats, and improving the sleep quality of coughing children. Honey is also anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and can help reduce seasonal allergens when the honey is from your local area. Honey also never spoils. Honey also contains a fair amount of phytochemicals that may serve as antioxidants.
In general, the darker the honey, the higher the antioxidants. Antioxidants are believed to help rid the body of harmful free radicals. Research shows that antioxidants can help prevent certain types of cancers, fight aging, and lower your risk for cardiovascular disease. The most benefits are seen in raw honey that is not pasteurized. There are no major health benefits attributed to agave nectar, so honey gets all the brownie points. Honey is the clear winner. But both honey and agave nectar are caloric sweeteners and offer little added nutritional value.
Honey is better than agave nectar because it is:. Agave nectar is marketed for its low glycemic index, but its high fructose content cancels out its potential upsides. All sweeteners, including honey, should only be used sparingly. Consuming excessive amounts of sugar can lead to:. The American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugars including agave syrup, corn syrup, honey, cane sugar, or brown sugar to no more than six teaspoons 24 grams for women and nine teaspoons 36 grams for men per day.
While honey is lower on the glycemic index GI than sugar, it can still cause blood sugar spikes if you have diabetes. Get more information about…. The "natural" sweetener agave nectar is often mistakenly assumed to be healthy.
Back to Recipes Chicken slow cooker Veggie slow cooker See more. Back to Recipes Cheesecakes Cookies See more. Back to Recipes Family meals One-pot recipes See more.
Back to Recipes Quick and healthy Quick vegetarian See more. Back to Recipes Vegetable soups Healthy soups See more. Back to Recipes Chicken curry Pasta See more. Fructose, however, is a different sugar that has links to liver damage, which might have damaging effects on blood glucose control. Controlling blood sugar levels is vital for managing diabetes.
People with diabetes should avoid added sugars where possible. Although agave syrup is vegan-friendly and natural, it is not a good alternative sweetener for people with diabetes. In this article, we look at the evidence for and against using agave syrup as an alternative sweetener. Agave is the name for a group of succulent plants that grow in warm climates, particularly the southwestern United States and Mexico.
Some people use blue agave as a sweetener. However, it is high in carbohydrates. The agave plant also produces nectar containing large amounts of a sugar called fructose.
Parts of the alternative health community have turned to agave as a potential alternative to table sugar and other sweeteners. Support for agave stems from its role as a vegan-friendly sweetener and its low glycemic index GI , between 10 and 19 depending on the product.
The higher the GI of a food is, the faster the increase in blood glucose after eating it. Agave has a lower GI than most other sweeteners, which means that it is less likely to cause blood sugar spikes. GI, however, is not the only way to assess the impact of a particular food for people with diabetes. A study gave four groups of participants four different diets to follow: The researchers divided groups following high-carb and low-carb diets into a further group eating only carbs with a high GI ranking and another eating only low-GI carbs.
Those following high-GI diets saw a drop in insulin sensitivity and an increase in LDL cholesterol in the group that ate more carbohydrates when compared to the low-GI group. In the low-carb group, however, the GI ranking of the foods did not make a difference to insulin sensitivity, blood pressure , or many of the risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease apart from reducing triglycerides by a small amount.
Triglycerides are fats that store excess calories. They can be harmful in combination with high cholesterol levels. For people already following a diabetes-friendly diet plan, the study found that low-GI foods produced no improvements in cardiovascular risk factors in the blood. The findings suggest that limiting overall carb intake supports a safe diabetes diet. Agave contains higher levels of fructose than table sugar and most other sweeteners.
The body releases less insulin in response to fructose. This means that blood sugar may remain higher after eating agave than other sugars. Agave also tastes slightly different from regular sugar—just like honey and maple syrup have distinct tastes, so you may prefer it with different foods. Consuming an excess of any sweet stuff—in the form of table sugar, agave, honey, or maple syrup—can contribute to weight gain and negative health issues, Pfau says. But, athletes like us cyclists have a little more leeway with sugar consumption due to our increased activity levels.
The best thing you can do for your health is keep your added sugar intake in check, especially on days off the bike.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend no more than 10 percent of your daily calories from added sugar, which is no more than 25 grams a day for women and 36 grams for men. Pfau also suggests switching up your sugar sources. Bikes and Gear. United States. Type keyword s to search.
0コメント