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The Truth About Agave Syrup

Published: 4 June 2012
Written by Leah
No comments
Categories: Blog

Sugar, Sugar, Oh How I Love Thee

So, some people have salt cravings or sour cravings, or fat cravings… My craving of choice is sweet. And because of that craving, I have delved into the world of “which sweetener is better?”. And I’m passing on what I’ve learned.

Agave Nectar & Insulin

First off, I want to dispel any claims surrounding agave syrup. Agave syrup is extremely high in fructose, which means it doesn’t spike your insulin, it causes insulin resistance, so your insulin levels stay elevated. Sure, agave syrup is a low glycemic food, which means it doesn’t raise your insulin levels very much, but it does keep them elevated- this is actually worse! It’s normal for your insulin to go up when you eat sweets, but the harm is when it doesn’t go down. Then you have extra insulin floating around in your body doing more harm than good.

This extra insulin in your body, appearing because of Insulin resistance, is directly linked to diabetes, obesity, and yes, the big one- cancer.

Agave syrup is actually produced much like how high fructose corn syrup is made from corn starch. The agave plant is natural, just like the corn plant (non GMO) is natural… But high fructose corn syrup, like agave syrup, is NOT natural. It has been processed and refined, and I’m not exactly sure how the bottles in the store can say “raw” agave syrup on them. It’s like saying “evaporated cane juice” is unrefined sugar.. which it is not. It is definitely refined (heated at high temps and stripped of it’s nutritional benefits), and just the same as table sugar.

The Better Sweeteners

Sweeteners have sugar, any way you cut it, and they clearly should be eaten modestly. Stevia, containing no sugar but still “sweet”, can only do so much for me- I might dash a little in tea or occasionally on my oatmeal, but to my tongue, nothing quite replaces sugar. So, my sugars of choice are:

Grade B Maple Syrup – Grade B is important because it’s not as processed as grade A, so it contains more minerals and vitamins. When used in baking, the maple flavor tends to go away. I’ve substituted maple syrup for corn syrup in pecan pie, and let me tell you, no one at Thanksgiving was complaining. It was divine!

Honey – Honey is perfect for sweetening tea or maybe a savory recipe that calls for sugar, but it tends to be a little less sweet than maple syrup, so it’s not my go to sugar for baking. Get some local honey, and you’ll also help your allergies a wee bit.

Sucanat (unrefined sugar) – It looks like dirt, but man is it tastier than table sugar! Sucanat hasn’t been refined (or bleached, might I add) like white sugar has. It retains some of the great minerals because it is essentially pure, dried, sugar cane juice (and the molasses hasn’t been stripped away).

There are other good sweeteners out there, like date sugar and mesquite powder, but the 3 I mentioned are the easiest to find and easiest to substitute with.

The “Good Sugar” Posers

– Sugar in the Raw is quite frankly not raw. While it hasn’t been bleached at least, it has still been processed at high temps and stripped of some of the natural molasses content. It’s an unrefined sugar POSER.

– Turbinado and raw cane juice are the same…

– Aunt Jemima looks like maple syrup, but it’s all corn syrup (including the high fructose kind). Similar pancake syrups are just the same (unless it says “Maple Syrup”).

Hope that gave you some insight into which sweetener is best to use!

 photo by alsjhc

What Oil or Fat Should I Cook With?

Published: 24 May 2012
Written by Leah
No comments
Categories: Blog, Tasty, Healthy Recipes

First off, refined oil (which is most oil in the supermarket) is not healthy. It’s been processed at such high temperatures, (sometimes using chemicals), that it causes the formation of trans fats. Yes, that’s what happens. Extra virgin olive oil is unrefined, but most other oil (vegetable, canola…), unless it says “unrefined,” has been refined for use at high temperatures. I want to point out that “organic” does not mean unrefined.

Cooking Oils:

– Unrefined Coconut Oil

– Grass Fed Butter

– Animal Fat (like leftover bacon grease)

The best oil to cook with is unrefined coconut oil– it can be used for medium to medium/high heat. Don’t worry, your meal wont taste like coconut. Organic, grass-fed butter is also great, if you are ok with dairy, and animal fat is also great to cook with cause it can withstand very high heat.

Do not use crisco (hydrogenated oil), margarine (including “organic” spreads), or olive oil to cook with. Unrefined sesame oil and peanut oil (if you are ok with legumes) are good oils to cook with when used at medium to low temperatures.

Don’t cook with extra virgin olive oil, unless cooking at a really low temp. Add to your dish after cooking for flavor.

And on a side note, fats are important in our diet (especially for our brain!), but eating the healthy fats- I know that sounds like an oxymoron- is key. Other good, healthy fats include avocados, nuts (raw almonds, brazil nuts, etc), seeds (like flax, chia, hemp, and pumpkin), fish, and hormone/antibiotic-free meats.

So go eat some good fat!

(photo by Martin Cathrae)

Nah, it's Not Pain, it's Just Tension

Published: 10 May 2012
Written by Leah
1 Comment
Categories: Blog

I was reminded today of how our body tries to tell us something, usually through sensations. Many times we don’t recognize that it’s crying out for some assistance, and many times we try to logically deduce what’s causing a problem or imbalance, when the imbalance is a little more complicated than we think.

Let’s talk about pain, for instance. Say you have shoulder pain or tightness that comes and goes. You assume the pain is caused by your shoulder (because that’s the location of your pain). However, your shoulder is connected to your arm and to your neck, which is part of your spine that’s connected to your hips then to your legs, and so on.. we can play this game all day.

Your Arm Bone’s Connected to Your… Foot Bone! Our body is made up of a vast pulley system of fascia and muscle, so when one area is tight from say overuse with poor posture, another area will have to compensate- this is usually the area we experience pain. So you could potentially have a hip imbalance that caused your shoulder pain.

I’ve trained in myofascial techniques to improve posture and tight, held areas… and in my experience treating shoulder pain, I’ve been able to decrease or relieve that pain by working on areas like the neck. If I only worked on the shoulder and did not uncover the root imbalance, it wouldn’t matter how hard I worked on the shoulder, the pain would come back in a day or two.

This is why you might have been to a massage therapist over and over again, felt relief for a couple days but then always, the pain returns. It can take a number of sessions to fully relieve pain, but it took a number of years developing that pain. Think back- there were probably some precursors (tension, tightness, intermittent pain) that were the body’s way of saying “Hey! Pay attention! You need to do something about this before it gets worse.” Unfortunately, most of the population tries to ignore it, ices it, takes advil, and believes it’s resolved because the pain went away.

Practicing Root-Release Therapy (specialized massage therapy) in Salt Lake City, I have come across and helped many clients who were part of this population. Even if you don’t live in the Salt Lake area, I’d love to talk and shed some light on what kind of massage therapist or bodyworker you should look for or what types of self care practices you can do to help relieve your pain. I’m always happy to spread some knowledge, and if I can help you over the phone, I will! Call 801.906.3222