Posts tagged blood sugar

The Top 10 Blood Tests for Vegans by Dr. J.E. Williams

This was sent to my email by Frederic Patenaude and it is important information to know what blood tests are crucial for those who are vegans.


I started my own personal experiment with vegetarianism and vegan lifestyle in 1972, and I also conceived and raised children as vegetarians (until they were pre-teen). I have 30 years of clinical experience in natural medicine, and for 25 years, I was a busy clinician in Southern California. Thus, I have earned my credentials and have seen it all.

I know through all of this that if you want to get your cholesterol and LDL (“bad” cholesterol) down to bare bones levels, go vegan. If you want to boost your folic acid and antioxidant levels to new heights, eat more plants. It is the same with reducing your risk for a heart attack to zero, and preventing many types of cancer. But, if you want to have strong vitamin B12 levels, and enough iron and albumin, vegetarians and vegans are vulnerable.

Today I want to discuss the basic laboratory tests most important for plant-based diets. Let’s look at the 10 most helpful ones for evaluating deficiencies and the consequences of not having adequate levels of certain nutrients.

1. CBC – Complete Blood Count with Differential and Platelets: This group of tests tells if you are anemic, immune deficient, or have an infection or allergies. Low RBC (red blood count), hemoglobin, and hematocrit are signs of anemia. The CBC helps determine your general health status. If have fatigue or weakness, or suspect an infection, this test can help determine what is the cause.

2. CMP – Comprehensive Metabolic Panel: The CMP is a group of 14 tests that provides information about the status of your kidneys, liver, and electrolyte and acid/base balance, as well as of your blood sugar (glucose) and blood proteins (total protein, albumin, and globulin).

Abnormal results, especially combinations of abnormal results, indicate a problem that needs to be addressed. Total protein below 6.5 and albumin below 3.9 are signs of protein deficiency. Glucose (blood sugar) is also tested in this panel. It is uncommon for plant-based eaters to be diabetic. Some times, however, glucose can be too low, suggesting hypoglycemia.

3. Ferritin: This test helps assess iron stores in the body. It is useful in combination with an iron and TIBC to evaluate the severity of iron deficiency or overload.

4. Folic Acid: This test gives an idea of your level of folate. It is rarely low in plant-based diets. However, higher than normal levels, common in vegetarians and vegans, combined with low vitamin B12 levels, magnifies vitamin B deficiency in the body. The amount of folate inside the red blood cell (folate, RBC) may also be measured and is normally higher inside the cell than in the serum.

5. Homocysteine: An elevated homocysteine level helps determine B12 or folate deficiency. Elevated levels of homocysteine (above 10 micromoles/liter) are associated with atherosclerosis (hardening and narrowing of the arteries) and suggest an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, blood clot formation, and Alzheimer’s disease. I want my patients to be lower than 9 micromoles/liter and optimally less than 6 micromoles/liter.

6. Iron – total and TIBC (total iron binding capacity): Vegetarians can have adequate iron levels if they eat quantities of iron-containing vegetables and fruits, like spinach and raisins. However, raw vegans often show low levels of red blood cells and iron deficiency in their tests. Early iron deficiency causes no physical effects, so you may not know you levels are going down; but, as hemoglobin levels drop below 10 g per deciliter, things can get challenging. As the iron-deficiency progresses, symptoms begin to develop, including fatigue and tiredness, weakness, dizziness, and headaches. As iron reserves continue to be depleted, you can experience shortness of breath, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), drowsiness, and irritability.

7. Lipid Profile: This group of tests measures your blood fats (total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglycerides) to determine risk for coronary heart disease. Vegetarians typical have normal lipid profiles, but vegans may have cholesterol levels that are too low (less than 135 mg/dL). Cholesterol is essential for life. A waxy substance manufactured from raw materials supplied in the diet, it is used to produce hormones and cell membranes and is transported in the blood. Cholesterol is the primary building block for steroid hormones like estrogen and testosterone, and adequate levels are required for health.

8. MMA – Methylmalonic Acid, serum: MMA, along with homocysteine, help diagnose an early or mild B12 deficiency. If MMA and homocysteine levels are increased, then vitamin B12 deficiency may be present, indicating less available B12 at the tissue level. If only homocysteine is elevated, then folic acid may be low or not being metabolism properly. If MMA and homocysteine levels are normal, it is unlikely that there is a B12 deficiency.

9. Vitamin B12: Both B12 and folate are necessary for normal red blood cell formation, tissue and cellular repair, DNA synthesis, and for nerve health. A deficiency in either B12 or folate causes macrocytic anemia. Also called megaloblastic anemia, this type of anemia is characterized by the production of fewer – but larger – red blood cells called macrocytes, leading to fatigue, weakness, and all the other symptoms of anemia. If your levels are below 400 pg/mL, suspect B12 deficiency. I like my patients to be at least 600-900 pg/mL.

10. Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy: This test determines vitamin D3 status. It tells if you are susceptible to bone weakness, bone malformation, or abnormal metabolism of calcium. Since vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin and absorbed from the intestine like dietary fat, low-fat diets are prone to vitamin D deficiency. Also, people with conditions that interfere with fat absorption, such as cystic fibrosis and Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and Celiac disease are not able to absorb enough Vitamin D.

Dr. Williams’ Suggested Panels for Vegetarians/Vegans

Complete Blood Count with Differential and Platelets
Comprehensive Chemistry/Metabolic Panel
Folic Acid
Iron, total and IBC
Lipid Panel
Methylmalonic Acid, Serum
Vitamin B12
Vitamin D3, 25 Hydroxy

What’s Next?

You need to be able to understand your tests. For that we highly recommend the Complete Blood Test Blueprint, by Dr. Williams.

This program is at a deep discount of $37 or $47 depending on the options you choose and normally  $100 dollars and up.  This offer can change at any time, so order as soon as possible.

The program features 35 beautiful graphics that show you clinical, desirable and optimal ranges for blood tests and what to do if your levels are high or low.

Blood testing, if done correctly, can be your best ally in determining the right diet, the right supplements and the perfect health for you.

He also covers what to do when you get your tests back to bring your levels into optimal ranges.

To get the Complete Blood Test Blueprint, along with “How to Read Your Own Blood Tests”, go to:

This is our most up-to-date program on blood tests… so if you were thinking about getting it, now’s a good time!



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Why No Oil? by Frederic Patenaude

Check out the great deals below on products from Frederic.
The special offers are subject to change at any time.

Why No Oil? by Frederic Patenaude

One of the most common questions that I get is: why don’t you recommend oil?
What about coconut oil? Or extra-virgin olive oil? Or flax seed oil?

Why I Don’t Recommend Any Oil, Including Olive or Coconut Oil

I follow the lead of excellent doctors and researchers such as Dr. Esselstyn, McDougall, Barnard, Campbell, Klaper, Goldhammer (and many others) in my stance against oil.

I don’t use any oil, including olive or coconut — and never eat any except in circumstances where I’m not in full control of the food that I’m eating.

Once you’ve experienced going oil-free, you don’t want to go back. The benefits of eliminating oil from the diet are numerous, and you will feel many of them immediately.

You’ll have more energy. Oil is 100% pure fat with no protein or carbohydrate, and very few other nutrients. Fat is twice as concentrated in calories as carbohydrates, containing nine calories per gram vs. four for carbohydrates. You’ll have more energy eliminating oil because you eliminate a concentrated source of calories. You will replace those calories with foods that give more energy, such as fruit, healthy starches, vegetables, and whole nuts and seeds or avocados.

Your mood will improve. Again, consuming liquid fat means consuming fewer carbohydrates and healthy sources of protein. Whole carbohydrates contribute positively to serotonin production.

Your digestion will improve. Oil makes digestion sluggish. Liquid fat takes a lot more time to digest than carbohydrates. On an oil-free diet, your digestion will be excellent! You will never feel too full or experience discomfort after a meal, even if it is big.

You’ll lose body fat. You might think that eating so many carbohydrates makes you fat. But in reality, it’s the combination of carbohydrates and fat that promotes fat gain. Carbohydrates are burned as energy whereas fat can be stored directly as body fat. If one consumes both carbohydrates and fat in significant quantities, the carbohydrates will be used as energy and the fats will be stored as body fat (as long as total calories exceed what the body needs). Liquid fat (oil) are the easiest types of calories for the body to store as body fat.

Your blood sugar will improve. I used to check my blood sugar every day. Eating fat and especially meat has always caused the greatest spike in blood sugar. That’s because a high-fat diet lowers insulin sensitivity. In fact, beef causes more insulin production than white sugar.

Why No Oil?

Here are some more reasons to avoid oil:

1) Oil is a refined product and the most concentrated source of calories available anywhere. One tablespoon of oil contains 120 calories of pure fat with almost no other nutrients. Refined sugar is only 50 calories per tablespoon.

A few splashes of olive oil here and there can quickly add up to hundreds of extra calories that you don’t need. Worst of all, those calories are missing all the fiber and essential nutrients and are empty.

Multiple studies have found that adding fat to food makes people over-consume calories without realizing it because fat has a very low satiety factor compared to carbohydrates or proteins. Many of these fascinating findings are described in the book “Salt, Sugar, Fat.”

Remember: it takes 24 olives to make 1 TBS of olive oil. I don’t know about you, but I’ve never once added 24 olives to a single serving of salad.

2) Vegetable oils contribute to inflammation. Omega 6 fats contribute to inflammation in the body while omega-3 fats reduce it. But most vegetable oils have a ratio that dramatically favor omega-6 fats. We should seek to a dietary ratio of no more than four times the omega 6s vs. 3. Olive oil contains over ten times the omega-6 as omega-3, and many other oils are worst.

3) Olive oil doesn’t lower LDL cholesterol, in fact, it increases it. It’s a myth to think that olive oil is “heart healthy.” Studies have only shown that it lowers LDL cholesterol when it replaces animal fats like butter. But to add olive oil (and other vegetable oils) to an otherwise healthy diet increases LDL levels. If you want to raise your LDL levels even faster, then eat some coconut oil. As Dr. Williams recently pointed out in an article published on Renegade Health, vegans tend to eat too much coconut oil, and it does raise their LDL levels. There’s a lot of hype around coconut oil, but in my opinion it’s just another good way to get to a heart attack faster. (For the lowdown on coconut oil, watch this video by Dr. Greger.) Note: whole coconuts are healthy. You can eat them.

4) Olive oil injures the inner lining of the arteries (called endothelium). A study conducted by Dr. Robert Vogel and published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology showed that a meal containing olive oil caused severe constrictions in arteries, contributing to heart disease. Consuming olive oil reduced blood flow by 31% in this study. It’s worth noting that canola oil or salmon didn’t cause this problem (however, all vegetable oils are unhealthy to some degree).

What studies found was that the protective components of the Mediterranean diet appear to be fruits and vegetables and nuts, and NOT the olive oil. Greek people only got away with eating olive oil because they consumed a lot of fruits and vegetables. They also replaced animal fats like butter with olive oil. But olive oil in itself isn’t healthy. (Note: Greece currently has the highest obesity levels in Europe and has the highest per-capita consumption of olive oil).

5) Oils release toxic compounds when heated. Many oils become carcinogenic when heated. And yes, every type of oil can withstand a different level of heat. But don’t believe for a second that nothing is happening to your oil when you start heating it. Udo Erasmus, one of the world’s most well-known experts on fats, always recommended to never heat any fat. He said: “If health is what we want, water is the only oil appropriate for frying. We’re back to steaming, poaching, boiling, or pressure cooking our foods. Or, even better in most cases, eating them raw.”

What about essential fats?

It’s true, we need some fats for good health. But all whole foods contain them to a certain degree, and in the perfect omega 3/6 ratio.

What’s my favorite source of essential fats? Green vegetables. Although the percentage is low, it contains omega 3s in the perfect ratio.

Additional fats should come from whole foods such as nuts, seeds, avocados, etc. Those foods contain fiber, vitamins, minerals, protein, and so many other critical nutrients that are missing from liquid fat calories.

I only take two tablespoons of ground flax seeds every day. I have tested my Omega-3 levels using a blood test, and I’m getting optimal results. My theory is that removing oil in the diet improves the omega-3 ratio because there’s no omega-6 to compete with the omega 3s. The body can fully convert the small amount of fatty acids naturally found in every whole food, including vegetables. Including flax seeds and walnuts or hemp is a good idea.

How to Transition to an Oil-Free Diet

Now, does that mean you can never have a splash of olive oil? If you’re very active and burn a lot of calories, a bit of olive oil probably won’t hurt you. But it’s better to go without it. Try giving it up and you’ll notice that your taste for oil will disappear. If you crave something fatty, have whole nuts and seeds instead, or even some nut butter. Eat some avocado. And whole coconuts contain ALL of the benefits of the coconut. Coconut oil is just pure fat. What could be tastier than a fresh, young coconut?

When I make a batch of hummus, I only use some tahini, but I don’t add any oil. The traditional recipe for hummus doesn’t contain any oil. I stopped purchasing the tahini brands that contain oil (most of them).

When I eat a salad, I usually eat it plain or with a simple seasoning of balsamic vinegar and maybe nutritional yeast. But I don’t add olive oil to it. I might add some diced avocado.

When I make rice and beans, or marinara sauce, I don’t stir-fry the onion and garlic in olive oil. I dry-sautee the onions and garlic until a little brown and then deglaze it with vegetable broth. No oil.

My taste buds have adapted to this oil-free diet. I now enjoy my food more without oil. It takes about 60-90 days for a person used to a diet of 30+% fat to adjust to lower-fat diet. Then when the transition is over, you will start to dislike oil and enjoy the taste of real, unrefined foods without added liquid fat.



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3 Antibacterial Herbs for Everyday -Steph Jackson

3 Antibacterial Herbs for Everyday by Steph Jackson

Are you interested in keeping your detox delicious? Would you like to bring bad bacteria into balance while enjoying delicious food too? Many of the most delicious herbs that we love to use in food preparation are also powerful antibacterial herbs with many other benefits. These herbs give our foods their distinctive character and flavour. In this article you will learn three of my favourite antibacterial kitchen herbs that can be used every day.

1. Ginger
Ginger has been used for thousands of years for its antimicrobial properties and has been carried around in my purse from time to time for three years. Some people carry Advil and I carry plants… Ginger has several other important properties that can be considered when choosing this herb. Ginger has also been used for its anti-inflammatory, warming, circulatory stimulating and expectorant properties. People use ginger to help stimulate faster removal of a cold or flu or for arthritis, headaches or circulation issues particularly at the extremities. Ginger can be great for pain because it does quite well with reducing inflammation which causes us to feel the pain in the first place. As usual of course finding and addressing the cause of the inflammation along with reducing it is usually a good idea but for me ginger works well for those little aches and pains. I often take ginger as a tea or a fresh juice and really enjoy it because I can really use its warming and stimulating properties along with its antimicrobial benefits. The character of the fresh juice is very very different from the character of the boiled root in a tea or a straight ginger/garlic “soup”. The rest of my family really loves those ginger candies but I’m not convinced they are really doing anything helpful and I haven’t been able to create an amazing sugar-free alternative! Some people take ginger before bed to stimulate motility in the digestive tract which can be very helpful to keep food moving so that it does not feed the bad bacteria in an unhealthy way. If this sounds like the right herb for you give ginger a try!

2. Rosemary
Rosemary, the herb of remembrance. I love to drink just straight rosemary tea or mix it with my peppermint. It is wonderful. Rosemary increases the flow of oxygen to areas all over the body including the mind. This may be why it seems to bring increased mental clarity. I know I love to drink rosemary tea when I am doing some thinking, writing or planning articles. Rosemary has been used for circulation problems just like our other two herbs ginger and cinnamon. Rosemary is warming as well. Rosemary has been used for cramping including in the digestive system as well as bloating. I have included rosemary here because it has antibacterial and anti fungal properties and has been used for candida, both the oil and the herb itself. There is some evidence that rosemary does not kill the friendly flora in the body but only the pathogenic bacteria and yeasts. A word of warning is that although some rosemary essential oils are edible they are strong medicine so make sure to start slowly and take care of yourself. Try mixing the fresh herb with others in salad dressings or marinating mushrooms with it. I love rosemary with lime and berries in desserts.

3. Cinnamon
Another stimulating, warming, drying herb, cinnamon has so many virtues I’m not sure where to get started. It does have those antimicrobial qualities that we are looking for here and of course tastes really good in a chai tea… It has blood sugar lowering properties and has been used for its astringent qualities too. Astringents can actually help tissues to heal. Cinnamon is one of the arch enemies of the evil candida, the scourge of the digestive tract 🙂 It is slightly demulcent so can create a bit of a healing soothing gel as it travels through the body and this is often overlooked because of its many other amazing properties. Cinnamon has been used as a blood thinner. Cinnamon can be taken as a tea or a tincture and of course in my favourite foods. I do love the spicy… Cinnamon has also been used to increase circulation. It is sometimes used as an anti-diarrhea herb although I have no personal experience with it in this way. Cinnamon is often included in toothpaste, rinses and other tooth products because of its antibacterial and astringent properties. Cinnamon is high in nutrients and antioxidants just in case you needed another reason! I find cinnamon also a sneaky way to cover up the flavours of other herbs if I am trying to feed them to my pickier family members because of its strong yet familiar flavour. Many of the studies featuring cinnamon for the uses above have been using more concentrated encapsulated doses but it is my personal belief that using cinnamon as a culinary spice has many many great benefits including the ones we have talked about and more.

Each with its own distinctive flavour the power of the herbs above cannot be overstated… And I bet you have them in your kitchen right now. Enjoy your cup of chai tea or rosemary marinated vegetables knowing you are bringing balance to your digestion and enjoying the myriad health benefits these herbs possess.

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Killer Sweeteners and Agave Nectar/Syrup – Not recommended!

Killer Sweeteners by Isabel De Los Rios – Certified Nutritionist

In my practice as a nutritionist and personal trainer, new
clients are always coming to me telling me they are doing
everything they are “supposed” to be doing, but still, do not
lose weight. Of course, this is frustrating. Losing weight is
hard enough, and to change your eating habits and still see no
results, that’s even more frustrating.

So why do these people not lose weight? If I had to pick the
most common reason why most people’s efforts have proved no
results, I would say it is the deception of artificial
sweeteners and processed diet foods. Yes, you heard right. It is
the diet coke, diet snacks, processed foods and artificial
sweetener in your coffee that is keeping you fat. So how is this

Artificial sweeteners overwhelm your liver

Your liver is your largest internal organ, and it’s responsible
for an astonishing variety of life-sustaining and
health-promoting tasks, including those that make healthy weight
loss and weight management possible. Integral to countless
metabolic processes, the liver supports the digestive system,
controls blood sugar and regulates fat storage. One of your
liver’s most important functions, and the most crucial to your
weight loss, is chemically breaking down everything that enters
your body, from healthy vegetables, to not so healthy fast food,
from healthy water to not so healthy soda.

It’s your liver’s job to distinguish between the nutrients you
need to absorb and the dangerous or unnecessary substances that
must be filtered out of your bloodstream. But when the liver is
clogged and overwhelmed with toxins, like artificial sweeteners,
it can’t do a very effective job of processing nutrients and
fats. If it can not process the nutrients and fats that your
body needs, this will cause you to gain weight or will prevent
you from losing weight. Your liver also produces bile, a crucial
substance for detoxifying our bodies.

It is the job of bile to help our bodies break down the fats we
need and to assimilate fat-soluble vitamins. But when our bile
becomes overly congested with the toxins it’s trying to filter
out, it simply can’t function properly. It becomes thick,
viscous and highly inefficient in breaking down fats. The
result: You are more likely to gain weight and to have a greater
difficulty losing it. So the more toxic your body becomes, the
more difficulty you’ll have losing weight and keeping it off
because your liver just can not work properly to break down fat.

Are artificial sweeteners considered a toxin?

So what qualifies something as a “toxin”? A toxin is anything
that your body does not recognize as a natural food source. The
reason why artificial sweeteners have “zero” calories is because
your body does not recognize them as a food source. For example,
the chemical process to make Splenda (sucralose) alters the
chemical composition of the sugar so much that it is somehow
converted to a completely different molecule than sugar. This
type of “fake” sugar molecule does not occur in nature and
therefore your body does not possess the ability to properly
metabolize it. This is how the makers of Splenda claim that it
has zero calories, because in theory it should not be digested
or metabolized by the body (Although it’s been shown that some
people’s body do absorb u.p to 15% of the artificial sweeteners
they ingest). So the more artificial sweeteners that you consume
in one day, the more you are overwhelming your liver with toxins
and the less able it is to do its job of processing fat.

And what happens if the liver can’t do its job? You can’t lose
weight or worse yet, you gain weight.

What if you don’t use artificial sweeteners? Don’t be fooled.
Almost every diet product on the market has some kind of
artificial sweetener added to it. Even some children’s snacks
are now being made with sucralose (Splenda) and most flavored
waters contain sucralose or aspartame.

Now add up how many things you eat in one day that contain some
form of artificial sweetener. The list may be very long. How
overwhelmed do you think your liver is? Does it have the ability
to work properly? Even if you keep your calories at bay and only
drink Diet Coke with your meals, will you truly get down to the
weight that you want, and stay there? It’s certainly been in my
experience that the answer is “no” and until you are ready to
commit yourself to a healthy way of eating, weight loss will
always be a constant struggle.

What else do sweeteners do? Sweeteners increase appetite

Artificial sweeteners tell your taste buds that, “sweet stuff
has arrived,” which to the brain means, “nutrition has arrived.”

When artificial sweetened drink or food reaches the small
intestine, the receptors find no nutrition. A message is then
sent back to the brain saying, “We’ve been tricked-there’s no
nutrition here.” The appestat (the part of your brain that
triggers satiety) sends the message to “keep eating because we
need nutrition to help process all this fake food and run your
body.” So even after you eat a good portioned healthy meal
(along with your diet coke) you still feel like your starving
all day, or you become very hungry soon after. Your healthy
eating efforts may be sabotaged if you continue to feel hungry
all day. No one likes to feel hungry so you continue to eat more
food until you feel satisfied, which in your effort to lose
weight, may just be too much.

Sweeteners increase our Sweet Tooth

Saccharin (Sweet n Low) is 300 times sweeter than sugar,
aspartame (Equal) is 200 times sweeter than sugar and sucralose
(splenda) is 600 times sweeter than sugar. Such sweeteners can
only increase our sweet tooth and increase our taste of sweet
things. If you can never get rid of your sugar cravings, any
healthy eating plan will be difficult because you will
constantly be craving “sweet”. Artificial sweeteners have also
shown to promote the same blood sugar fluctuations as regular
sugar, which, again will bring on “sugar lows” which will
i.ncrease appetite and cravings. This is not to say, that
something sweet now and again is not ok, but it is those people
who can not control their sugar cravings that are being
sabotaged by these artificial sweeteners.

What are some alternatives to sweeteners?

Giving up sugar and artificial sweeteners may be difficult,
especially if you are accustomed to everything having such a
sweet taste. A wonderful alternative to sugar and artificial
sweeteners is an herb called Stevia. Stevia is an
extraordinarily sweet herb, 200-300 times sweeter than sugar.

Stevia is almost zero calories, so it is perfect for people who
are watching their weight. Unlike sugar, it does not trigger a
rise in blood sugar so you will not get a sudden burst of energy
followed by fatigue and a need for another “fix”. It increases
energy and aids digestion by stimulating the pancreas. Stevia
also presents great advantages over saccharine and other
artificial sweeteners in that it is not toxic. Stevia is a plant
that is found in nature and is not man-made in a laboratory.

Stevia can be found at almost all health food stores such as
Whole Foods, and is listed under the “supplement” section.
Stevia can be used exactly like sugar and artificial sweeteners
to sweeten drinks and it can even be used in baking.

If weight loss or staying away from sweets has always been a
problem for you, take notice of how much artificial sweetener
you have been ingesting. That just may be the culprit. Make a
resolution this year to give up the “fake” stuff and stick to
natural alternatives like Stevia. You will not only be helping
your weight loss efforts but you will also be benefiting your
health. If you or someone you know is addicted to sweet drinks
such as sodas or beverages sweetened with sugar or artificial
sweeteners, try this “Tea Juice” and you will see that weaning
yourself off sugar or sweeteners will be much easier.

Tea Juice

-5-6 bags of any non-caffeine herbal tea of your choice (green
tea, peach tea, berry tea, orange zinger, lemon, etc.)

-3 quarts water

-Stevia powder or liquid to taste

Boil tea bags in a large pot. Add 1-2 full teaspoons of stevia
while still hot. (You may add more or less, based on your
desired sweetness) Let tea cool and then transfer to the
refrigerator in Ice Tea pitchers or individual size water

This drink is a great replacement to Diet Coke or Diet Snapple.

Isabel De Los Rios – Certified Nutritionist


Agave Nectar/Syrup

Here is some info from the website Food Renegade: (here is the link to the site to read the full article – In a recent article now posted on the Weston A. Price foundation’s website, Ramiel Nagel and Sally Fallon Morell write, Agave “nectar” is not made from the sap of the yucca or agave plant but from the starch of the giant pineapple-like, root bulb. The principal constituent of the agave root is starch, similar to the starch in corn or rice, and a complex carbohydrate called inulin, which is made up of chains of fructose molecules. Technically a highly indigestible fiber, inulin, which does not taste sweet, comprises about half of the carbohydrate content of agave.


Some more info from the article on this site: In a different article, Rami Nagel quotes Russ Bianchi, managing director and CEO of Adept Solutions, Inc., a globally recognized food and beverage development company, on the similarities between agave nectar and high fructose corn syrup:


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