The Holy Grail of Sweeteners

Stepping back and taking a look at the big picture, it appears that all sweeteners have upsides and downsides. For some time, like many others, I believed that agave syrup was a healthy, low glycemic alternative to sucrose / white table sugar. However, recent discussions indicate that agave has a bothersome issue, because it substitutes glucose / sucrose with high levels of fructose, which aren't digestible by the body and end up being removed by the liver. Therefore, completely replacing sucrose with agave likely isn't a good dietary strategy. And like the Holy Grail, "The Perfect Sweetener" may be unattainable. So, we have to understand the advantages and disadvantages of any sweeteners we use and maintain an intake level and variety that works best for us. 😉

Carrageenan: An undesirable or benign additive?

Carrageenan is derived from red seaweed and is often used as a gelling, thickening and stabilizing agent in dairy, liquid, and prepared-food products. It's a controversial additive, since nutritional purists claim it causes intestinal inflammation and isn't well-tolerated by the body, while advocates say it's a natural ingredient and of no undue concern. If you're concerned about carrageenan it's best to read the labels on food products and find out which use it. Here's a useful list from Cornucopia Institute for organic-certified products that add or omit carrageenan. The results are often surprising; with some companies appearing on both sides of the list within the same product category!

Great Pasta!

Here's a nice pasta product: Barilla ProteinPLUS® Rotini, with all ingredients that you can understand and pronounce and 12% protein, too! 😊