Sugar is a big buzz word thanks to the Katie Couric–produced documentary Fed Up and books like Michael Moss’ Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us
— both of which I think are must sees/reads. Basically what you learn is that because of the addictive nature of sugar, food manufacturers add sugar into pretty much everything we eat — even savory foods; they then cover the sugar traces with high amounts of sodium — the only thing worse than sugar is sugar and salt! That said, not all sugar is created equally and no matter what you do it’s near impossible to eliminate it completely. The worst options are artificial sweeteners like sucralose (Splenda) and aspartame (Equal and NutraSweet) — they will actually make you want more sugar! The best options are natural sweeteners like 100% organic stevia. I also love agave because it’s a low-glycemic food so the body metabolizes it slower than other sugars meaning you avoid those blood-sugar spikes. Do note however that, like all sugars, agave is not a free pass (it’s still sugar!), and comes with its own set of controversies, namely its high fructose content. If you’re going to indulge however, indulge properly and pick something worth the splurge! I’m kind of obsessed with Amoretti’s line of agaves.
Their agaves come in flavors like blood orange, chai, french vanilla, caramel, and hazelnut, meaning that, at least according to my taste buds, they’re more flavorful so I find myself needing less when I’m sweetening things (agave in general is a lot sweeter than regular white table sugar so you’ll need less to achieve the same level of sweetness). Their line is also made using organic nectars and there are no added artificial ingredients.
