(S7E9) Nutrition & Wellness with Alli, MS, CN - Honey, Maple Syrup, and Agave Nectar

Hi everybody. Welcome to Relished. I'm Allie. I'm a nutritionist and a yoga teacher and author of the smoothie book and I'm here to talk to you about nutrition topics every week. This week we're going to be talking about natural sweeteners. We're going to talk about honey, maple syrup, agave nectar. We're going to talk about the history of each, the health information of each, how much fructose is in them. What does that mean? Glycemic index, all of that interesting stuff. And then, super excited because we are going to be making a recipe for grilled apples with Parmesan cheese and honey. So exciting. So, I thought we'd do that recipe because it's Mother's Day week or the week before Mother's Day. This sounds like a delicious way to start the day for Mother's Day or maybe the day before or an appetizer, whatever. I think it sounds good. So, that was the thought. And we're using honey. So, anyway, thank you for joining the show. Please put any questions or comments in the chat. I love talking, talking, talking during the show. So, please bring the conversation here. I will answer any questions to the best of my ability. So, we've got a lot to talk about today. So, I'm just going to get started. Okay, so first we're going to talk a little background, a little history on each of these three sweeteners. Our first one is going to be honey. I probably have a lot of information on this because we're going to be focusing on it for our recipe. But, you know, here we go. Everybody knows honey. So, what is honey? Honey is the sweet liquid produced when bees take the nectar from flowers, put it in their honeycomb in the beehive, and they put it there for storage. So, it's that sweet, sweet nectar. We love honey. So good. I know that typically a lot of times people that are vegan don't eat honey because it is considered an animal product. So, some people do, some people don't. But, we have alternatives. For those of you that don't eat honey, we're going to talk about maple syrup and agave nectar today too. So, anyway, honey dates all the way back to 2400 BC in Cairo. They found that that time was like the first time reported that humans were using honey from beehives. And the oldest, or the earliest apiarists, people that get honey from, people that raise bees for honey, they used old tree trunks and logs to mimic beehives that you find out in the wild. So, bees are frequently seen in Egyptian hieroglyphics. And ancient Egyptians used honey as a sweetener. They made honey cakes to offer to the gods. And they also used it as an embalming fluid. The Greeks also offered honey cakes to the gods. They also used a lot in medicine. And the Romans also offered honey to the gods and incorporated it into their cooking. Beekeeping was very popular throughout the Roman Empire. And honey and beeswax production increased as Christianity grew in the world because of the need for candles. I thought that was very interesting. And a man named Lorenzo Langstroth, he kind of, this was in the 19th century, he sort of revolutionized the concept of beekeeping by making the, what is it called? The collateral hive. So the kind where, you know, it's a box and you pull the trays out and those are the honeycombs versus like having a hive, shaped hive, so that you could maximize the amount of honey made by bees. So, that's kind of interesting. So, that's sort of the history of honey. Now, let's talk about the history of maple syrup. So, we love maple syrup in my house. We consume it fairly frequently when we have things that need sweetening, like oatmeal, our high-protein pancakes that we make, things like that. So, anyway, maple syrup is the sweet liquid from the sap of sugar maples, red maples, and black maple trees. And so, this is interesting. I didn't know a lot of this. So, trees store starch inside the trunks of the trees right before winter, and then in cold climates, and the starch is then converted to sugar, and that rises in the sap, and then in late winter, early spring, it's available to be tapped. So, maple trees are tapped by drilling holes into them, into the trunks, and then they collect the sap, and then the sap is heated to evaporate as much water as possible, and then that's what makes it into maple syrup. Delicious. So, most trees can produce 5 to 15 gallons per year, or per season, so I guess per year. Maple syrup was first made and used by the indigenous people of North America, and virtually all of the world's maple syrup comes from Canada and the United States. Quebec, a state in, or a province, excuse me, a Canadian province, Quebec, produces 70% of the world's honey, which, that's pretty amazing. That's a lot of honey. Maple syrup is graded according to Canada, the United States, and Vermont's scales based on density and translucency. So, this one is U.S. grade A, which means it's dark in color and robust in taste, that's what it says. Dark in color, robust in taste. So, we'll talk about this later in the show, but sucrose is the main sugar in maple syrup, and sucrose is made of glucose and fructose, which we will talk about in more detail. So, syrups must be made exclusively from the maple tree to qualify as maple syrup in Canada, and they must be 66% sugar. And in the United States, pretty similar, it must almost entirely be from the maple tree to be labeled as maple syrup. And states like Vermont and New York have more restrictive definitions than that. So, this one I think is the last one, isn't it? Oh no, I had a different one that was the last one that I used for my Instagram picture today. Okay, so that's kind of the info on maple syrup. The next sweetener is agave nectar, which I don't have a visual aid, but it looks very similar to honey and maple syrup. And it comes from the blue agave plant that is grown in the volcanic soils of Mexico. It's actually a syrup, but also known as a nectar. And the same plant is used to make tequila and mustel, and it's been used by natives in Mexico for centuries. The Aztecs prized it, the agave plant, and believed it to be a gift from the gods. And the flowers and nectar of the agave plant are edible, and for the Aztecs, it was an important source of food. They would harvest it after winter and eat it as a vegetable. The commercial version of sweetener that we see on the shelves all the time now was first developed in the 1990s, so not too long ago, where it became more popular around the world. And Mexico is basically the only country that produces it. So that's interesting. So the way they extract the nectar is interesting as well. It's harvested from plants that are about 7 to 10 years old, and so what they do is they cut the top off, and then they cut the core, or the core is hollowed out, then the cap is replaced, and the nectar is allowed to gather inside for several days. And then they remove that, or liquid, I guess, liquid, nectar. The nectar is extracted from the plant, the juice is filtered, and then the filtered juice is heated to break down the sugars into simple sugars, fructose, and then the resulting liquid is then concentrated into a syrup. So there are two different processes that can be done, one with enzymes and one with hydrolysis, with heating. So you can buy either raw agave nectar or processed, which just means that it's been heated, and maybe treated with enzymes or chemicals. So, yeah, just look at the label and see what kind you want to get. Agave nectar, just like syrup, and honey, really, but maple syrup as well, it comes in a lot of different colors. There's light to amber to dark. The lighter the color, the more neutral the flavor. The amber, which is kind of the middle of the road, has a stronger flavor than the light, but still kind of a mellow flavor. And then the darker the agave nectar, the more nutrients you're going to get, the more minerals, and the more flavor of the plant that remains. So, that's the history of honey, maple syrup, and agave nectar. Lots of information. So, now let's talk about the nutrition of all three, and then we're going to talk about glycemic index, and we're going to talk about fructose, and then we're going to make some delicious grilled apples. So, honey. You can either buy honey raw or pasteurized. As you know, like we talked about in the milk episode, pasteurization means that you treat it with heat, lots of different processing going on. Basically, the heat is used to kill any bacteria, remove any impurities. For honey, it makes it a thinner product, lighter in color, easier to pour and stir. So, that's kind of the reason why it's pasteurized. Raw honey tends to have a little bit more of the nutrients intact. We don't know how much is lost from the pasteurization, but overall, when I'm talking about the nutrition of honey, I'm going to be talking about raw honey today. And that's basically... So, raw honey, it still contains bee pollen, it still contains bee folic, which is a sticky substance that is used to hold the hive together, and sometimes they say that the health benefits may come from those things. And the health benefits in honey varies so much based on how it's processed or if it's not processed, what the environment was like the bees produced it in, what the flowers were like, what the flowers were. So, there's a lot. There's a lot to go on in the process of honey. And some people say that consuming honey that has been made from bees and flowers around your home may help with allergies or seasonal allergies, which I thought that's interesting. A little more than half of the sugar in honey is fructose. We'll go over that again later. Some research suggests that honey may offer protective effects against diabetes, and some say it may improve our cholesterol. I'm going to have to do a little more research on that, but I did see that on a couple of sites. So, natural honey contains lots of compounds that are antioxidants in honey. We love antioxidants, battle out those free radicals, and just help our system and our health in general. Honey is also a natural antibacterial and a natural antimicrobial, and because of its antibacterial action, some people have used honey to clean wounds, which I thought that was interesting. Then there's the other kind of honey, manuka honey, which is another version of raw honey, which a lot of companies talk about all the great health benefits from manuka honey. It has been said by some that it can kill common pathogens like E. coli, staph, bacteria, and H. pylori, which is bacteria that can cause ulcers in our stomach. So, if you can battle those things, that is really good. Also, honey has been found to be an effective cough syrup for some children, over one. We'll talk about that in a second. But, they say if you take a teaspoon of honey, without any other liquids or anything, it can really, maybe I need some honey right now, it can really coat your throat and help with a cough for children. So, you know, something to be said. So, are there any risks in consuming honey? Not unless you're allergic to bee pollen, or if you're under the age of one. So, they say don't give honey to babies under the age of one because of botulism. So, avoid that at all costs. Okay, let's move on to maple syrup. Health benefits of maple syrup. So, I found out that maple syrup is not high in vitamins, but it is high in minerals. So, it's high in manganese, which is essential for healthy bones. It's also high in zinc, copper, calcium, iron, magnesium, and potassium. So, it's also rich in antioxidants. Great. So, this is, we're talking about 100% pure maple syrup. Rich in antioxidants, we know that's good. Some studies have found it may help lower cholesterol. There's been some animal studies where that has been the case. And it may be helpful in preventing Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases. Any potential risks with consuming maple syrup? Not unless you feel that you are having an allergic reaction. Or just not consuming too much because it still is, even though it's a natural sweetener, it still does have those sugars in it. So, just keeping that in mind. Okay. Health benefits of agave nectar. Then we're going to go into some other nutrition stuff. Then we're going to make some apples. Okay. Health benefits... I'm going to take a sip of water. Let me rally. Okay. Health benefits of agave nectar. It's rich in vitamin E, vitamin C, and vitamin D. Also rich in calcium, iron, zinc, and magnesium. And also it is low in the glycemic index, which we will discuss momentarily. Potential risks of agave nectar. It is high in fructose, which we also are going to go into that as well. So, some say a diet high in fructose could be harmful to our health, which we will discuss later. So, the American Diabetes Association recommends limiting the amount of agave nectar consumed. So, we'll talk about that. Glycemic index. What the heck is that? So, the index is from 0 to 100. And it basically measures how much a carbohydrate-rich food raises your blood glucose levels. So, the higher the number, the higher your glucose levels will go. So, sugar is a carbohydrate. We know that. So, glycemic index, I'm going to call it GI, just to keep it shorter. GI is especially important for people with diabetes who are watching their carbohydrates. Just being aware of glycemic index is important. Foods high in glycemic index, GI, can trigger a spike in blood sugar and insulin release after eating it. So, high GI foods are also digested quickly, which may make you feel hungry sooner. The lower the GI value, the less the food raises your blood glucose. So, let's get some numbers. So, the range is 0 to 100. Honey glycemic index is 58. White table sugar, 60. Maple syrup, 54. So, honey, white table sugar, and maple syrup, those all are kind of mid-range for glycemic index. Acai nectar is 19. So, it is lower than the other sweeteners. So, that is something to keep in mind. Now, let's talk about the sugars and the fructose. So, white table sugar is sucrose, which is a complex carbohydrate. It's made up of two smaller simple carbohydrates, glucose and fructose. So, white table sugar is 50-50. It is half fructose, half glucose. Same with honey. It's about 50-50, maybe a slight bit more fructose than glucose. Maple syrup is 50-50. High fructose corn syrup is 55% fructose and 45% glucose. So, it is high fructose corn syrup because it is more than 50%. Agave nectar is 70%, around 70%. They say the range is kind of big range, but on average, agave nectar has 70% fructose, 30% glucose. And it's also, fructose is also found naturally in fruit, but the great thing about fruit is that you have fiber, other nutrients in it as well. All the other sweeteners we're talking about is just basically 100% carbohydrate. So, it goes straight into your system. So, fructose from fruit is not as big of a deal, just because you have so many other good things to go with that. So, glucose and fructose. So, basically every cell in our body can metabolize glucose. Use it for energy, all that stuff. Fructose is only processed in the liver. So, it can do our liver harm if you have a lot of fructose. So, some studies have found that some health problems if you do consume a lot of fructose it increases your chances of diabetes and obesity, increases your triglycerides, and may cause non-alcoholic fatty liver because you're putting a lot of strain and pressure on your liver to work harder and process this all the time, all the fructose. So, fructose is processed by the liver, unlike all the other sugars. All the other sugars can be processed in our cells. So, that can overwhelm our liver and produce dangerous amounts of triglycerides, which triglycerides can build up in the liver and cause liver dysfunction, you know, can reduce our liver function and some of the triglycerides can get in our bloodstream, cause plaque to grow on our arteries, all that stuff. So, this is interesting. So, in the 1800s and 1900s, the average American consumed about 15 grams of fructose a day, mostly from fruits and vegetables. And today, the average American consumes 55 grams of fructose, adolescents consume an average of 73 grams per day. So, we just need to keep that in mind. So, basically, the agave nectar has a lot of fructose, it's low in the glycemic index, choose your battles, I guess. Honey and maple syrup are about 50-50 glucose-fructose. So, something to keep in mind. They're all natural sweeteners, which is good, but they're all still carbohydrates and sugars, so we should consume them in a limited way. Okay, let's put our... Excuse me, I just moved my chair. Okay, so, this recipe, I'm going to... I've already cooked these apples, and they should still be warm, but I'm going to put them in the oven. Warm them up while we talk. Actually, I need to turn the heat up, too. Turn the heat up. I'm going to set that for two minutes, just so I don't forget. Okay, so this recipe, you can find it on relish.com or I put it in the chat. Hopefully, you can see it. Let me know if you can or if you cannot. I can always add it again. But it's called grilled apples with parmesan cheese and honey. We always have honey, and we always have maple syrup at our house. My husband puts honey in his coffee, so we always have honey. But, anyway. So, the recipe is called grilled. As you can tell, I did not grill them because it's raining outside. I wanted to be able to do it on the show. So, you slice a green apple. It says four green apples. I just did one. You slice it. I did pretty thick slices, just like the half-circle slices. And then you thread them onto skewers. So, I have six slices thread onto three skewers. And I'll take them out. I just wanted to warm them up, because then we're going to put them on a plate. Sprinkle some parmesan cheese. Drizzle some honey on it. Have it as a delicious appetizer. So, we want them warm so that the cheese melts just a little bit. Really, really good. Make this for Mother's Day. Make this for any party. I think it's going to be really, really good. Nice appetizer for our dinner tonight. So, 30 seconds to go. While we're waiting, I'm going to show you my recipe book. The smoothie book. If you haven't purchased it yet, check it out on my website. It's a hundred smoothies. All different kinds. Green smoothies, secret ingredient smoothies. That's my favorite chapter. What else? Seasonal smoothies. I'm going to type in my website. Right here. www.allyshercliffwellness.com Hopefully, you can see that. Let me know if you can or if you can't. Okay. Let's turn this off. And, I think they got nice and warm. And I really wanted to show you how cute they are. They're like little apple popsicles. Little apple skewers. Okay. Nice and warm. You know what? It's okay if they're not warm because we can always put them back in the oven and let that cheese melt a little bit. Maybe we should do that. Okay. So, I'll do that and I'll drizzle the honey after we open them up. Okay, so I have shaved, like really nicely shaved Parmesan cheese. You know, the kind that kind of comes pre-shaved. I know you can do it at home, too. Which, that's a great option. Probably fresher tasting, but this is super easy. So, I'm just laying a couple of pieces of this cheese onto each apple. And we're gonna put it back in the oven. Okay. Alright, let's see if I can show you as well. Because I want, I like the delights. The cheese on top. Okay. We'll put this in. I don't think it's gonna need much because the apples are small. Not a ton of cheese. So, that's kind of the topic or that's kind of the info on honey, maple syrup, agave nectar. Interesting stuff, huh? I'm gonna give you my Instagram as well. Instagram. At AllieShirtClub You can check that out anytime. I'm always gonna post a picture of what I make on the show. And I'm also posting all kinds of updates on the book, where you can get it, all that kind of stuff. So, check out my Instagram. Check out my website. And let's see. I'm just gonna open to a random page and show you an example of what the book looks like inside. I took all of these photographs myself. My friend Mark took the cover photo and I took all those. This one is a cayenne grapefruit smoothie and this is a mulled wine smoothie. Non-alcoholic. That was from the winter chapter. So, let's check out these apple skewers. See how they're doing. Yep. They're doing good. They're doing good. They have about 30 more seconds to go. So, anyway. I found out, I thought that was really interesting about all the history about honey originating in Cairo and Egypt. Found in a lot of Egyptian hieroglyphics and also Greek and Roman. Maple syrup primarily from the, or exclusively I guess, from the North America and Canada, or United States and Canada. Agave nectar is from Mexico. So, we've got a lot of different places that these sweeteners are from. Okay. Oh boy. Yeah, this looks good. Okay, I need to grab a skewer. I'll bring it over here and show you. I melted the cheese onto the apple. Then, we'll drizzle some honey over it. It's gonna be so, good. Put a little glass of wine with it. It's a great happy hour. Alright everybody, thank you so much for tuning into the show. Always great to have you here. I'll be here next time talking about another topic. Tune in, find all these recipes on relish.com that are a lot. Over 50,000 recipes on the site. Always finding good ones. So, thanks for joining the show. See you next time. Have a great rest of your day. Bye.