Constant chatter about superfoods, vitamins, nutrients, and things like chia seed and flax seed make it difficult for the average busy person to figure out what’s really healthy to incorporate into your daily diet and what’s just a trendy fad. The List set out to find what nutrition tips are truly myths and Meghan Sylvester, RDN, LDN, based in Rockville at Shady Grove Fertility’s recently opened Wellness Center, immediately named her top nutrition trend, Agave, telling the site that it’s really not, “a guilt-free sweetener.”
For the past couple of years, health food blogs have encouraged readers to substitute sugar and other artificial sweeteners for Agave, but Sylvester sets the record straight. “Agave nectar is a highly processed syrup that is 1.5 times sweeter and actually more calorically dense than regular table sugar. It is primarily made up of fructose (similar to high fructose corn syrup).”
Sylvester explains that humans can’t use the energy from fructose so it is stored in the liver. When too much fructose is consumed, “the liver cannot store anymore, it converts the excess fructose into fat, triglycerides, and very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL), which can lead to fatty liver, hyperlipidemia, and insulin resistance, all increasing the risk of heart disease and diabetes.”
Instead of sugar or Agave, Sylvester suggests substituting more natural sweeteners like, “raw honey, stevia, and pureed dates,” as healthier alternatives.
Learn more about How Sugar Impacts Your Fertility.
The Shady Grove Fertility Wellness Center, headquartered at our Rockville office, provides holistic support to patients including nutrition services, acupuncture treatment, and fertility-stimulating massage. As the practice’s nutritionist, Meghan Sylvester is available to work with patients in our Rockville, K Street, Fair Oaks, VA offices. She is also available for phone consultations throughout our 4-state region.
If you have questions regarding infertility treatment or would like to schedule a new patient appointment, please call our New Patient Center at 877-971-7755 or click to schedule an appointment.
