The Hemp Connection:
prebiotic

I got started on a series recently about agave nectar, and then had to put it down to attend to other business projects. Today I wanted to focus on an aspect of agave nectar that may be one of its most important nutritional contributions.

A disclaimer must be included before I continue. This information is only going to be helpful if the agave is consumed in conjunction with the guidelines as described in my earlier post. If your diet is high in sugar, it is NOT a license to simply switch to a different sweetener and use ad libitum.

Agave contains compounds known as fructans, which researchers in Mexico recently reported may help prevent osteoporosis by increasing intestinal calcium absorption. These same researchers, based at the National Polytechnic Institute, Guanajuato, Mexico, have suggested that these same fructans"may be beneficial in diabetes, obesity, stimulating the immune system of the body, decreasing levels of disease-causing bacteria in the intestine, relieving constipation, and reducing the risk of colon cancer".

Fructans do their job by functioning as"prebiotics"--they provide nutrition for the healthy bacteria in the colon.

These bacteria have been reported to change the way fat is absorbed, leading some researchers to suggest that agave may have some weight loss-enhancing qualities (again, when used according to the guidelines for upper limit of intake. A calorie is a calorie, regardless of where it comes from).

Fructans are simply long, non-digestible chains of fructose. It explains why the fructose content of agave nectar is so high. However, it appears to be in a different chemical form than that of simple fructose. If you're familiar with the differences between simple sugar, complex carbohydrate, and fiber…fructans, the way fructose is packaged in agave, is a soluble fiber. It's not digested or absorbed, and because it stays in the large intestine, it promotes the growth of beneficial, disease-fighting bacteria.

If you are still skeptical, and I don't blame you, given the plethora of conflicting information on the Internet, I would recommend measuring your own triglycerides before using any agave nectar. Then re-check those levels 3 months later to see if there is a difference.

It is important on this blog that we get it right…so if you take the challenge and you DO experience elevated triglycerides, I'd love to hear from you. That is important information to share.

Over a year ago, inCYSTer Ivonne Ward e-mailed me about a product she'd found, called Pinalinaza. Pinalinaza is part of a family of products created by the Ibitta company. Eventually, we made contact with each other, and on a recent trip to Los Angeles, I made time to visit Vice President Frank Medina at the company headquarters in Southgate.

The Medina family, of Mexican heritage, out of a desire to put a dent in the dismal incidence of diabetes in their culture, has decided to create line of products based on native foods. Pinalinaza and Nopalinaza are blends of ground flax (linaza is the Spanish word for flax) and nopal powder. Nopal is a cactus pad that is high in soluble fiber, known to help reduce glycemic index as well as blood lipids. Nopalinaza is the unflavored version of this mix, while Pinalinaza is pineapple flavored.

A third version, Fibrajamaica, is hibiscus-flavored. If you're a follower of this blog, you will recall that I wrote about hibiscus, with its high anthocyanin content, as being our Southwest antioxidant version of the popular blueberry.

These powders are designed so that they can be stirred into a glass of water or juice and consumed daily as a supplement. But I've also been experimenting with them in my kitchen. I recently attended a potluck dinner where I made a vanilla-hibiscus cheesecake with a crust including Fibrajamaica. It was well received!

Fibramanzana, the fourth variety of this product line, is apple-flavored. It is my favorite one to use on oatmeal, and to bake into breads, muffins. etc.

If you're into prebiotics (they're the favorite food of probiotics, the good bacteria in your gut), Ibitta has a carob-flavored inulin product I have quickly came to love.

It's perfect stirred into milk, or Greek yogurt, topped with nuts, if you prefer to dress it up a bit. You can even blend it into smoothies if that's your favorite breakfast.

Inulin is the source of the prebiotics, and it is found in agave plants native to Mexico. I've written about inulin in another post, if you're interested in more detail. It has a lot of health benefits, but because of the controversy over agave, they sometimes don't get the attention they deserve.

Ibitta has also created a very clever product that is consistently described as"addictive" by everyone I've known who has tried it. Called Kakty, the best way to describe this is a chili-lime flavor dried cactus snack. It's got a bit of a gummy bear-like texture; all it is, is dried nopal with a tiny bit of sugar with a predominant chili-lime flavor. It's low glycemic and perfect for the afternoon munchies.

I often send food samples to my dad for taste testing. He has more of a normal American appetite than me, and his feedback helps me to gauge what's going to work on a large scale. Kakty is the one food I've ever sent him that he asked me how he could buy it locally. That says a lot!

What has also gotten my attention about this company is that ever since we wrote about it, it's consistently one of the most common search words that brings people to this blog. It's clearly popular with those who know about it.

Stomping out diabetes is a big job, and the Medinas have a big vision. But they've also got big potential. We're proud to have them join our eMarket.

Reminder: From now through Labor Day, 100% of all profits generated by the inCYST eMarket will be devoted to the inCYST Institute nonprofit division. We've got startup costs to account for before we can get down to the basics of funding research. This is one way we plan to generate those funds. You can help to make it happen!