Having found out that agave is processed put a damper on our sweet tooth and our intake of "organic" ice cream. We found out the hard way that, although agave is a step down the glycemic index — meaning it doesn't make your body spike as hard with the insulin as does sugar — it will nevertheless make your body produce enough insulin that one will put on weight, no matter what you eat. That's what insulin does. It tells the body to store for a rainy day. Sadly, it's akin to living in Seattle where it rains a lot. And the pounds accumulate!
So! What to do?
We asked our good friend and fellow WWOF author Lynn Cameron, who knows more about nutrition and healthful living than anyone we know, if she had any solutions to our problem. And — lo and behold — as usual, she did!
The product is called Lakanto. It's an all-natural sweetener with NO glycemic index and no calories. It's been around for about ten years, and is made up of a pure extract from a Chinese fruit called Luo Han Quo and a sugar alcohol fermented from non-Genetically Modified corn. According to BodyEcology.com, where we purchased it:
Unlike sugar and the other natural sweeteners, though, Lakanto does not feed the harmful yeast (candida) and bacteria in your body.
Lakanto is even safe for diabetics!
And Lakanto … has:
Zero calories
Zero glycemic index
Zero additives
No influence on your blood sugar and insulin release
A one-to-one ratio with sugar
It reminds us of brown sugar. It looks like brown sugar. It's as sweet as sugar. There's no aftertaste. And it's ideal for baking. You just pour it onto whatever you want. We're currently using it in our various ice cream renditions. My wife likes strawberry, orange, with a few drops of lemon, and vanilla flavored mostly organic ice cream.
One note: the Lakanto package says that it's manufactured by Saraya Co., Ltd. in Japan. It does NOT say that it is organic.
One can find this natural sugar replacement at bodyecology.com. Look for Lakanto. Or you can call Body Ecology at 1-800-511-2660. It costs a lot, but for those who can afford it, it's definitely worth it. Especially in dental bills — it doesn't cause cavities!
For all you sugar junkies, it's a near perfect sugar substitute. So far, it's the best sugar substitute we could find.
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3 Comments for "Lakanto — a 0 Glycemic Index sugar replacement"
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Diane Vigil
Comment posted on 11/13/08 @ 8:40 am
Having had a few months of Lakanto usage, I can say that it's quite delicious. It looks and tastes like brown sugar, but there's no "sugar jolt" at all, so far as I can tell. Quite wonderful stuff, which I'm happy to use as and when I need it. I do wish it was a little cheaper, though.
Carol Davis
Comment posted on 07/27/09 @ 11:00 am
I wonder if people who are allergic to corn would have a problem with this. ?
Diane Vigil
Comment posted on 07/27/09 @ 11:11 am
Hard to say, Carol, whether the fermentation process will have changed it enough that it's no longer "corn", per se, or otherwise would no longer cause allergies in those allergic to corn. You could always contact BodyEcology.com and put the question to them.