Agave Is The New Enemy: Can We Even Eat Healthy Anymore?

I am a conscientious healthy eater.  I've given up caffeine.  I drink mostly water and decaf green tea.  Having inherited high cholesterol, I've given up eating red meat on a regular basis, eat more whole grains, lean protein, yogurt, and fruits and veggies up the wazoo.  My only vice is dark chocolate which I know is a super food but probably not in the quantities I inhale eat it.  My fridge is always stocked with blueberries, my pantry with walnuts.  I'm making myself sick (not literally) by trying to eat healthy.  My only vice is an occasional glass of wine (i've cut back since the naming of my blog).

Truly, I really wasn't missing much eating whole foods and I discovered surprising treats like roasted kale chips.  Yum.   I didn't go totally nuts, allowing myself the occasional treat of cupcakes or such, so it really wasn't as bad as it sounds. 

I thought I was doing everything I could.  The do-gooder in me was proud.

Until yesterday...

When I saw this...

Agave?  The healthy alternative?  As bad for you as the sinister high fructose corn syrup?  WTF?

I have been putting agave in my tea, my yogurt, on my wheat toast, I practically bathe in the sweet nectar.  I've converted my kids from sugar to this supposedly healthy alternative.   

Now this?  How is a girl supposed to get her sugar fix these days?

The author of the above article also says too much fruit can have the same effect as high fructose corn syrup.  WTF?  One mango can bring you above the limit according to him.

I LOVE MANGO.

Anyone else think this healthy living thing is getting out of hand?  Sheesh.

Give Me The Grateful Life - Monday

Summer is here.  What's not to be grateful for, right?

• I am grateful for successfully motivating myself to write. It has been empowering (so far).
• I am grateful for gorgeous green mountains against blue, non-polluted skies.
• I am grateful that my kids are relaxed and stress-free.
• I am grateful for watching them play and laugh in the pouring rain.
• I am grateful for Jamie Lee Curtis.

That last one is curious, I know.  But hear me out.
I've always loved Jamie Lee Curtis.
Not for her role in the Activia commercials, not for her movie roles, but for her contributions as a writer.

She has published some amazing children's books, written for Salon.com and is currently a contributor at HuffPost. For someone who grew up in Hollywood, with celebrity parents, Jamie Lee Curtis has a strong sense of right and wrong. Her feet are firmly planted into the ground. She is sensitive, attentive, and eager to share her parenting mistakes and insights with the rest of us.  I always enjoy, and learn, from her pieces.

I came across her most recent essay today and thought it was a "must share".   For those of us who didn't have the benefit of seeing what she did first hand, we can take her experience and find a way to make it our own.

Here is the link to her essay, Pay Attention,  in today's Huffington Post (for which I am grateful).

What are you grateful for this week?