At my last nutrition seminar at CrossFit On The River, I was asked if agave nectar “is Paleo”. This always comes up as an acceptable substitute for maple syrup, corn syrup, or cane sugar.
Most of the time, it’s people trying to cheat the system. They think that if it doesn’t have added ingredients and it’s “not technically sugar,” it can’t be that bad. Unfortunately, your body is smarter than your brain. Try as you might, and rename it what you like, a sugar is a sugar is a sugar.
Be it the aforementioned sugars or agave nectar, your body still registers those toxins as sugars. It all turns to crap inside the body, making you fat and possibly killing you. You can’t trick the engine into accepting dirt as gasoline. Sorry, it just doesn’t work that way.
Simple solution: Stay away from the stuff. However, the occasional (once every 2 weeks or so) Mac Attack isn’t going to drive the final nail in the coffin if you’re squared away on the rest of Paleo eating.