What's in your Agave Nectar?

[Maverick]

I have been using Madhava brand raw agave nectar for a while, and just recently discovered this information.

http://www.volcanicnectar.com/blueagavefaq.html

Anybody else know anything else about this?

[Faithfullyfit]

YIKES!

Thanks for sharing:rolleyes:

I have only used Madhava...that is the only one available in my neck of the woods. Anyone else know of this?

[JGex]

Isn't it pretty much against the law to lie on the contents of a product?

That Volcanic company turns me off with the way they seem to be tearing other companies down to boost their own business... maybe just a perceptual thing on my part, but the 2 brands I have say "pure agave nectar" so I'll stick with them.

Why not just write Madhava and ask them what's up with these claims?

[Faithfullyfit]

Why not just write Madhava and ask them what's up with these claims?

I am off to do just that- Thanks!;)

[dreamrawalwz]

Isn't it pretty much against the law to lie on the contents of a product?

Well, it SHOULD be, but does McD's tell you all the preservatives and crap in their food? Do the grocery stores tell you which preservatives are on the produce? I know this isn't exactly the same, but they don't have to tell you if it's below a certain percentage. Just like "whole grains" could only be a TINY percentage of the product and they can still claim it to be whole grain. Hmm....

[JGex]

Well, it SHOULD be, but does McD's tell you all the preservatives and crap in their food? Do the grocery stores tell you which preservatives are on the produce? I know this isn't exactly the same, but they don't have to tell you if it's below a certain percentage. Just like "whole grains" could only be a TINY percentage of the product and they can still claim it to be whole grain. Hmm....

I know what you're saying, but I guess I should have been more specific. I'm talking about products that are specifically selling on the principal of their ingredients (or lack thereof) and being labeled as organic. Can a product claim to be "pure agave nectar" at the same time there are other ingredients in it?

[rawpriestess]

this article is about BLUE agave' nectar, the kind they make tequilla from, not the kind we eat

I'd say ours is just fine!!!!

[kaybee]

actually, they seem to be talking about the ones that we get in the shops--if you look at the links, it has links to evaluations of the other brands of agave, both brands it talks about are the brands that my hfs sells in bottles that we raw fooders use... the agave I have says blue agave on it... from these reports sounds like none are pure except the one this company is promoting...and maybe the one that natural zing sells.... would love if someone could find information to the contrary, but the website seems to show that if you request chemical analysis from these other companies, they will show up as having other sugars in them that dont normally exist in agave in its pure form.......

[JGex]

Yeah, but don't you find it interesting that the web site refers to a thread on Amazon.com? I mean, how do we know the posts aren't just made by someone who works for Volcanic?

Maybe I'm missing it, but I didn't see proof of anything conclusive.

[JGex]

And could those chemical breakdowns just be of elements that naturally compose the agave nectar? All things in nature breakdown to many elements, ya know?

[kaybee]

hmmm..i dunno. one other thing it mentioned that had me curious about the processes is that it said that the dark agave had to be "heated longer and at higher temperatures..." that sometimes made it taste burned... i noticed my wholesome sweeteners brand agave tastes kind of like cotton candy or burned sugar..... yet it claims to be "raw".... wonder how high temperatures they heat it too...

thing is that i have seen warnings before about agave sometimes being diluted with sugar water..... i dunno. hard to know who to trust...

[JGex]

OK, I had to go find this..... what I am talking about in the chemical breakdown of all things is for instance, the herb ginkgo biloba. The following is a list of the chemical components that comprise ginkgo:

acacetin
acenapthene
acetic-acid
afzelin
alanine
amentoflavone
g-aminobutyric-acid
anacardic-acid
apigenin
arabinose
arginine
ascorbic-acid
ash
asparagine
aspartic-acid
betulaprenols
bilobalide
bilobanone
bilobetin
bilobol
butyric-acid
calcium
calcium-oxalate
caproic-acid
caprylic-acid
carbohydrates
cardanol
cardol
beta-carotene
d-catechin
ceryl-alcohol tw
citric-acid
copper
p-coumaric-acid
p-cymene
cysteine
cystine
-(e)-dihydroatlantone jsg
-(z)-dihydroatlantone jsg
-dimethyl--diiso-propylbenzene
dna - fl(male)
docosanol
elemol
l-epicatechin
l-epigallocatechin
alpha-ethyllathosterol
beta-eudesmol
gamma-eudesmol
fat
fiber
formic-acid
uctose
gadoleic-acid
galactose
d-gallocatechin
ginkgetin
ginkgol
ginkgolic-acid
ginkgolide-a
ginkgolide-acid
ginkgolide-b
ginkgolide-c
ginkgolide-m
ginnol
ginnon
d-glucaric-acid
glucomannan
glucose
glutamic-acid
glycine
-heptacosanol
hexacosanol
alpha-hexenal
histidine
homoserine
hydroginkgolic-acid
-hydroxyanacardic-acid
-hydroxyginkgolic-acid
-hydroxykynurenic-acid
alpha-ionone
beta-ionone
ipuranol
iron
isoginkgetin
isoleucine
-isopropylphenol
isorhamnetin
kaempferol
kaempferol--o-alpha('''-p-coumaroyl-glucosyl-beta--rhamnoside)
kaempferol--rhamno-glucoside
kaempferol--rutinoside
leucine
trans-linalool-oxide
linoleic-acid
alpha-linolenic-acid
luteolin
lysine
magnesium
manganese
mannan
mannose
methionine
'-methoxybilobetin
'-methoxypyridoxine
'-o-methylmyricetin--rutinoside
myristic-acid
niacin
nonacosane
-nonacosanol
-nonacosanol
octacosanol
oleic-acid
-(e)--oxo-dihydroatlantone
palmitic-acid
palmitoleic-acid
pantothenic-acid
-(pentadec--enyl)--di-hydroxybenzoic-acid
zz'-(-pentadien--diyl)diphenol
pentosans
pentosans
phenylalanine
phosphorus
pinitol
pulnin
tassium
procyanidin
prodelphinidin
proline
propionic-acid
protein
quercetin
quercetin--o-alpha('''-p-coumaroyl-glucosyl-beta--rhamnoside)
quercetin--rhamnoglucoside
quercetin--rutinoside
quinic-acid
raffinose
raffinose
riboflavin
sciadopitysin
sequoyitol
serine
alpha-sesamin
shikimic-acid
sitosterol
sodium
spinasterol
starch
stearic-acid
stigmasterol
succinic-acid
sucrose
sucrose
tannin
thiamin
threonine
thymol
p-tolyl-propylene
tricetin
-trimethyl-dihydronaphthalene
tryptophan
tyrosine
uroshiols
valerianic-acid
valine
wax
xylose
zinc


I think someone who didn't know what they were looking at saw the chemical analysis of agave and jumped to conclusions that there are added unnamed ingredients in agave syrups and someone is using that to promote one brand over another.

I could, of course, be completely wrong, but don't believe something just because you read it on the internet.

Check the list above. Ash is a chemical component of ginkgo as well as it is on the following chemical breakdown of agave: http://www.agavenectar.com/product.html

Now, do you REALLY think the company Nekutli that is mentioned in the thread as being an offender is going to publish a list on a site they are trying to sell product on that is going to have a negative affect on their sales? No, they aren't. They are publishing a full disclosure to benefit their sales.

At least that is what I see.

[JGex]

BTW, when I use the word "you" above, I completely mean that in a generic manner... not specifically speaking to one particular person.... :o

[blaqberry]

hmm... this is all very interestsing.

thx, JGex for the "breakdown".

A few agave brands that I tried in the past seemed to leave an aftertaste that I couldn't tolerate, and sometimes a bit of a warm sensation in the back of my throat. I started to think that they were all just supposed to taste that way :\ (So, now after seeing this thread, I wonder...wut wuz in those other brands?)

As of late, I've been using Organic Nectars, and I love it. So, please-oh-please nobody tell me it's bunk. Let me live in (ignorant) bliss :cool: ;) :p

[michigan roman]

usually i just stick to simple plant matter and water , avoiding anything processed at all . but it just so happens i went to a whole foods store the other day and got a bottle of the wholesome brand organic raw blue agave . and besides the ingredients being questioned now what i was thinking after i got home was that the plastic bottle it comes in is prob infusing all kinds of toxins into the agave . not to mention what they clean the machinery they process it with getting into it . so im getting off it and sticking to fruit for my sugar kick , no use gambling any more than you have to .

[ella]

i'm soon following your steps michigan roman- makes a lot of sense. heck! even maple comes in glass (not raw though) you would figure a company making raw products would consider that as well.

[dreamrawalwz]

The only raw agave I got was from Alissa. That solves that problem lol ;)

[Maverick]

The only raw agave I got was from Alissa. That solves that problem lol ;)

The only problem with this is, the brand that Alissa sells is one of the brands in question. :confused:

[Rawkinlocs]

LOL! This is so comical to me! Yeah, I'd defintely consider the fact that this IS coming from another company SELLING a brand of agave nectar. I mean come on people, think about it! If you want to sell your product and boost it up, you put other products down - well, "I" personally would not do that, but some people DO do that, unfortunately. And the fact that their "facts" come from reviewers on Amazon.com as opposed to a reputable source of information (and who decides that anyway?) is also another red flag.

As it was suggested here, how DO we know that the person on Amazon is not working for this company. Also, I've NEVER heard of this company before in my life until now...they're new, probably threatened by the "competition" and now they're shooting down all other agave companies and claiming to have the only "pure and righteous" source of agave nectar. :rolleyes:

Well, I will tell ya that in your lifetime, you are gonna hear a LOT of different stuff about this being bad for you and that being bad for you. Someone here stated sticking to whole plant matter, even with THAT you will hear conflicting things - don't eat grains, don't eat nuts, don't eat nightshades (bell peppers), don't eat onions and garlic because they're toxic, don't eat the skin on almonds because it's toxic, don't eat raw tomatoes, don't, don't, don't...

See what I'm getting at?

[Dimond]

If it really isn't raw/healthy, I would have gotten very sick from it as my system is very sensitive. I got sick from dates & oats that I was told were 100% raw & it turned out they gave me the wrong info. I use a lot of agave & haven't had a problem. Candida also use to be a big issue for me & isn't since using agave & being raw. I haven't even cut back on fruit or fats. Just listen to your body for what is correct.

I agree with Rawkinlocs. We can really go crazy worrying that everything we consume isn't perfect. We're already eating healthier than 99% of the world. Just enjoy raw. :)

[JGex]

Glad I'm not the only one reading it with reservations, Rawkinlocs.

[michigan roman]

i'm soon following your steps michigan roman- makes a lot of sense. heck! even maple comes in glass (not raw though) you would figure a company making raw products would consider that as well.

ella the way im experimenting with getting sweets in my diet is with soaked grains . ive just started soaking hard wheat berries or raw oat groats from 24 to 38 hours , changing water every 12 hours , then straining to eat like rice or oatmeal . im adding chopped vegis to wheat , like tomato - onion - mushroom . and to oats adding cinnamon - raisins - and it was gonna be the agave .

but now im thinking about adding fruits or vegis to the water the grains soak in in order to infuse the grains with those tastes . like a pizza grain soak by adding tomato juiced - onioin juiced - garlic juiced - herbs .
and for the sweet type grains juicing things like pineapple and apple etc to add to the water for their taste . also blending with some water raisins to add with apple juice to soaking oats along with say cinnamon to make a trail mix type taste .

or maybe soaking grains for say 24 hours , then juicing the fruit and pouring that juice over the strained grains and letting it sit at room temp an hour or so .

im trying to make these soaked , but not sprouted beyond tiny tails , grains a cheap + filling + versatile staple .