Agave

[Myca]

Agave...what is wrong with it in very small doses? I saw the other post but I didn't see what is wrong with it.

I don't want to use Stevia.

I just plan to use these things rarely, in recipes that call for them.

[spicyfull]

I find nothing wrong with Agave. It's better than sugar. Maybe you should include the post you saw. Agave is an excellent sweetner make from the Agave Cactus. There are other sweeters you can use, Dates being one.

[Dimond]

I agree. I found it works well and doesn't have negative effects like sugar, honey, etc.

[Myca]

Thanks...Now another question, what is wrong with Honey? Is is higher on the glycemic index?

[sport]

Thanks...Now another question, what is wrong with Honey? Is is higher on the glycemic index?

It is not vegan. It is an animal product.
Other than that it has some very good properties if you buy the right one.

[Colorawdo girl]

For me,Agave is super. It balanced my blood sugar and evened it all out. Honey is super as well. I love the raw honey that has the granules of bee pollen and all on top....ooh lala. I love bee keepers who tend for their bees lovingly and share with me.

[Springtime]

The only "bad" thing about agave, i think, is that it's hard to find the truly raw kind. Truly raw is, as far as i know, clear, and all the supposedly raw agave i've come across has had a slightly brown color.

(i learnt this from watching Sexy Bitches Like It Raw on youtube. Check them out, they're (r)awesome!)

[Myca]

For me,Agave is super. It balanced my blood sugar and evened it all out. Honey is super as well. I love the raw honey that has the granules of bee pollen and all on top....ooh lala. I love bee keepers who tend for their bees lovingly and share with me.


LOL
I love honey too. I used to put honey all over my biscuts but found it was a good waste of honey.

[somelikeitraw]

I had emailed my now mom (took over when my starter mom passed) about agave nectar thinking it could be a good answer for her as she is diabetic. She responded with this article. http://www.living-foods.com/articles/agave.html

My daughter never liked it and said it upset her stomach. I noticed that it tended to give me a blood sugar spike despite the claims that it is supposed to be a low glycemic food. I have been using dates as a sweetener instead. I have not tried thinning the dates with water or citrus juice yet, but adding a date or two seems to work well for me.

[Mary Kay]

IMO, there are two things wwrong with agave: one it's shipped from far away - Mexico, and two, it's low on the glycemic index because your liver has to process it - is hard on your liver.

I used to bee a beekeeper, and believe that bees are not "taken advantage of" - in fact, you give them such a nice home with such nice conditions, that they can produce an excess. Some people though want to remain vegan - whether or not the animals are "taken advantage of" or not, and I respect that. I just wanted to let those of you "on the fence" know my opinion. You also don't want to take the label's word that it's raw ---just like almonds or cashews. You should buy totally unheated honey. In the old days, before I knew better, I would heat my honey to around 150, so that it flowed better and I could filter out debris....

I also take canning jars to an Amish guy, who bottles up local maple syrup for me. The jars seal because the syrup is hot. I know, I know, not raw, but REAL food and local, and not packed in plastic......

I also use dates/raisins etc to sweeten things, and do have a bottle of agave in case I'm going to a potluck and there will be 100% raw vegans there, but rarely use it.

My ideas anyway....Would like to hear others' as well.

Mary Kay

[somelikeitraw]

The following 3 paragraphs are excerpts from the article The Truth about Agave Syrup:
Not as Healthy as You May Think
by John Kohler

"When I first switched to a raw food diet in 1995, agave syrup was unknown and was NOT USED IN RAW FOODS! I first learned about agave syrup back in 1999 or 2000 at a trade show for the health food industry, which I attend regularly to keep up with the latest in the health and nutrition field. I asked several questions, got some samples, and inquired on how the company processed the agave syrup. At that time, I learned that it was processed at roughly 140 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit11, so I certainly didn’t consider it a raw food by any means. Just like agave, some people consider maple syrup a raw food, but all maple syrup is heat-treated and is therefore not raw at all.

Agave Syrup was originally used to make tequila. When Agave Syrup ferments, it literally turns into tequila. The enzymatic activity therefore MUST be stopped so that the syrup will not turn into tequila in your cupboard. Raw or not, if there is no enzymatic activity, it is certainly not a “live” food. As Raw Foodists, we want the enzymes intact.

Long-time raw foodist and Medical Doctor, Dr. Gabriel Cousens, M.D. says that agave nectar raises blood sugar just like any other sugar. Dr. Cousens wrote a book, "There Is a Cure for Diabetes"."

Here is the link again to the article in it's entirety http://www.living-foods.com/articles/agave.html

[asecretchord]

I just got agave yesterday and it's not bad!

[T-Bird]

I just got agave yesterday and it's not bad!

That's a tip off right there!

I bought a thing of agave (from a raw food place - Zing brand I think, so supposedly - really raw.....)

I used it in my "phoney" coffee to help me get over the emotional need for a warm cuppa.

Then I read up on it!

I finished the container I had - but I won't buy more.

Now honey - it is shelf stable for thousands of years. I remember when they found a vat of honey in an Egyptian tomb and said it looked fine.

HOWEVER - How is agave so shelf stable? That you just seal it up in a plastic tube and it's fine for months unrefridgerated.... I find that in and of itself highly suspicious. With all the questions regarding how the body processes it, no thanks....

I don't want to chance it with my health....

[RawKnitster]

You can find "facts" or testimony to support any position you want to take on this issue. It is a personal choice. I use raw agave and raw honey. And maple syrup, too. Each have properties I find useful.

Not all agave is processed at high temps. Some ARE 100% agave and made using a maximum temp of 115 degrees. Madhava makes a quality raw product. So does Ultimate Superfoods.

As for them being high glycemic, so is fruit. :confused: