Dangers of agave???? Please tell me not so!

[jocelynAZ]

I am part of an organic co-op and one of our members posted on our yahoo group that she found bothersome info on agave. Aside from the issue of whether agave is really raw or not, I personally hadn't heard of any real negative effects of it until now.

As a result of this member's post, I did a quick google search on the dangers of agave and found one article that really concerned me. Especially with regards to babies and pregnancy! I'm providing the article below. Can anyone else provide more info about this? I LOVE my agave and use it regularly!

http://carbwars.blogspot.com/2008/03...-of-agave.html


Blessings,
Jocelyn

[rawererin]

Ok I read the article and the "dangerous agave" that they're talking about is the type that has been highly refined, raw agave has not been highly refined, and despite the fact that it has a lot of fructose, it's not the chemical crazy fructose that everyone is used to, it's natural, our body recognizes it and processes it easily... and because it's so slowly absorbed/processed in our bodies it doesn't create spikes in blood sugar or energy crashes like conventional fructose does.
*Sugars, mainly fructose from fruits and vegetables are not treated the same way in our bodies as the SAD fructose so regularly available, our body breaks them down easily and turns them into the right energies instead of storing them as fat*

Please, please don't worry... if, and I doubt, agave has some drawbacks, there are loads more "natural" sweetners that have been refined and processed to the point of becoming just plain white sugar... you could be doing far worse for your body, enjoy the agave!

[Maui Girl]

rawererin,

How do we know if we have the right one? I just bought some for the first time. Darn I hope I have the right one, it is soooo expensive here.

[GlimR]

Please take with a grain of salt. The blog you linked to is by an author of a low carb cookbook who promotes heavy meat and animal product consumption as well as heavy use of artificial sweetners. Raw foods is the complete and total opposite of that. Her take on anything with a high carb count will be very negative.

[shashibala]

From what I've read, Agave syrup is a sap from a cactus like maple sap from a maple tree. It has to be boiled down to become thick and sweet. That doesn't seem raw to me, but it is also supposed to be less refined than other sweeteners.

[FloridaPatty]

"It does not raise blood glucose levels, but it raises blood fructose, which is worse." Huh?

Never saw a test for that. The article sounds more like a rumor mill than dealing with any facts. And I would need more than her say so that agave is high in fructose. She has no sources avalable to check - usually a sign of propaganda or lying.

[Veganforlife]

Agave is the perfect sweetening option for those concerned with sugar in their diet or with cutting empty carbohydrates. Agave, sourced from the cactus-like agave plant in Mexico, is an organic, plant-derived sweetener with a glycemic index of only 11. (The glycemic index assigns normal carbohydrate glucose the number 100. Generally, the lower the glycemic index, the less impact a particular food will have on blood sugar levels.) Formerly a favorite food of the Aztecs, agave is high in fructose rather than glucose, which allows it to be absorbed slowly into the blood stream, avoiding the “rush” often associated with refined sugar. Agave is 50% sweeter than white table sugar, so less of it is needed in recipes calling for sugar. This is fructose in it's natural form (unlike high fructose corn syrup). Most all Agave you will find is organic, natural, unrefined, economical, raw, and Kosher.

taken from:
http://www.intelligentnutrients.com/...ion/agave.aspx and http://www.deliciousorganics.com/Con...Agave%20Nectar

[menat]

From what I've read, Agave syrup is a sap from a cactus like maple sap from a maple tree. It has to be boiled down to become thick and sweet. That doesn't seem raw to me, but it is also supposed to be less refined than other sweeteners.

There are Raw Agave. Wholesome Sweetners makes both Organic Agave and Organic Raw Blue Agave. I got a bottle at Jewels-Osco. Didn't even have to go to Whole Foods.

And both bottles (raw and unraw) were the same price.

[shashibala]

Thanks Menat, I'll definitely search for some. I love how agave tastes.

[rawererin]

rawererin,

How do we know if we have the right one? I just bought some for the first time. Darn I hope I have the right one, it is soooo expensive here.

Well it should say raw on the label, and you can always ask the company that makes yours to what degree they heat it too, buying it from a reliable raw foods source will ensure you're getting raw agave too...

[jocelynAZ]

Hello again everyone ~ Here is another article from www.living-foods.com that was also posted here on RFT by Sharon in Colorado back in 11/2006. The article is written by John Kohler, raw food expert and also founder of the Living-Foods.com site.

http://www.living-foods.com/articles/agave.html

Okay, so based on what I've researched so far, I have decided to cut back significantly on my intake of agave - to the point of it being used sparingly. My dh and I were having between 1/4 - 1/3 cup of it almost daily in our morning smoothies.

:::sigh:::

Edited: Just wanted to clarify that the 1/4 - 1/3 cup of agave I mentioned is for a smoothie batch that we split between the 3 of us in our family. :) Didn't want y'all to think I have 1/4 cup of agave just for me! LOL. :)

[YayaAnanas]

Well, crap.

[raven]

Like any sweetener, agave should be used in moderation. From what I've read, not all agave labeled "raw" is actually raw. I believe there are a few reputable brands which can actually be considered raw. I heard the owner of one company speak at The Plant awhile ago and I believe that her company produced a truly raw product. A quick check of my cupboard shows that the brand is Organic Nectars.

I believed agave was tolerated well by diabetics but Dr. Cousens' research showed that it does increase the blood glucose of diabetics, even though the article posted says it only increases blood fructose. Agave is not part of his diabetic protocol. You'd have to contact Dr. Cousens for more info but he does not recommend that diabetic consume agave.

I haven't felt any ill effects personally but, as a general rule, it's best to limit the intake of concentrated sweeteners, as well as fruit for that matter. It's important for everyone to keep the blood sugar stable and discourage the growth of fungi, candida, yeast, etc. which thrive on sugar.

Suzy

[tanishamarshall]

Wow... It doesn't surprise me that agave is not all that good for us. I have noticed that I have gotten to a point where I don't need as much Agave when making my green smoothie and I am sure that is a good thing now after reading this.

[NuMystic]

Not sure if this has been discussed a great deal since, but there is much more hard science now backing up the health hazards of Agave. However much many of us would like a magic syrup that is raw but allows us to make things with the same concentrated sweetness of refined sugars this is certainly not it.

The reality is, the more we learn about health the more it is clear that there is a direct proportional relationship with maintaining balanced sugar levels and longevity. You may be able to get away with heavily sweetened things in your teens, twenties, and thirties, but as soon as you cross the 40 mark it's more important than ever to minimize sweets (even 100% natural ones like fruit) and focus on more nutritionally dense foods. Obviously everyone knows moderation is a key in most things, but those that are seeking optimal health are actually retraining their palates to avoid pretty much all concentrated sugars natural or otherwise. (I'm not there at all being a serious sweets addict unfortunately but I'm working on it)

I encourage anyone with a serious interest in health beyond simply being raw to invest some time reading at the Longecity.org forums (an extension of the Immortality Institute) where folks take holistic health VERY seriously and focus exclusively on credible cited studies and hard science.

This article written by a professional Raw chef goes into great detail about what is wrong with Agave and unlike most other pieces online has extensive citations and footnotes attached:

http://rawchefdan.typepad.com/rawche...ood-fraud.html

If all of this is old news, I apologize for beating the proverbial dead horse. A a long time lurker and only occasional poster I just thought it would be of use to any that landed on this old thread the same way I did.