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There have been some articles surfacing that claim agave nectar is not any higher than high-fructose corn syrup?a press release that, as a vegan baker and agave-lover, ロイヤルハニー flabbergasted me, to say the least. How could my beloved, natural, natural, different agave be no higher than processed, Monsanto-sprayed, genetically modified excessive fructose corn syrup? Is my beloved brownie-sweetener actually nothing more than glorified excessive-fructose junk?

The answer isn’t as black and white as the Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF)?the group whose analysis started this ?agave-gate??would have you imagine. (For more about the Weston A. Price basis, learn this.)

Agave can have plenty of fructose, around 90 p.c (Sugar is 50 percent fructose, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is 55 p.c). The problem with taking in a lot of fructose is that your body should convert it to glucose in the liver, but you probably have too much, it will get saved as fat. Fructose is correlated with elevated blood triglyceride ranges, heart illness, and insulin resistance. This ‘ really a concern if you?re eating fruit, a natural source of fructose (along with different vitamins and minerals). It?s when synthetically made fructose is ingested in such concentrated levels that the issues come up.

Agave also has something referred to as saponins, phytochemicals that have been linked to diarrhea, vomiting, and presumably some cases of miscarriage. The WAPF even goes as far as saying that, “on the very least, agave products should carry a warning label indicating that the product may trigger a miscarriage.? But agave is far from the only meals product that has saponins: others embrace chickpeas, alfalfa sprouts, oats, beans, crimson onions, potatoes?And saponins have benefits, too. They’ll lower cholesterol, boost immunity, and reduce the risk of cancer; they’re a plant’s safety in opposition to disease and bacteria, and may transfer these advantages into our our bodies.

In keeping with Dr. Edward Group of the worldwide Healing Heart, not all agave is made equally. Some manufacturers of agave have gone through an extensive heating and chemical refining course of, which is what turns it into, basically, man-made fructose.

On the other hand, it’s potential for agave to be made with minimal processing. Craig Gerbore of Madhava says that agave nectar may be processed in three ways to transform the agave carbs into sugars: heating, chemical enzymes, or natural enzymes. Low temperatures can be utilized to evaporate the nectar from the water after this juice is extracted from the agave plant, which is how some firms claim their agave is ?uncooked.? Raw foodists debate the existence of really raw agave, but even when it isn’t uncooked, one has to suppose that a minimum of lower temperatures had been used for the evaporation, proper?

This process, supposedly, would produce a sweetener that’s much less-refined and chemically-handled than say, HFCS, which in contrast to agave, is in virtually every single supermarket item?from soda pop to ketchup. And white sugar is extremely filtered and bleached, and has all attainable nutrients eliminated: not to mention that it too lurks in grocery items as unsuspecting as crackers and cereal.

Agave is, at its coronary heart, a sweetener. It is laborious to call agave a “wholesome” meals, however, depending on how it is made, it can be much less refined and chemical-laden than different sweeteners. It’d even have just a few health advantages. However deal with it like a sweetener, an occasional deal with (i.e., do not drink it). White sugar, evaporated cane juice, honey, agave: all of them ought to be used sparingly. I, for one, am not robust sufficient to shun these sweeteners altogether, and can keep selecting agave over white sugar and HFCS when i can. In the long run, as always, it is about understanding what you’re shopping for and who you are buying from, and consuming in moderation.

Concerning the writer: Kayla Coleman is an intern at Care2, in addition to an artist, author, and animal activist. When she’s not working or baking vegan cookies, she’s often studying about well being and nutrition, animals, or the surroundings. Her motto is, “if not now, when?”

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