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There have been some articles surfacing that claim agave nectar is no better than high-fructose corn syrup?an announcement that, as a vegan baker and agave-lover, flabbergasted me, to say the least. How could my beloved, pure, natural, alternative agave be no better than processed, Monsanto-sprayed, genetically modified high fructose corn syrup? Is my beloved brownie-sweetener actually nothing greater than glorified high-fructose junk?

The reply isn’t as black and ロイヤルハニー オフィシャル white as the Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF)?the group whose research began this ?agave-gate??would have you consider. (For more about the Weston A. Value foundation, learn this.)

Agave can have a whole lot of fructose, around 90 p.c (Sugar is 50 p.c fructose, excessive-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is 55 p.c). The issue with taking in a number of fructose is that your body should convert it to glucose in the liver, however in case you have a lot, it gets saved as fat. Fructose is correlated with elevated blood triglyceride levels, heart illness, and insulin resistance. This ‘ really a concern while 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 problems arise.

Agave additionally has one thing referred to as saponins, phytochemicals that have been linked to diarrhea, vomiting, and presumably some instances of miscarriage. The WAPF even goes as far as saying that, “at the very least, agave merchandise ought to carry a warning label indicating that the product may trigger a miscarriage.? However agave is far from the one food product that has saponins: others embody chickpeas, alfalfa sprouts, oats, beans, purple onions, potatoes?And saponins have advantages, too. They will decrease cholesterol, increase immunity, and cut back the risk of cancer; they are a plant’s protection against illness and micro organism, and may transfer those benefits into our our bodies.

In line with Dr. Edward Group of the global Healing Heart, not all agave is made equally. Some brands of agave have gone through an intensive heating and chemical refining process, which is what turns it into, primarily, man-made fructose.

Alternatively, it is possible for agave to be made with minimal processing. Craig Gerbore of Madhava says that agave nectar will be processed in three ways to rework the agave carbs into sugars: heating, chemical enzymes, or pure enzymes. Low temperatures can be used to evaporate the nectar from the water after this juice is extracted from the agave plant, which is how some companies claim their agave is ?raw.? Raw foodists debate the existence of actually uncooked agave, but even when it is not raw, one has to assume that at the very least decrease temperatures had been used for the evaporation, right?

This process, supposedly, would produce a sweetener that is much less-refined and chemically-treated than say, HFCS, which in contrast to agave, is in virtually each single supermarket merchandise?from soda pop to ketchup. And white sugar is very filtered and bleached, and has all possible nutrients eliminated: not to mention that it too lurks in grocery objects as unsuspecting as crackers and cereal.

Agave is, at its coronary heart, a sweetener. It’s hard to name agave a “healthy” meals, but, depending on how it is made, it may be much less refined and chemical-laden than different sweeteners. It’d even have a couple of health advantages. However treat it like a sweetener, an occasional deal with (i.e., do not drink it). White sugar, evaporated cane juice, honey, agave: they all ought to be used sparingly. I, for one, am not robust enough to shun these sweeteners altogether, and will keep selecting agave over white sugar and HFCS once i can. In the long run, as always, it’s about figuring out what you are shopping for and who you are buying from, and eating in moderation.

In regards to the writer: Kayla Coleman is an intern at Care2, as well as an artist, author, and animal activist. When she’s not working or baking vegan cookies, she’s usually reading about health and nutrition, animals, or the atmosphere. Her motto is, “if not now, when?”

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