Agave isn't a health food, the final nail!

Thank you so very much for posting these. I've been looking at the agave debate on this forum and looking at studies as much as possible for quite some time, as I work to update the Bauman curriculum. I've been slowly but surely removing the recommendations we make for the use of agave syrup, even the high quality products, because I've long been uncomfortable with agave's highly refined nature and its high levels of fructose. One does not simply put a tap into an agave plant and come out with syrup; it's far more processed than that, even the highest quality products. In fact, I haven't found specific corroborating evidence, but I'm sensing that agave syrup is a means of making money from the by-products of tequila production (cynical me). These are companies that have all the money necessary to create a very successful advertising campaign.

However, it's important to note that the Glycemic Research Institute (the first link) does note that the response is dose-related (more product, more detriment) and that this is most important for people who already have blood sugar issues. However, I was very impressed by the legal action that will ensue for producers of products including agave that cause negative side effects. That should get a lot of agave out of the marketplace.

(For those looking on the NutritionData website that Blujay posted, go to the Carbohydrate table and click on the tab that offers more details in order to see the staggering level of fructose in agave syrup. Really staggering!!!)

I think the most important point to be made here is that agave is definitely NOT the benign product its advertisers purport it to be, and that once again, we need to stick with products we know to be less processed: fresh fruits;, dried dates/date sugar (soaked and blended are a great sweetener); cane syrup; maple syrup; honey. Stevia (dried leaves preferred) is fine for some sweetening, but people tend not to like it in everything. Sugar alcohols are also questionable to me, though xylitol tastes good and helps prevent dental caries; it also causes diarrhea in large amounts, but even in small amounts in sensitive individuals.

So, as sweets-loving humans, what are we to do? My opinion is to NOT look for good substitutes for fructose and sucrose (which is part fructose) or other concentrated sugars, and then use them with abandon, but to train our taste buds to like foods that are less sweet, such as fruits and yams, and to save concentrated sweeteners for special occasions. Using sweeteners in small quantities, such as a touch of maple syrup in oats, or some raw honey on toast with nut butter, is probably fine for most people, too, but not everyday.

Once again, the usual Bauman reminder: WHOLE FOODS