Debunking The Blue Agave Myth (basically HFCS masquerading as a health food)

[mod mom]

Debunking The Blue Agave Myth

Agave syrup (nectar) is basically high-fructose corn syrup masquerading as a health food.

Sorry. Don't kill the messenger.

It's easy to understand how agave syrup got its great reputation. Even the word "Agave" has a fine pedigree, coming from the Greek word for noble. The blue agave species- considered the best for the making agave nectar -- flourishes in rich volcanic soil. (It's also the only variety permitted to be used for the making of tequila.) And extracts from the agave plant have been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Unfortunately there's zero evidence that any of those compounds are present in the commercially made syrup.

Agave nectar is an amber-colored liquid that pours more easily than honey and is considerably sweeter than sugar. The health-food crowd loves it because it is gluten-free and suitable for vegan diets, and, most especially, because it's low-glycemic (we'll get to that in a moment). Largely because of its very low glycemic impact, agave nectar is marketed as "diabetic friendly". What's not to like?

As it turns out, quite a lot.

Agave nectar has a low-glycemic index for one reason only: it's largely made of fructose, which although it has a low-glycemic index, is probably the single most damaging form of sugar when used as a sweetener. With the exception of pure liquid fructose, agave nectar has the highest fructose content of any commercial sweetener.

All sugar -- from table sugar to HFCS (high-fructose corn syrup) to honey -- contains some mixture of fructose and glucose. Table sugar is 50/50, HFCS is 55/45. Agave nectar is a whopping 90 percent fructose, almost -- but not quite -- twice as high as HFCS.

-snip
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-jonny-bowden/debunking-the-blue-agave_b_450144.html

What next? :(

[MercutioATC]

1. I guess I have to stop referring to tequila shots as " my vitamins" now, huh?

:(

[Tesha]

2. Tequila still contains lots of "Vitamin A"! (NT)

[Robb]

5. "Vitamins," "therapy," "old friend."

They all work in this house. :D

[truedelphi]

3. Did not know any of this about agave. Thank you. n/t

[ThomCat]

4. I had heard that tests with Diabetics had to be halted do to serious

safety issues. And I had heard that it was processed in a way essentially identical to HFCS.

That was enough for me to be very skeptical about it until more information came in. It was just a matter of time.

Why can't we just learn to eat food that isn't sweet? Do we really need sweetener in every damned thing?

Wouldn't you enjoy something sweet a lot more if it was a very occasional treat, instead of a constant presence in every part of your diet? Why eat Dessert instead of the meal, for every single meal you eat?

[trotsky]

7. It's a very ancient part of our metabolism.

We have these big brains, you see, that need a LOT of caloric intake. Evolution equipped us with the sweet tooth, so we would naturally prefer those fruits with a higher sugar content. Similar to how we love our tasty, marbled meat. Oh my. I need to go eat now.

[ThomCat]

10. Craving carbs is not the same is this modern thing of having

sugar and sweeteners dumped into everything we eat.

Yes, I know the brain needs sugar/carb intake. That just isn't the same thing, or even remotely in the same order of magnitude as the bulk amount of sweetener people consume now in every processed and sweetened pre-made or packaged food we buy.

[trotsky]

11. I'm not saying it compares to the amount of sweetener today.

I'm saying that's why it tastes good, and why people prefer sweeter things. It was extremely helpful when the sweetest thing we could find were wild berries; it's not a very helpful thing now that sugar is so plentiful.

[HuckleB]

6. Even if it's late to the party, I'm glad HuffPo actually published an accurate health care article.

I'm sure Jenny McCarthy and Oprah are going to slap this poor nutritionist silly, however. Now what will they tell their fans to eat?

Some nutritionists have been trying to get the press' attention on this for a while.
http://www.westonaprice.org/Agave-Worse-than-Sugar-Nutrition-Foundation-Warns.html

[trotsky]

8. Well, you know what they say about a blind squirrel.

If he's had shots, he's got autism. Or something like that.

[LeftyMom]

9. This is almost word-for-word repeat of the Weston A. Price quacks.

I assume the author is a follower of theirs, since her other publications include rants about the evils of soy and cholesterol meds (the WAP nuts think high serum cholesterol is good for you. Really.)

[HuckleB]

12. You're on the wrong track if you're chasing quacks.

And the author is not a "her."

:rofl:

[LeftyMom]

13. There's a lot of quackery here.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-jonny-bowden/#blogger_bio

You got me on the pronoun screw-up though. I need more sleep.

[HuckleB]

14. Uh, at HuffPo, yes!

Maybe even with this particular author, but not so much on this issue.