agave...oy vey!
All About Agave
Guest Blog by Christina Pirello
To agave or not to agave; that is the question. It seems that everything today creates scandal and confusion-our food, our politics, our neighborhoods, how we exercise and now even our sweeteners, natural and otherwise.
A relative newcomer to the culinary world (but not the world) is agave nectar, processed from the agave cactus. It became quite popular with the raw foods community because it is processed at low heat, but in reality, about 30 degrees higher than most raw foodists would deem acceptable, but let's let that go for the moment.
It seemed that this low glycemic sweetener was destined to be the next big thing in healthy cooking. Deliciously sweet, naturally processed, gluten-free, delicate enough for most recipes, it had it all. Or did it?
Some facts about agave: agave plants are crushed and the sap is collected in tanks. It's heated to about 140º F for about 36 hours to concentrate the sap into syrup and develop the sweetness. See, the main carbohydrate in agave is a complex form of fructose, one of which is insulin. I know; I know, too science-y. Anyhow, the sap is not very sweet, so when the agave sap is heated, the complex form of fructose is hydrolyzed and then filtered to obtain the desired sweet flavor, from the dark to the lighter, milder amber. In short, the complex fructosans are being broken down into fructose.
Based on my own research, I am not as in love with agave as I was in the beginning. I believe that it's more processed than I originally thought and in that processing some of the vital nutrients that made it healthy for us are lost.
It is marketed as being low-glycemic and therefore safe for diabetics. Well, I say "Not so fast" on that one. Not only is the whole glycemic index misinterpreted and mis-used, but agave is considered low-glycemic because of its high concentration of fructose as compared to glucose (only about 10%). My concern is that this ratio of 90%/10% is not natural. Even high fructose corn syrup only contains about 55% fructose and we consider that to be the Darth Vader of food because of its high concentration of fructose.
And the big deal about fructose? Ay, ay, ay! While fructose naturally occurs in fruits and veggies, it is in small concentrations, so the liver can handle its metabolism. But when concentrated like it is in agave and high fructose corn syrup, an added burden is placed on the liver. Glucose, our body's desired fuel is metabolized by every cell, while fructose is not. It has to be metabolized by the liver, which can lead to fatty deposits showing up in this most overworked gland. And since it's metabolized by the liver, it is more likely to contribute to weight gain than other natural sweeteners.
Some studies also show that fructose can be indirectly linked to the inhibition of collagen and elastin production in the body, resulting in skin that is not so firm.
And finally, this form of hydrolyzed fructose contains no enzymes, vitamins or minerals, so like sugar; it can rob the body of these nutrients in order to assimilate itself for use.
Now that I front-loaded the bad news, there is good news about agave. First and most important, its high fructose concentration is where its similarity to high fructose corn syrup ends. Agave is natural, while HFCS was invented, making agave superior in quality.
Agave's low glycemic index does make it an okay sweetener to use in small quantities. Its molecular structure allows it to provide sweetness without a "sugar rush" and resulting crash and no blood sugar spike. And it does make great tequila, so it can't be all bad. (Kidding!)
Look, I have always found agave to be too sweet in taste, so I did not use it much in my cooking. But I have found it to be a nice alternative for people looking for a more intense sweet without sugar and a gluten-free option for natural sweetening.
Do I think you should throw out your agave and cower in fear? Nope. But I do think that I will stick with my old reliable brown rice syrup, which I have used with great success in both cooking and health for more than 25 years. After processing, brown rice syrup remains 50% complex carbohydrate, 45% maltose and 5% glucose. This strong polysaccharide structure allows brown rice syrup to be used by the body more efficiently and is less likely to store as fat. And it digests more slowly so you are less likely to crave more and more sweet taste and binge. You will be satisfied with less. And in most cases, it also is gluten-free, so read the labels before you buy if that is a concern.
Now that's not to say you can use it without reservation. With about 70-75 calories in a tablespoon, brown rice syrup, like all sweeteners is calorically dense (about 60 in a tablespoon of white sugar) and can pack on the pounds if not used wisely. So while a better choice than white sugar, because it's a polysaccharide, like all sweeteners, brown rice syrup is a treat, not a staple of life, as much as we would like that to be our truth. If it becomes a staple of life, you will have the waistline to prove it!
But, back to the topic at hand. Is agave healthy as a natural sweetener? In small amounts, I would say it's okay, not the best, but okay. Is it healthier than HFCS? Yes, because it's natural, not invented. Is it healthier than artificial sweeteners? Heck, yes, for so many reasons. Are there other options? Yup, from xlyitol to stevia, healthy, natural, low in calories. If you like them, go for it. And it's vegan, as is rice syrup, so it ain't all bad news. And as our modern food supply goes, you could do a lot worse than agave nectar.
I prefer (and will likely always prefer) brown rice syrup as my primary sweetener for baking, sauces, puddings and all things sweet.
So relax and enjoy the sweetness of life!
Note from Alicia:
Thanks Christina! You can check out more articles and recipes from Christina here!
As much as I love the taste and the vegan-ness of agave, it doesn't sit well with me. Since I eat superhero most of the time, I actually do feel spiked by it the same way I do by maple syrup and cane juice. You don't have to avoid it like the plague - agave is great for an occasional treat. I just don't get excited about it in terms of how it makes me feel. Brown rice syrup never did me dirty though...love that!
How often do you use agave? What are your favorite sweeteners?
61 comments
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I have to agree with this post. And Alicia said it spot on. I eat superhero most of the time too and agave for sure made me feel spikey. :(
While Im into vegan... raw organic honey from bees that are loved and cared for is my fave choice. Raw organic honey is a food and if you get a FRUIT honey as opposed to a clover or alfalfa honey the sugars are different; therefore responding differently in the body.
Back to agave... the ONLY agave to EVER purchase is the CLEAR agave which has yet to make it to the average health food store. It can be found at most raw foodie sites/shops though.
And ... dehydrated cane is actually "low glycemic" - I am getting a batch in, will try it out and get back to y'all to let you know!
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As a type 1 diabetic, I find I have less of a spike with agave than brown rice. But as in everything, everybody is different and to each their own! -
http://www.westonaprice.org/modern-foods/1604-agave-nectar-worse-than-we-thought
Agave is NOT natural and should be avoided.
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Hi Tana! I am also an Aussie, and have found brown rice syrup in my local organic shop. It's by Spiral Foods. They are vases in Victoria, and their website address is: www.spiralfoods.com.au. Good luck! :-)
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i always felt bad that i never really liked agave. i use it from time to time, because everyone would always say how great it is for you. i myself always prefered brown rice syrup as well. now i don't feel so bad for not being in awe of agave, thank you very much. i have always been a fan of christina, watched her show christina cooks for years & have read her books. :) much love <3
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I use different sweeteners for different things. The only thing I use Agave for is a matcha (green tea) soy latte. The first time I tried Agave I didn't like it, because it tasted so much like pure fructose -- and that was long before I read that it was 90% fructose. (Decades ago I bought pure fructose syrup at a health food store, took one taste, and found it too "sharp"; I guess my body knew it was bad.)
I use grade b maple syrup for cereal, and it's surprisingly good in coffee (long ago there was Damian's ice cream sweetened with maple syrup, and their coffee ice cream was fantastic; that's how I got the idea).
I grew up sweetening peanut butter with honey. I tried maple syrup and also Agave for that but they epicly failed; brown rice syrup works, though.
Someone asked about malt syrup. I love that stuff -- maltose is molecularly similar to dextrose and the body metabolizes it well. I've used it in my pumpkin pie recipe, but since someone said my pie tasted "smokey" I might try something else.
No one mentioned erythritol. It's expensive, but it's the only polyol which does not cause bloating (maltitol inflated my gut so much I called 911). I use erythritol (Organic Zero or Zsweet) and a little dextrose for my "cool cinnamon" spread.
Lucille: stevia does not have any "sugar" to extract; the leaves contain something that tastes like saccharin and is [supposedly] hundreds of times sweeter than sugar. The typical way to use it is to dry and pulverize the leaves into powder. I have not yet experimented with it. Word is that green powder is preferable to the refined white powder (so don't use Truvia, whoever that was).
I still use honey for some things; it is the only sweetener which will crystallize a slice of bread -- one of my favorite treats! (Like honeycomb without the wax.)
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Susie Hall~you might also try adding flavored Stevia drops to your mineral or sparkling water. They make root beer, vanilla cream, orange, etc. all in liquid form and all you do is add a few drops to your water and it's better than soda! Can also use stevia drops and sparkling water to make floats with your favorite nondairy ice cream! Yum! If you can't find Stevia drops in your local health food store, you can buy them online! Good luck!
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I was having a hard time getting over a really bad soda addiction when a friend of mine introduced me to Agave Syrup and Mineral Water. It worked like a charm! When I had a "craving" for soda, I would add a little Agave Syrup to Mineral water and it would satisfy that urge for soda. Now I just drink water.. it truly is a miracle plant! I am, however, having issues using Agave Syrup in recipes.. just been using honey ( I have honeybees) Thanks for the info though.. I'll look for Brown Rice Syrup the next time I go to the market :D
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I've been using agave for about 2 years now. I rarely use sweetners but I do enjoy some peanutbutter toast with a little agave. I also make granola and have found it adds a nice flavor verses traditional honey or maple syrup. My husband, who is still a meat eater and enjoys making beef jerky, has discovered he has a nitrate/nitrite allergy. He started using agave as his sweetner. He swears by it but I know he has never tried brown rice syrup. I'll send him the article and see what he thinks. Thanks for the information.
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I would love to try brown rice syrup but I live in Australia and I can't even find it online let alone in our supermarkets... I think I need to move countries!! hahaha I've been using Agave Syrup or maple syrup in my desserts and they seem to be turning out alright so until I can find the brown rice syrup I don't really have a choice.
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Thank you for this post. I am learning so much already. I would like to know what experience anyone has with Stevia. I recently planted a Stevia plant in my garden and it's doing wonderful. The thing is that I am not sure what to do with it and how to extract the sugar out of it. If anyone has any thoughts or ideas on this, I would be very appreciative.
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bummer. i still love agave because it has weaned me off of my sugar addiction, but i also love it a little less after hearing about the processing....
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I can't get brown rice syrup where I live (in Bangladesh), and the only 'natural' sweeteners available to me are agave nectar and maple syrup. I use agave only to sweeten my tea and coffee so I don't ever have more than a tbsp of it a day, and I use maple syrup for baking. For those of you who drink tea/coffee, I'd be interested to hear how you sweeten it? I have a very sweet tooth so am always looking for sweeteners that are better for you than sugar!
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The new hot thing in the RAW food industry is Xilytol it is derived from birch trees. Clear agave from Ultimate Super Foods is the best one, I don't get too hung up on one thing or another I just live my life as healthy and vegan as possible. My husband is a vegan chef so he keeps up with all the newest greatest etc so I just ask him :-)
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Xlyitol is extremely poisonous to dogs...just incase anyone on here is ever eating a bar or whatever and decides to chuck a bit to their dog. Dont do it! I use organic agave syrup, i think organic products generally contain more nutrional value anyway. Very interesting post thanks!
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Marina~Barley malt syrup metabolizes slowly in the body. Barley malt is made by soaking and sprouting barley, then adding more barley. This mixture is then cooked until the starch turns to sugar. The mash is then strained and cooked some more until it is reduced. It is produced from a whole food source but, as with any other sweetner, it is processed. Interestingly, brown rice syrup is made by combining barley malt with brown rice which is then cooked again until the rice starches convert to sugar. Talk about processing! Hope that helps.
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Yea, the "raw" is based on the raw dietary guidlines of not heating food beyond the 120degree F in order to preserve the enzymes, but it can be misleading for many. Sorry for the temporary freak out~hehe! I personally don't think agave is that bad. As with everything else~moderation, moderation!
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I eat a lot of RAW vegan food and I find that one step further in this cruelty free lifestyle journey has been all the more rewarding... it was interesting reading about agave as i use it quite often, but not in large amounts. I have a sweet tooth but i find the sweetness so strong that you only need a little..
I freaked out for a second when the post said it is not RAW but thank you DANA BORTZ for clearing that one up :) hehe... i will continue using agave but will actually search for brown rice syrup and start using that also... I am in Australia and haven't found it yet and stopped looking when i was introduced to Agave.. xx
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You are most welcome, Stephanee! I failed to mention that there are many different agave plants used to produce agave nectar or syrup. The blue is the original, I believe, while others came into use in the '90's to meet the demand. The raw blue is my preference and seems much friendlier to my body. Agave is twice as sweet tasting as other sweetners so one can use half as much agave as any other sweetner. Fewer calories that way! So, I use it when I bake and cut the recipe amount of 'sugar' by at least half (or more) and reduce the recipe amount of liquid. Because I use a reduced amount of agave, the product is not so sweet and there are fewer calories. It works well and produces a good product. Perhaps that's why it tastes so sweet to others who use it in a 1:1 ratio.
Otherwise, I use stevia mostly.
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Of course I use agave and other natural sweeteners sparingly, but just wondered the difference between the "raw" and other types.Thanks so much Dana! That really cleared up my question:)
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Just used agave in my tea for the first time this weekend while at Blossoming Lotus in Portland, OR. It was very good, though I would agree with Alicia that I wouldn't use it all the time. For ordinary days at home, I happily use Stevia.
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