So what is the truth about Agave. Its a "natural" sweetener, "Low glycemic"--- In truth its not Healthy as they want you to think. Agave has more fructose than high fructose than high fructose corn syrup-- 90%! It is a refined product- true it does come from the agave plant but ...Agave plants are crushed, and the sap collected into tanks. The sap is then heated to about 140°F for about 36 hours not only to concentrate the liquid into a syrup, but to develop the sweetness. The main carbohydrates in the agave sap are complex forms of fructose called fructosans, one of which is inulin, a straight-chain fructose polymer about ten eight to 10 fructose sugar units long. In this state, the sap is not very sweet.
When the agave sap is heated, the complex fructosans are hydrolyzed, or broken into their constituent fructose units. The fructose-rich solution is then filtered to obtain the desired products that range from dark syrup with a characteristic vanilla aroma, to a light amber liquid with more neutral characteristics.
It is no longer a whole food... Full of fructose. 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% fructose, almost- but not quite- twice as high as HFCS. The high amount of fructose is what makes it low glycemic. Fructose- the sugar found naturally in fruit- is perfectly fine when you get it from whole foods like apples (about 7% fructose)—it comes with a host of vitamins, antioxidants and fiber.
“Fructose interferes with healthy metabolism when (consumed) at higher doses”
Our bodies need glucose to survive. It is what provides us with energy as all food is broken down into. All of our cells can process it. Fructose is only broken down in the liver.
Fructose is the primary sugar in most fruits. It isn’t that fructose is evil -- it is just the MASSIVE DOSES you and your family are exposed to that makes it dangerous. Because it is so cheap and makes foods taste so much better...
Stick to fruit and leave the agave to ferment for tequilla.
