So a friend of mine posted this article on her Facebook page that was full of info comparing high fructose corn syrup and agave nectar. Did you know that they are made the same way but agave nectar is "anywhere from 70 percent fructose and higher according to the agave nectar chemical profiles posted on agave nectar websites" while HFCS used in soda is 55% refined fructose?! That was shocking to me, esp since all the raw food recipes I find and many of the vegan ones call for agave nectar to sweeten things. Granted, I don't usually buy it because I'm not a raw foodist and I think honey works just fine and I already always have honey on hand.
For all you mamas out there, here's another compelling argument from the same article for pregnant and nursing mamas to avoid agave nectar: "the saponins found in many varieties of agave plants are toxic steroid derivatives, capable of disrupting red blood cells and producing diarrhea and vomiting,39 to be avoided during pregnancy or breastfeeding because they might cause or contribute to miscarriage by stimulating blood flow to the uterus.40 At the very least, agave products should carry a warning label indicating that the product may cause a miscarriage."
That's right. Frightening! And this is something marketed as HEALTH FOOD! It's more and more common in processed foods from the health food store and being relied upon more and more by home cooks with a natural or healthy bent. After reading this article, I will be substituting something else every time I find a recipe calling for agave, just like I do with corn syrup in many things.
If you want to check out the whole article, you can follow the link below. It's a BIT technical but by no means hard to understand or follow.
http://www.westonaprice.org/Agave-Nectar-Worse-Than-We-Thought.html
For all you mamas out there, here's another compelling argument from the same article for pregnant and nursing mamas to avoid agave nectar: "the saponins found in many varieties of agave plants are toxic steroid derivatives, capable of disrupting red blood cells and producing diarrhea and vomiting,39 to be avoided during pregnancy or breastfeeding because they might cause or contribute to miscarriage by stimulating blood flow to the uterus.40 At the very least, agave products should carry a warning label indicating that the product may cause a miscarriage."
That's right. Frightening! And this is something marketed as HEALTH FOOD! It's more and more common in processed foods from the health food store and being relied upon more and more by home cooks with a natural or healthy bent. After reading this article, I will be substituting something else every time I find a recipe calling for agave, just like I do with corn syrup in many things.
If you want to check out the whole article, you can follow the link below. It's a BIT technical but by no means hard to understand or follow.
http://www.westonaprice.org/Agave-Nectar-Worse-Than-We-Thought.html
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