In this era of extreme health consciousness, natural sweeteners have become a thing to consider. The market is flooded with many and many “healthy” sugar replacements designed especially for thousands of people counting calories. However, most of them pose serious risks to our health and agave nectar is one of them. Read more Why Is Avoiding Agave Nectar good Choice For You?
Even though it is considered a healthy substitute for sugar diabetes as well as various artificial sweeteners, the truth is actually far from it. In this publication, we will discuss what agave nectar is and why we should avoid it.
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What Is Agave Nectar?
Agave nectar or agave syrup is a golden-colored liquid sweetener with a consistency similar to maple syrup. It comes from the agave desert plant species, native to central Mexico, and is almost 40% softer than table sugar. Agave has a number of variations and Agave Tequilana and Agave Salmiana are among the two most popular.
Agave Salmiana (or Agave Giant Green) is known to contain a nectar-like substance, which is mainly used for the preparation of traditional agave wine. However, it is Agave Tequilana (or Blue Agave) that is fermented to make the “Tequila” of alcoholic beverage and is also extensively processed to prepare widely known agave nectar.
How Is Agave Nectar Prepared?
The process of making agave nectar is quite similar to those used to prepare other artificial sweeteners rich in unhealthy fructose. At first, the leaves of a mature plant of Agave Tequilana are removed and discarded. The core is harvested by cutting the middle stems and leaving large holes.
The circulating fluid tanks sweetened in the holes, which are collected for processing. The liquid is then filtered to remove the impurities and heated with or without enzymes in order to decompose the complex sugars present. Finally, the liquid is concentrated in a black syrup, known under the trade name ‘Agave Nectar’.
Why should you direct agave nectar?
According to Mexicans, agave nectar possesses great medicinal properties and also offers a wide range of health benefits. Is it also true for the refined agave sweetener that has become the natural sugar alternative for millions of people around the world? Well, the answer is “NO” and in this section, we will explain why. Continue reading:
1. It Is NOT At All Natural
Agave syrup is promoted and marketed as a “natural” sweetener that is healthier than regular sugar as well as all other “artificial” sugar alternatives available on the market. In reality, it is not at all a “natural” product. Rather, it is a chemically transformed and highly refined sweetener. Though it comes from the plant, it has processed & refined, as well as high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) with genetically modified enzymes (GMOs) and chemical compounds (hydrofluoric acid, sulfuric acid, etc.). .). .). Therefore, the claim that it is “natural nectar” is far from true.
2. It Has No Health Benefits
The liquid got from the agave plant normally includes some healthy composites, such as fructans, that are known to control our insulin levels as well as to enhance our body metabolism. However, when processed and refined in the factory, it is exposed to heat, enzymes, and chemicals in order to break down fructose to fructose. Consequently, all the beneficial effects on the health of the agave are completely destroyed.
3. It Is Loaded With Fructose
The agave syrup is mainly composed of fructose (70% fructose, 30% glucose), which makes it very unhealthy. Our body does not metabolize fructose as metabolizes glucose. The fructose molecules are decomposed in our liver and transformed into fatty deposits directly. This increase in body fat can ultimately make us overweight/obese.
Too much fructose intake is also linked to a number of other health problems, such as high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, uric acid levels, appetite control mechanism, Metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance (long-term), fatty liver disease, liver damage, gout, instability of mood, etc. Therefore, a high dose of agave syrup is actually dangerous to our health and body.
4. It Is Toxic To Some Extent
It is found that the highly processed and refined agave nectar contains certain toxic steroid derivatives called “saponins” in large quantities. Compounds can harm our health by causing vomiting, diarrhea, ruptures of red blood cells (red blood cells), miscarriages in pregnant women (due to increased blood circulation in the uterus), etc. Agave nectar may also contain hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), which is an organic contaminant derived from heat and responsible for cancer.
5. It May Cause Addiction
Being very concentrated and much sweeter than table sugar, agave nectar can prove very addictive in some cases.
In short, agave nectar is a form of unhealthy sweetener that is even worse than plain sugar. Therefore, it really is a wise choice to avoid this highly processed sugar-based alternative and adhere to pure pure honey for the sweetening of your food.