Agave: Is It a Safe Sweetener Alternative? I Recommend Skipping It

Agave nectar has become quite controversial of late. Lately, many people — especially folks who are concerned about their health — have been eagerly consuming it, but I believe they're doing so without knowing the full facts.

After repeated questions from people about whether or not they can safely consume agave, I posted on this Sugar Shock Blog, most recently here and before that, here.

My conclusion? Briefly, I'm really wary of this sweetener, which is really high in fructose. I have too many questions about agave.

To put it bluntly, I won't ever consume agave since I know about the dangers of fructose, which I learned more about last weekend from Dr. Richard Johnson at a Food Addiction Summit in Washington state.

Richard (I got to know him while hiking there) is the author of the fascinating book, The Sugar Fix: The High Fructose Fallout That Is Making You Fat and Sick.

He also gave a fascinating presentation at the conference that recounts the dangers of fructose, many of which he learned about recently in his research.

Anyhow, amidst people's worries or questions agave, I was pleased to see that the Weston Price Foundation run this story, "Worse Than We Thought: The Lowdown on High Fructose Corn Syrup and Agave "Nectar."

Since I'm a journalist, I'm also obliged to show you the opposing view. First this anti-agave item ran on Natural News, Agave Nectar: The High Fructose Health Food Fraud. That led to another article — one that's decidedly pro-agave — because it's from agave manufacturer. The piece, Agave Nectar: A Rebuttal to Misinformed Attacks on this Natural Sweetener, still leaves me with many questions.

Despite the fact that agave is reportedly natural, too many questions are raised about its safely. So you just won't ever catch me having any. 

What's the matter with fruit, herbal tea (licorice tea is sweet), or even small amounts of goji berrry or even bananas, when you want something sweet?