Agave

Agave nectar is one of the hot new items these days, accompanied by all sorts of health claims. It’s apparently popular with vegans as well as people who are looking for low-glycemic sweeteners.

A year or so ago, I read an article about tequila, which talked about how the tequila market had slowed down after a big boom due to an increase in interest in premium tequilas. The agave farmers needed to figure out a way to deal with the downturn, and the resulting glut of agave. (Enter the agave nectar market.) Sadly, I cannot remember where I saw the article, so I can’t reference it. But I remember it questioning the sustainability of blue agave harvesting, whether due to its use in tequila or other products, since the plants grow in a relatively small region and take many years to grow.

I actually bought some organic agave nectar on impulse one day, and only after that did I bother to look up anything about it. It would appear that it’s quite controversial. For one thing, it’s extremely high in fructose, which is why it’s low-glycemic. Even the brands that are lowest in fructose have about the same concentration as high-fructose corn syrup, and many have a much larger concentration.

Much of the hype would have you believe that agave nectar is made from the sap of the agave plant. And perhaps some brands are. But most of it is made from the root of the plant, and is more highly processed than you would be led to believe. Evidently there has also been some fraud exposed, where some brands have been watered down with high-fructose corn syrup.

If you use it, I’m not saying that you shouldn’t. But perhaps you may want to research it a bit and find out more about it. It’s hard to separate fact from fiction, regardless of what side of the fence you’re on – I’m sure some people who claim it’s “bad” have their own agendas, just as those who are promoting it do. I guess the best we can do is find out as much as we can about something, and then make up our own minds.

Aside from whether it’s “good” or “bad”, I personally wasn’t too impressed with it. The one time I used it in baking (using a recipe that called for it), it didn’t really work out all that well. And although when I bought it, I thought I might like it on my oatmeal, I wasn’t all that excited about the flavor – I much prefer a light sprinkling of brown sugar. I rarely use sugar or other sweeteners anyway (natural or artificial), so in the future I think I’ll just stick with honey or sugar.