“Why do you use agave? I’ve heard that it’s very unhealthy” I’m asked this question about my “go to” sweetener on at least a daily basis.
First off, there really is no perfect sweetener, so I recommend everything in moderation.
We often take sugar and other sweeteners for granted, forgetting that they were not widely available to humans until the modern era (excluding of course, those living in the tropical regions feasting on mangoes and pineapple). Processed sugar was invented between the Medieval Period and the Enlightenment (more than 500 years ago), it became more widely available during the 1400 and 1500’s. By 1750 (with the advent of the Industrial Revolution and the invention of sugar mills) sugar became wildly popular.
So if we really think about it, up until a couple of hundred years ago, the majority of the human race (at least those living in colder climes) only experienced the taste of sweetness by eating fruit when it was in season (or when nursing, of course). The fruit that was eaten was not the overly ripe, super sweet fruit that is bred today. Think of wild blueberries –they are tiny and tart. The fruit we eat today has been cultivated for its juicy, sweet flavor.
I think the spike in diabetes and other diseases we have seen during the past decades may partially be due to the fact that humans are not accustomed to eating large quantities of sugar and are not able to efficiently metabolize this substance.
Sugar is sugar. Agave is sugar. An apple is sugar with some good vitamins, minerals and fiber. Basically, many of us (especially those with celiac) would be prudent to monitor our intake of sugar in any form (celiac and diabetes ride on the same HLA gene, so the presence of one increases the likelihood of the other).
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While I do use agave in my dessert recipes, I am very cautious about my overall intake of this (and all other sweet substances) because I find that unfortunately, I am one of those whose body rebels against too much sugar. Of course, my husband and children can eat a lot more of this substance than I do and still feel great. That’s what keeps me baking like a fiend. They want their treats and they do just fine with them.
For those of you that are now on the anti-agave bandwagon, I have come up with this date sweetened recipe. Of course, I will still be using agave because I feel ok when I consume it in very small amounts.
Banana Walnut Muffins
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- 2 medium bananas
- 3 dates (remove pits)
- 10 drops stevia
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
Instructions
- Place eggs, oil, bananas, dates and stevia in a vitamix; blend on medium speed until combined
- Add in coconut flour, salt and baking soda and blend until smooth
- Fold in walnuts
- Scoop ¼ cup batter into a paper lined muffin pan
- Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes (my batch took exactly 23 minutes; all ovens are slightly different)
- Cool and serve
Equipment
These tasty gluten-free, Paleo (I think) muffins do not contain agave for all of the agave-phobes out there. I will be creating some desserts with alternative sweeteners just to spice things up (plus, I like a good challenge every now and then). However, I will still be using agave for some recipes.
In terms of the great agave debate, I want you all to know that I use Madhava Agave Nectar. While I’ve noticed a lot of your comments with links to articles about the evils of agave syrup I want to also point out this link posted by one of my readers, Shari, from Madhava’s President Craig Gerbore.
On a much lighter note, here’s a cool coincidence in regards to agave nectar. The winner of last weeks Freebie Friday is Karen from wrighttherapies.com. She left an interesting comment regarding the controversy over agave nectar on my Asian Salad Dressing post.
Agave or not, have a great weekend!
UPDATE: please visit Madhava’s Agave MythBuster website for more information on the agave debate.
Alchemille says
Tracey,
Thank you for mentioning Sweet Freedom. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to be available in the US (at least not yet)…
The closest fruit sweeteners we can get are either fruit concentrates or fruit molasses (and their homemade versions as I’ve already mentioned either with dried fruits or fruit juices).
I didn’t know about the pregnancy warnings regarding agave syrup, thank you for letting us know.
I’m a self taught herbalist and I’m often outraged to see either people or grocery store sell teas & herbal blends without warnings people about side effects or cautions for pregnant women.
Tracey Anderton says
I am in the UK and love Elana’s recipes – we have Sweet Freedom here which is a syrup made from 100% fruit -not sure if you have it in US yet? It tastes like sugar with a lot less calories and you use upto 50% less weight for weight. Its been recommended in WW mag here. Far better health profile than agave its in Whole Foods and supermarkets now (I avoid agave since researching it – too much corruption in Mexico and false claims and herbalists claim that it can cause miscarriage in pregnant women which should be on the label!) I have also tried xylitol but as per agave it is very heavily processed and is extremely poisonous to dogs! Again should be on the label as people do make up treats with it and pets can easily eat them, a friend of mine made some muffins using it and offered me one and was about to give her dog half before I stopped her! I have elderly diabetic relatives and they all use Sweet Freedom with no blood sugar swings as its low GI. Sorry if you can’t get it yet as its a UK product … but the good news is that there are some increasingly good alternatives coming out now to sugar so we can all hopefully ‘have our cake and eat it!’ Life would be so dull without cake!
Chris says
Thanks for bringing this up. I find that it works well for me to use small amounts of agave in my recipes as long as I keep sweets to being a rare treat. Although it is true that a variety of sweeteners have been used throughout history, they have never been as cheap, abundant and easy to use as they are today.
debby says
Thanks Elana for the recipe. I use agave nectar in everything and love it. It’s better for me than sugar. I shop for large bottles here.
Ninufar says
One of the (many) things I appreciate about Elana’s approach is that emphasis on listening to one’s own body — which admittedly I couldn’t do until I quit sugar for a while. (For me it’s very much like a drug addiction, and it was one o’ those 12-step programs that got me through withdrawal and into balance, but I’m sure many health-conscious readers don’t have such hard-core food issues.) Some foods are a poor choice for anyone (e.g. deep-fried Mars bars), but that doesn’t mean that a single sweetener or way of eating will be “perfect” for everyone.
Back when someone posted that same Weston Price article on the forums, it was funny to see how another commenter w/the same concerns as me has found an opposite solution. My body does best on a GF/CF/sugar-free high-complex carbohydrate mostly-vegan path; tons of grains and beans and veggies. Concentrated fructose syrups apparently trigger psych. and phys. symptoms for me in a way that applesauce doesn’t. (thank G-d!)
What the no-grain commenter and I have in common — which likely explains why we both find Elana’s recipes so appealing — is a reliance on real food!
So thanks!
naomi says
Assays,
I think you may have misunderstood my comment. I don’t think that we are conditioned to want sweet things, I think it’s human nature. Nature not nurture.
What I meant is that we start life – if we are lucky – drinking breast milk, which is inherently sweet. It is in our nature to crave sweetness and fat because these qualities indicate high calorific values and back when we were hunter gatherers, packing a lot of calories in was important.
Now we are all less active and have food available constantly, but our appetites often have not adjusted to compensate.
Having said that, it is possible to train yourself away from condensed sweetness by eating foods that are naturally sweet and not eating anything that is processed. Honey, although unprocessed – should be approached with caution because it is so concentrated.
Intense sugar cravings can often be due to nutritional imbalance, absorption problems or lack of protein and fibre (not carbs, veg and fruit) in the diet. Some cravings are in our heads. I speak as someone who craved and ate sugar for a long time until it made me so ill I had to give up everything refined and all grains in order to restore my health.
We have to be gentle with ourselves and understand that if there is candy in the cupboard we will want to eat it. If there is only fruit then we can learn to love that instead – but like a drug addiction, it’s for life – you can’t dabble and expect not to get burnt.
Karen says
Hello! I was so surprised to have won that book- I just wanted to leave a comment, lol! Well it looks great. How do we get in contact? I checked my email and did not see anything from you…
Karen
Cassi says
Elana-
thanks for your reply to this issue that i’ve also been dealing with concerning agave. it’s my preferred sweetener- but considering how often i use sweetener, it is a minor aspect of my diet. yet when talking to clients and other health food people, i’ll admit agave is not perfect. it’s just the sweetener that works for me and my family.
we also use honey, green stevia, and molasses for a variety of things. agave works in ice cream and baking in ways the other sweeteners don’t always work.
date based foods also often work as treats for us. i appreciate all the great recipes you provide, as well as the responses to ingredient questions. as a high-protein, non-dairy, celiac with two kids (and one on the way) your style and ingredients really work for my family and we all appreciate that a lot.
my husband was so shocked when i found your site and made biscotti for him and my son. they couldn’t believe that they got such yummy treats from their non-baking mom…. and while they don’t expect them, it’s always nice to have something once in a while to give them those huge treat-for-me? smiles!
thanks thanks thanks.
peace and blessings-
Cassi
Verde says
Wow, I just read up on the piece (I can’t call it an article because it’s such a hack job) on agave that ran in the Natural News (repeated in the forum here) and I can’t even begin to explain all that is wrong with it. It’s full of lies, exaggerations and completely false utter spins. There is maybe 5% truth and that’s only used to set up the weaving of untruths. As much as I dislike HFCS much of what is written about it even is false and misleading.
Frankly the only thing for anyone of any conscience to do is just forget they ever saw it and start anew in his/her education. Anything that actually corresponds with reality is apparently only coincidence and to reference the hack job at all in anyway would only serve to confuse more.
Inulin for instance occurs naturally in sunchokes (Jerusalem Artichokes), garlic, onions, leeks, yams and many other vegetables we are unlikely to give up based on some goofball’s ramblings printed by an irresponsible website owner who couldn’t be bothered to fact check any of it (I’m referring to the original publisher, the “Natural News” which has destroyed their own credibility by having any association with this let alone being the entire reason for it).
I’m not sure what the clearly malicious motive is but any brush with reality there might be in that bundle of fiction (complete with fantasy chemistry) is totally accidental in the same way that a broken clock is correct twice a day.
cathy hastings says
I recently purchased “Jeruselum artichoke syrup” in the sweetner section of our local co op. It apparently has a low glycemic index and it tastes like a combo of honey and molasses. It has a dark amber color. I had difficulty finding out much about it on the internet and am still waiting for a return call from the company, a small buisness called Bright Earth Foods based in my hometown of Talent, Oregon. I’ve been looking for an agave alternative since I heard so many controversial things about it recently! I really love agave but have heard so many conflicting arguments I don’t know what to think anymore! I’d love to hear if anybody knows anything or has heard anything about the “mysterious” jeruselum artichoke syrup!
A says
@naomi: While I agree that eating fewer sweets is beneficial, I disagree with the assertion that a love of sweets is due to conditioning. Many sources suggest it is innate (consumption of sweet tasting foods has been observed in many cultures which didn’t have supermarkets), and there is a genetic component to the degree to which sweet things are desired (see http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20080514/glutton-for-sugar-genes-get-heap-of-blame ). The problem is, once again, a mismatch between our current environment and our bodies.
I’m a good argument for nature over nurture. I did not have much access to sugar as a child. Much of our food came from the garden, animals we raised/hunted, or the co-op (which provided things like whole grains). Yet as long as I can remember, I have craved sweets. Even eliminating beet and cane sugar from my diet for a year (and not replacing it with anything) didn’t get rid of that craving. This is one of the reasons I want to try the miracle berry–my tastebuds clearly need to be rewired.