If it ain't sweet, it's Bitte (part 2) AKA: The Bitte truth.

Agave agave agave. The modern day foodie's sweet tooth savior? Not exactly.

Agave has gotten a rep for being the ultimate healthy sweetener because it's from a cactus and is low on the glycemic index.

Well, guess what?

Cacti are pricks. And that's not just a puntabulous play on words (or is it?...).

You may think that since it comes from a natural plant then it's tooootally safe, right? I mean, come on, if it's from a plant then it's safe?

Please. Haven't you watched Into the Wild? He eats the wrong berry and he dies. A berry.

Nature's got its own shi to deal with so let's not assume things.

Anywho, the cactus itself isn't an evil evil thing, it's just how the nectar is processed.

Yup, that's right, it's processed to the point where it contains more concentrated fructose than HFCS (high fructose corn syrup), and that's a scary thing.

Before I can even begin to explain what the dirty details are with Agave, you have to be familiarized with the horrible and evil side effects that HFCS does to your body, which is why this post is going to be super long. 

Maybe not super long, but it will be filled with lots of quotes and explanations that you should read if you want to know the truth behind the aching sweet tooth.

HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP:

What is it?

High fructose corn syrup is an industrial food product and far from “natural” or a naturally occurring substance. The sugars are extracted through a chemical enzymatic process resulting in a chemically and biologically novel compound called HFCS. 

Some basic biochemistry will help you understand this. Regular cane sugar (sucrose) is made of two-sugar molecules bound tightly together– glucose and fructose in equal amounts.The enzymes in your digestive tract must break down the sucrose into glucose and fructose, which are then absorbed into the body. HFCS also consists of glucose and fructose, not in a 50-50 ratio, but a 55-45 fructose to glucose ratio in an unbound form. 

Fructose is sweeter than glucose. And HFCS is cheaper than sugar because of the government farm bill corn subsidies. Products with HFCS are sweeter and cheaper than products made with cane sugar. This allowed for the average soda size to balloon from 8 ounces to 20 ounces with little financial costs to manufacturers but great human costs of increased obesity, diabetes, and chronic disease.

Now back to biochemistry. Since there is there is no chemical bond between them, no digestion is required, so they are more rapidly absorbed into your blood stream. Fructose goes right to the liver and triggers lipogenesis (the production of fats like triglycerides and cholesterol). This is why it is the major cause of liver damage in this country and causes a condition called "fatty liver," which affects 70 million people. The rapidly absorbed glucose triggers big spikes in insulin -- our body's major fat storage hormone. Both of these features of HFCS lead to increased metabolic disturbances that drive increases in appetite, weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, dementia and more.

References and more info here

AGAVE SYRUP - What's the dealio?

Agave “nectar” is not made from the sap of the yucca or agave plant but from the starch of the giant pineapple-like, root bulb. The principal constituent of the agave root is starch, similar to the starch in corn or rice, and a complex carbohydrate called inulin, which is made up of chains of fructose molecules.Technically a highly indigestible fiber, inulin, which does not taste sweet, comprises about half of the carbohydrate content of agave.

So what's wrong with it?

The process by which agave glucose and inulin are converted into “nectar” is similar to the process by which corn starch is converted into HFCS. The agave starch is subject to an enzymatic and chemical process that converts the starch into a fructose-rich syrup—anywhere from 70 percent fructose and higher according to the agave nectar chemical profiles posted on agave nectar websites.

THE QUICK AND DIRTY BOTTOM LINE?

I mean, if you take 10 minutes to read up on HFCS and the other additives the food industry pumps into your food, you'll understand and know a lot more about the effects and harms it does to your body.

What we can understand from all of this is the common link between Agave and HFCS: Fructose.

All in itself and when digested naturally (from fruit), it's safe, but because HFCS and Agave are processed in such a way that they contain such an insanely high percentage of fructose that it slowly poisons our bodies.

I highly highly recommend that you read more about the dangers of HFCS HERE.

CONCLUSION?

I mean, do you really need me to tell you?

Keep to other NATURAL options. Honey (as long as you don't over do it, the higher glycemic index thing shouldn't be a problem.), coconut sugar, stevia (see previous post)... 

One of my favourite things to sweeten desserts/foods with is dates. Chewy, sweet, satisfying! 

As long as you do your research before putting it into your body, you'll be fine.

           And that's...the Bitte truth. -awkward shuffle around the room-

Hah, nah, just eat clean, allow yourself to fall every now and then, and be AWARE.

MORE INFO:
Agave nectar, good or evil?
Agave: Health food, fad, or fraud?
HFCS : the dangers
5 reasons why HFCS will kill you