I very rarely use agave. I just don't like the taste. Raw honey all the way, whether anyone likes it or not. Honey is really not the same as all other "animal" foods. Actually not at all, and it is full of vitamins and enzymes.
SproutingSeed (Ian)
· 5 months ago
I used to be all up on agave, but it never seemed right to me. I question the low GI, cause I get big sugar spikes on it. I found a way to use stevia often and actually enjoy it. If you combine stevia with acid, the 'chemical' taste goes away. Lime & Stevia water is one of my favorite drinks. Also, in non-acid stuff, I use 80% Stevia then add a bit of honey (or here in Costa Rica I use alot of unprocessed cane sugar) to top it off and that helps avoid the off taste as well.
Tiffany J
· 5 months ago
I don't use agave at all. Raw honey is extremely healthy for you - in so many ways! I use raw organic honey in tea; but for my coffee I use organic evaporated cane juice. Stevia just doesn't work well in hot drinks at all; though it's not bad in cold ones IMO. I haven't tried xylitol yet, but it might be worth a shot...
escuccim
· 5 months ago
I have agave, stevia and raw honey at home. I rarely use any of them. I guess I'm not that concerned with sweetness. Sometimes I'll put a few drops of stevia if I am making tea or something, but I really don't need my food to be sweet.
I do know what you mean about the phlegmy feeling in the throat. I get that whenever I consume anything that is processed or contains artificial ingredients. I first noticed it many years ago when I would go on vacation and eat out for days in a row, it would start as phlegm in my throat and turn into a ball in my stomach. When I started eating raw it went away.
Adriane Biscia
· 5 months ago
I've used all three ~ I love agave & honey. I've used Stevia when I tried to ween of of other sweeteners, but the taste is chemically. I often switch from one to another depending on what I read, but in the end I think it is best to try and limit any sweetener and get used to foods in their natural state.
Krunsdogs
· 5 months ago
I have had the same debate with myself and friends. I personally feel it is important to me to support my local apiarist who is interested in the environment and provides a necessary service for farmers and gardeners alike. Agave is not something I can purchase locally. I also feel everything in moderation, a little sweetner once in a while is fine and to respect the fact that we all have different needs and preferences. I like the fact I can buy locally and feel good about eating the honey as I know what's in it and where it came from. Sadly, I too have been criticized for eating raw organic honey.
Carlisia
· 5 months ago
Were you having *raw* agave? I eat a pretty healthy diet so I would be sensitive to some bad consequence, but I have agave all the time and don't have any issue. I eat raw agave though.
Dhrumil
· 5 months ago
Yes. Raw agave.
Hilary
· 5 months ago
This is just my "quick" rundown on sweeteners.
Regarding Stevia - have you tried actually growing the plant and using the leaves. It's better either as a partial substitute or works really well in tea (hot or cold brewed.) Also, the nunaturals "nocarbs" tastes more natural than the other powdered versions and some of the liquid versions (though any of the powdered white stevia has been fairly processed.) The plant reminds me of mint (without the mint taste if that makes any sense.)
Agave - I do use it from time to time. It dissolves better in cold liquids than honey does and it's cheaper than maple syrup. It's supposedly low Glycemic Index but I'm starting to hear that that's false advertising (Dr. Mercola of course.) I like to keep it on hand just to have some diversity to my sweeteners and it doesn't seem to make me mucousy.
Maple Syrup - BIG fan of this one. Not a raw choice (I don't think there's an option for non-high temps on this) but delicious (and I don't mean the HFCS pancake syrup version.) It's not cheap and does have flavor so it's not a good combination for everything. Low G.I., less spike in the blood sugar levels, dissolves easily in cold liquids.
Honey - raw local good stuff, love the taste but I find it somewhat limiting at times. Doesn't dissolve quickly in cold liquids unless there's a blender involved.
For baking (for those interested and not 100% raw): agave, maple syrup and honey are not good sugar substitutes. For general cooking they sometimes are. Stevia can be used in baking but is usually best as only 50% of your sweetener and it's not 1 to 1 match with sugar.
Cane sugar: often seen as "sugar in the raw" even though it's heated above the temps the raw food community consider "raw." Still processed but less processed than white sugar and it's made from real cane sugar instead of beet sugar (most white granular sugar is beet sugar.) Better choice than regular white sugar but still going cause your blood sugar to spike. If you can get a stick of cane sugar then it is raw but has very limited uses though you might be able to juice it (might break something though...)
Dark brown sugar: often still cane sugar with less of the molasses removed during processing. I've started noticing that some of them are beet sugar now though.
Light brown sugar: often beet sugar (white sugar) with molasses added to it.
White sugar: beet sugar almost all of the time.
Molasses - black strap is a slightly sweet and a source of certain nutrients. Strong flavor means it doesn't get used often.
Sweet Sorghum Molasses - I have no exact idea on this ... it's a southern thing and I think it's made from a rice or grass-like plant? Haven't tried it but I'm guessing it's going to be similar to regular molasses.
Brown Rice syrup - popular in a lot of processed health food products. Very sweet but doesn't have an over powering flavor. This one makes me mucousy though (but it's often paired with soy which makes me mucousy as well.)
Xylitol - made from birch tree usually. Supposedly good for your teeth, low GI, no calorie, no blood sugar spike. Expensive. No idea on the raw aspect. Only tried it in gum and it tasted fine in that but haven't forked over the cash to try the powered version. Keep away from dogs.
Most processed packaged foods use some form of high fructose corn syrup instead of any of the above because it's made from corn (aka cheap and tax subsidized.) And then there are the aspartames of the world...
A lot of sweetners are not even close to raw. Fresh stevia leaves or honey is probably your least heated sweeteners. OR a fresh stick of cane sugar (not very common mainland but pretty easy to find in Hawaii.)
I've tried to reduce my sugar intake and sweeteners in general but my goal is not to remove them completely because I do enjoy them. I've been looking at the Glycemic Index and how much each will make your blood sugar levels elevate because those that make it jump tend to make me feel worse when consumed regularly.
I've kinda come to believe that eating too much of any one thing (even if it's a "healthy" food) can be bad. I try to diversify and balance and notice how things make me personally feel (not just base my decisions on how it makes someone else feel) but also not obsess (though I enjoy researching so...) Not a raw foodie but I've added more raw food to my diet.
I don't know everything about sweeteners but I have learned a fair amount about a lot of them. (Sorry for the long post!)
Ray
· 5 months ago
Honey has the most nutritional benefits of all sweeteners. Then comes Yacon Syrup. Sometimes I use the Ultimate Superfoods brand of "Real" Raw Clear Blue Agave. Its truly raw and best quality. Stevia is an enhancer and doesn't taste well used by itself. Xylitol is another option and good for your teeth.
Paola
· 5 months ago
I rarely use agave anymore, stevia is ok in some smoothies... Raw honey (orange blossom) and Yacon syrup (yum!) are on top of my list.
I've read great things about Yacon, it has virtually no effect on your GI levels, it's anti-bacterial and it tastes amazing, the only set back is that it's expensive, but if you only use tiny bits here and there it's worth it.
Erika
· 5 months ago
Like several others, I use a multitude of sweetners if I feel the need for one. I currently have in my arsenal: dates, raw honey, stevia (liquid and plants), agave, yacon, sucanat, date sugar, maple syrup.... And, like some others, I use whatever happens to work best for what I am making, and rotate through them so I don't get "burned out" or miss something nutritionally.
Manda
· 5 months ago
Really, along the way in my journey of cleaning up my diet, I am trying to limit sweeteners in general. I used to put stevia in my coffee each day, but have been able to kick the coffee habit, so that is moot. I have used agave, but the more I learn the less I use it. My sweetener of choice is raw, local honey, and even that I try to use sparingly. Yes, I understand that precludes me from calling myself a vegan, even though I have eliminated all meat and dairy. I am trying to use whole foods (fruits - banana, dates, raisins, dehydrated pineapple) to balance the sweetness in a dish and in desserts. The less I use concentrated forms of sweeteners (even honey), the more sensitive I become to sweet tastes and the less I want to use, and this is exactly what I am trying to move towards.
escuccim
· 5 months ago
I have never really been partial to sweets myself and I don't ever really find a need for anything sweeter than the fruit and berries I use.
I forwarded this article to someone I know who is a raw chef and a holistic counselor and she said she was aware of some of this debate over agave. It was all new to me.
Yafa Sakkejha
· 5 months ago
Dr Brian Clement last month (at the Santa Barbara raw spirit fest) proclaimed that agave (even raw) is almost as bad for us as regular sugar.
He was very confidently saying that sugar = sugar = sugar, so any type of sugar (even agave...even sweet fruit) will feed cancers, leach minerals out of our bodies, and contribute to a whole whack of diseases.
Highly interesting talk, and he even addressed a question about why 811'ers are thriving on a high-sugar (fruit) diet: he said that they may feel amazing right now, but there is no way we could live for 20 years on eating 20 bananas a day...we'd be highly likely get cancer.
Interesting take for sure! Thanks for raising this issue.
juliek
· 5 months ago
I've been using agave for 10 years. Not until the last 2 or so years, though, have I been using it as my sugar "substitute" pretty exclusively. This being said, I don't consume it on a daily basis. Typically I only use it in recipes that call for sweetening. I've never been a fan of stevia. Has a weird, unnatural aftertaste for me.
Recently I've been experimenting with 2 new types of agave, both available through sunfoodnutrition.com. The first is an organic, truly raw crystal clear agave that has a very nice, clean taste ( http://www.sunfood.com/buy/1/103/Agave-Nectar-C... ). I think it has an even lower glycemic index than other agaves. It's perfect with tea and anything touched by lime.
Agave's been cool with me. And like I said, I don't consume it everyday, maybe just a couple times per week? Maybe 2-4 tbsp was just too much for your bod.
Michelle Corso
· 5 months ago
Yes we use it occasionally, the organic raw agave. Although we prefer to use Stevia and dates, yet we do believe agave is one of the best sugar replacements.
Porky
· 5 months ago
Hey there! Just wanted to let you know that I'm linking you now cause I love your posts. I look forward to reading more in the future!
I am new to blogging. I am trying to gain followers please check me out!
WendiDee
· 5 months ago
I only use Madhava brand of agave after reading the debate about agave on Natural News many months ago. I think we all know that whole foods are the best for our bodies. I do, however, use agave sometimes. I don't like steevia. And even though I like the taste of honey, I just can't do it without feeling my heart break at the thought of even one bee being harmed just so I could have something sweet. :-/
My thoughts on agave are this: if you are eating a clean diet and you include some processed food like agave, you are still doing great compared to the vast majority of people on this planet. Plus, I know for me that I regained my health and released nearly 100 pounds all while consuming agave, so it can't be all *that* bad for the body (at least not in the beginning of going raw).
Lots of love to you,
Wendi XOXOXO
KristensRaw
· 5 months ago
Right on Wendi Dee! :)
bitt
· 4 months ago
love your comment about the bees. i agree.
LauraBruno
· 5 months ago
Too much agave definitely clogs up my throat and sinuses, but I do love a good gourmet raw dessert especially if it's prepared by someone else! That usually means agave, and I'm cool with that in moderation.
For stevia, I find the plant leaves taste the cleanest, and I also like just a couple drops of the vanilla flavored liquid stevia. To me, that doesn't taste chemical unless I use way too much. The white powder, though? Ewwwww!
I love yacon syrup, but I don't have it on hand. Sometimes I like to use xylitol powder + cinnamon on some cut up apples. It totally tastes like apple pie to me and only takes about 30 seconds to make.
Lately I've been using lucuma powder to sweeten things, and I do like that. Also, Sun Warrior protein powder tastes kind of sweet and creamy.
I've never been a huge honey fan. I used to use it on my face and that was yummy, but also pretty messy! I'm very sensitive to how it's havested--actually feel weird if I get a sense that the bees were angry about having their honey harvested. For the last month or so, I got a very strong urge to add in some bee pollen, which is also quite sweet. For what it's worth, I feel a lot more energy and extra happy since making that switch.
monavlisa
· 5 months ago
Love stevia if u find the right brand! Tru Via is great, but less is more! No problem with agave, but will read the doctor's article. Thanks!
Hilary
· 5 months ago
Truvia is Cargil's (Coca-cola's) patented made in a lab version and Purevia is PepsiCo's patented made in a lab version of stevia...
It's kinda like Splenda calling itself sugar (again made in a lab and thus patentable.)
I'm pretty much against eating things made in a lab and patented (and I reacted to Splenda by feeling like I couldn't get out of bed for more than an hour. It was two weeks until I figured out that the splenda in the tasty flavored water I had been drinking might be the cause and stopped drinking it.)
Melina
· 5 months ago
I love honey myself and think it is the ultimate magical flower food! I also know of two really good brands of Agave that give me no problems. One is from RadicalHealth.com and the other from UltimateSuperfoods.com. These two are for sure really raw and really low GI. I must say that a really raw agave is good for keeping stable blood sugar and has many other health properties as well. I also love the low glycemic powders (lucuma,mesquite, yacon,etc...) and even the true stevia leaf powder although a liquid sweetner definitely has its place.
BarefootHoodoo
· 5 months ago
I don't use Agave except if I've made a very bad smoothie combo, and I don't want to waste it...also some desserts. For sweetner, I use Xylitol. Not raw, but sweet and good for teeth.
Rachael
· 5 months ago
Thanks for the article. Sounds like agave was just too good to be true. I use stevia leaf too.
My only concern about the bees - how many are killed in the making of honey? Aren't we just using the poor things? It really bothers me to use something created by a poor little animal (besides plants of course) for my consumption, especially if there is harm done in the process.
junglegirl
· 5 months ago
Wikipedia had an excellent scientific entry on the adverse health effects of agave syrup up last year but when I went to reference it for a friend this year, it had been !replaced! by another entry that makes no mention of the effect of all that sugar/sweetness on the body. Veddy suspicious...I wish I had copied it out!
I use it, but very occasionally. It IS really hard on the teeth, so it's easy to imagine the effect on the body.
j
· 5 months ago
Just read the Mercola article and the Wiki entry was very much like it. May even have been by him. Thanks, Dhrumil!
So I was aware of the agave issue. At a Gabriel Cousens event I point blank asked him about agave nectar. He said that on his tests with diabetics that it is high glycemic. My diabetic friend seconds this: by saying that the quickest way to get his blood sugar up, is to eat agave nectar.
My main concern with any high fructose sweetner is the fact that our livers have to process it. Most of us wouldn't eat large amounts of high fructose corn syrup, not sure why high fructose sweetners, such as agave, have become so popular in the raw food arena.
I used to live in a house which grew organic stevia leaves and we would dry them for off season. They do have a licorice taste, but are lovely in tea, blended in a smothie, or a raw dessert. The trick for me was not to use them alone but with dates or fruit. Now that I don't have access to the leaves I use the amount of half of my pinky finger nail (I have small fingers) of the white stevia powder in a green smoothie so that I can tolerate more greens without having to add more fruit. Now with all this discussion, it's making me aware that perhaps I should go back to using the green leaves. Or at least find out how the white stevia powder is made.
Stevia leaves are available at many garden supply stores or can be ordered. They grow like weeds and always come back in the spring. Navita's Naturals carries the organic green stevia powder, which looks like the dried leaves ground up: http://www.navitasnaturals.com/products/stevia.... Haven't tried it yet but will let you know. Thanks for the discussion.
Bam
· 5 months ago
I never liked stevia until i grew some in the back yard.....much nicer than the dried powdered stuff.......pick a leaf off the stevia plant and a leaf of mint and roll em up and eat em..Yummy!!!
Bliss Doubt
· 5 months ago
Hi there. I tried the light agave syrup for the first time just a few days ago. It seemed blandly sweet. I bought it right before Mercola published his article. I think there are two ways to look at it. It seems to me that anything sticky sweet isn't going to be great for anybody, including honey, maple syrup, sugar, any of it, when it comes to tooth decay and glycemic indexes and all that. To me the good thing about agave is that it is drought resistant, as opposed to sugar cane fields which use so much water that they lower the water tables in the areas of cultivation, and as opposed to corn which is drowned in herbicides and pesticides. So even if the health benefits are iffy, the alternative to sugar and corn cultivation is a consideration.
Alec
· 5 months ago
Agave seems to feed something in me I dont want to be feeding. I like whole green stevia and sometimes eat honey.
Debbie Took
· 5 months ago
I use Medjool dates for my sweetener. No problems with them (I don't think...).
Smoothie this morning - bananas, blackcurrants from the garden (a bit sharp), and Medjool dates. Amazing.
lizz
· 5 months ago
Personally, I haven't had any negative experiences with agave, but I also don't use it, except maybe a rare occasion when I am preparing food in someone elses kitchen, and that is what is raw and available. I usually use dates, and their soak water. I use other dried fruits in the same manner if the flavor is appropriate. Bananas are really good for anything sweet and creamy, especially red bananas. I really don't care for stevia, and actually find that it has a negative reaction for me where I feel very stimulated from it. I enjoy yacon syrup from time to time as well. I do eat things with local raw honey in them sometimes, but this is just geographical. If I did not live somewhere like the Pacific Northwest, which I do, that made a lot of local honey that I know the methods of, I would probably use something else. When I lived in CT, I used maple sap from our maple trees. I did not cook it the way you would for maple syrup.
ainsley
· 5 months ago
I use agave minimally, but have never found a problem with feeling phlegmy. However, about a year ago I grew a Stevia plant quite successfully on my balcony and enjoyed using it in a variety of ways.... crumbled leaves in iced tea, blended with some berries as a fruit coulis over raw cacao pie... etc. I HIGHLY recommend the natural plant, which is a hardy one that is hard to kill... I should know - I accidentally killed a cactus i was trying to grow once.
nanny
· 5 months ago
I'm a huge Dr. Mercola fan. I had at several times been on his site looking for articles about agave, and I was so happy to find this article. Finally, I had the answers I was looking for. I had a feeling it was too good to be true. Agave, which is now used in almost all healthy deserts is not good for us! Which takes me back to what Dr. Mercola has always said. Stick to the whole foods!
Ben Tseitlin
· 5 months ago
raw organic honey from a farmer's market is like heaven to me, this is the real deal. nave never had any problems with agave though, i have used it in smoothies sometimes because it doesn't change the taste as much as honey does.
jessica
· 5 months ago
Why would stevia taste chemical-ly? Are you buying the white kind that has been processed? You can grow your own stevia plant then dry it yourself--no chemicals added. If anything it would taste herb-y I'd think. My uncle grows his own and it doesn't have a chemical taste.
Dhrumil
· 5 months ago
What I mean is it taste synthetic
nicole byrkit
· 5 months ago
I really thought this article was going to be about the Agave ads and Marketing that Dhru has going ;)
Dhrumil
· 5 months ago
Maybe next time : )
Elin J W
· 5 months ago
Since agave syrup is not a live food, I don´t use it. The living enzymes is removed from the syrup to prevent the agave from fermenting and turn into tequila. And since is it not a whole food, the syrup lacks a lot of the nutrition found in the original plant.
Nowadays I use fresh dates and raw honey from my local farmer as sweetener.
I am very curious about stevia but havn´t tried it since I have not found it in Stockholm were I live.
I have used agave in the past in the belief that it was a healthy sugar substitute, and was suprised of the negative health effects it had on me. Cravings, fatigue, sore throat. This made me want to investigate agave further and I stumbled upon this highly interesting articles, to make a pick of two;
I'm not a big agave fan, though I still eat it when I order desserts out at raw restaurants. I'm with you on stevia tasting too synthetic also.
I use a few things...To me, I'm more concerned with being healthy than being 100% vegan, so I use honey a majority of the time, as it's full of medicinal properties & tastes delicious. In NorCal it's pretty easy to arrange visits to the local beekeepers to see how they treat the bees & know you're not supporting something harmful. And learning about beekeeping is so much fun, so you get to learn really fascinating things in the process!
I also use medjool dates in smoothies & date paste in desserts. Yacon is also a pretty good natural, vegan sweetener taste-wise. It's just very pricey, and it's not local though it can be grown in some soil in Norcal, so perhaps it will become easier to get it as a whole food. I'm not sure about the processing of yacon...as far as i know, the root is dried & crushed into a powder, and for the syrup it's supposedly pressed fresh, but who knows what else goes on.
Lily
· 5 months ago
What about Raw Sugar? Is that now bad too?
Lily
· 5 months ago
What about Raw Sugar? Is that now bad too?
Dave
· 5 months ago
Look at the sugar substitutes at bodyecology.com There are other brands as well if you dig around the net.
jessicat
· 5 months ago
I go between raw honey and agave, and sometimes maple syrup. I don't use very much of either, though. I don't sweeten my tea and I don't use agave or honey in smoothies (the fruit is sweet enough, especially if you use banana). I did recently make homemade lemonade and used agave for that, but I try to use it sparingly. Also, I agree with Dhrumil about the stevia. I really can't stand the taste one little bit.
femmbot
· 5 months ago
try not to be too hard on yourself. no need to add stress to your life by fearing judgement or adding balance to your life. it's stressfull to have to think of being the perfect person all the time. i think honey is fine, whatever you want is fine.
ron
· 4 months ago
Why doesn't Mercola, a bid fan of meat, tell all the facts about MEAT and the effects on the body.
A quater pound of beef raises insulin levels in diabetics as much as a quarter pound of straight sugar. DIABETES CARE 7,1984, p.465
Cheese and beef raise insulin levels higher than "dreaded " higher than high carbohydrate foods like pasta. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRTION 50, 1997, page 1264
A single burgers worth of beef, or 3 slices of cheddar cheese, boosts insulin levels more than almost two cups of pasta. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRTION 50, 1997 page 1264
This is straight from There is a Cure for Diabetes DR. Gabriel Cousens page 39.
bitt
· 4 months ago
great points, ron!
bitt
· 4 months ago
i haven't had any negative experiences with agave but with all the controversy i am concerned. i don't tend to use as much as others do and cut it quite a bit in recipes.
i love the flavor of yacon syrup although i wish this was less expensive. it is a great alternative for me.
sharonsoars
· 4 months ago
I have been using more stevia, as I have almost completely eliminated agave now. In a smoothie/blend, elixer or dessert that needs a touch more sweet, I add 2-4 drops of the vanilla liquid stevia extract (8 drops for a full blender). It's just figuring out the amount that is the challenge. Using stevia in conjunction with other sweeteners/fruit works well.
sharonsoars
· 4 months ago
I am using more stevia, as I have almost completely eliminated agave now. I like the vanilla liquid extract, and use 2-4 drops in a smoothie/blend, elixer or dessert that might need a little more sweet. The challenge is using a small (enough) amount in conjunction with (usually) fruit. In the chocolates I make I do use a little honey, but the stevia allows me to use a lot less.
Alkalize
· 3 months ago
It's very acidic. It seems to actually rob me of some energy. Nowadays I try to stay away from it if possible.
All Comments
I do know what you mean about the phlegmy feeling in the throat. I get that whenever I consume anything that is processed or contains artificial ingredients. I first noticed it many years ago when I would go on vacation and eat out for days in a row, it would start as phlegm in my throat and turn into a ball in my stomach. When I started eating raw it went away.
Regarding Stevia - have you tried actually growing the plant and using the leaves. It's better either as a partial substitute or works really well in tea (hot or cold brewed.) Also, the nunaturals "nocarbs" tastes more natural than the other powdered versions and some of the liquid versions (though any of the powdered white stevia has been fairly processed.) The plant reminds me of mint (without the mint taste if that makes any sense.)
Agave - I do use it from time to time. It dissolves better in cold liquids than honey does and it's cheaper than maple syrup. It's supposedly low Glycemic Index but I'm starting to hear that that's false advertising (Dr. Mercola of course.) I like to keep it on hand just to have some diversity to my sweeteners and it doesn't seem to make me mucousy.
Maple Syrup - BIG fan of this one. Not a raw choice (I don't think there's an option for non-high temps on this) but delicious (and I don't mean the HFCS pancake syrup version.) It's not cheap and does have flavor so it's not a good combination for everything. Low G.I., less spike in the blood sugar levels, dissolves easily in cold liquids.
Honey - raw local good stuff, love the taste but I find it somewhat limiting at times. Doesn't dissolve quickly in cold liquids unless there's a blender involved.
For baking (for those interested and not 100% raw): agave, maple syrup and honey are not good sugar substitutes. For general cooking they sometimes are. Stevia can be used in baking but is usually best as only 50% of your sweetener and it's not 1 to 1 match with sugar.
Cane sugar: often seen as "sugar in the raw" even though it's heated above the temps the raw food community consider "raw." Still processed but less processed than white sugar and it's made from real cane sugar instead of beet sugar (most white granular sugar is beet sugar.) Better choice than regular white sugar but still going cause your blood sugar to spike. If you can get a stick of cane sugar then it is raw but has very limited uses though you might be able to juice it (might break something though...)
Dark brown sugar: often still cane sugar with less of the molasses removed during processing. I've started noticing that some of them are beet sugar now though.
Light brown sugar: often beet sugar (white sugar) with molasses added to it.
White sugar: beet sugar almost all of the time.
Molasses - black strap is a slightly sweet and a source of certain nutrients. Strong flavor means it doesn't get used often.
Sweet Sorghum Molasses - I have no exact idea on this ... it's a southern thing and I think it's made from a rice or grass-like plant? Haven't tried it but I'm guessing it's going to be similar to regular molasses.
Brown Rice syrup - popular in a lot of processed health food products. Very sweet but doesn't have an over powering flavor. This one makes me mucousy though (but it's often paired with soy which makes me mucousy as well.)
Xylitol - made from birch tree usually. Supposedly good for your teeth, low GI, no calorie, no blood sugar spike. Expensive. No idea on the raw aspect. Only tried it in gum and it tasted fine in that but haven't forked over the cash to try the powered version. Keep away from dogs.
Most processed packaged foods use some form of high fructose corn syrup instead of any of the above because it's made from corn (aka cheap and tax subsidized.) And then there are the aspartames of the world...
A lot of sweetners are not even close to raw. Fresh stevia leaves or honey is probably your least heated sweeteners. OR a fresh stick of cane sugar (not very common mainland but pretty easy to find in Hawaii.)
I've tried to reduce my sugar intake and sweeteners in general but my goal is not to remove them completely because I do enjoy them. I've been looking at the Glycemic Index and how much each will make your blood sugar levels elevate because those that make it jump tend to make me feel worse when consumed regularly.
I've kinda come to believe that eating too much of any one thing (even if it's a "healthy" food) can be bad. I try to diversify and balance and notice how things make me personally feel (not just base my decisions on how it makes someone else feel) but also not obsess (though I enjoy researching so...) Not a raw foodie but I've added more raw food to my diet.
I don't know everything about sweeteners but I have learned a fair amount about a lot of them. (Sorry for the long post!)
Raw honey (orange blossom) and Yacon syrup (yum!) are on top of my list.
I've read great things about Yacon, it has virtually no effect on your GI levels, it's anti-bacterial and it tastes amazing, the only set back is that it's expensive, but if you only use tiny bits here and there it's worth it.
I am trying to use whole foods (fruits - banana, dates, raisins, dehydrated pineapple) to balance the sweetness in a dish and in desserts. The less I use concentrated forms of sweeteners (even honey), the more sensitive I become to sweet tastes and the less I want to use, and this is exactly what I am trying to move towards.
I forwarded this article to someone I know who is a raw chef and a holistic counselor and she said she was aware of some of this debate over agave. It was all new to me.
He was very confidently saying that sugar = sugar = sugar, so any type of sugar (even agave...even sweet fruit) will feed cancers, leach minerals out of our bodies, and contribute to a whole whack of diseases.
Highly interesting talk, and he even addressed a question about why 811'ers are thriving on a high-sugar (fruit) diet: he said that they may feel amazing right now, but there is no way we could live for 20 years on eating 20 bananas a day...we'd be highly likely get cancer.
Interesting take for sure! Thanks for raising this issue.
Recently I've been experimenting with 2 new types of agave, both available through sunfoodnutrition.com. The first is an organic, truly raw crystal clear agave that has a very nice, clean taste ( http://www.sunfood.com/buy/1/103/Agave-Nectar-C... ). I think it has an even lower glycemic index than other agaves. It's perfect with tea and anything touched by lime.
The other is a dark agave ( http://www.sunfood.com/buy/1/103/497/Agave-Nect... ) that has a rich, maple syrup sort of flavor, and I like using this in dessert recipes especially chocolate!
Agave's been cool with me. And like I said, I don't consume it everyday, maybe just a couple times per week? Maybe 2-4 tbsp was just too much for your bod.
I am new to blogging. I am trying to gain followers please check me out!
My thoughts on agave are this: if you are eating a clean diet and you include some processed food like agave, you are still doing great compared to the vast majority of people on this planet. Plus, I know for me that I regained my health and released nearly 100 pounds all while consuming agave, so it can't be all *that* bad for the body (at least not in the beginning of going raw).
Lots of love to you,
Wendi
XOXOXO
For stevia, I find the plant leaves taste the cleanest, and I also like just a couple drops of the vanilla flavored liquid stevia. To me, that doesn't taste chemical unless I use way too much. The white powder, though? Ewwwww!
I love yacon syrup, but I don't have it on hand. Sometimes I like to use xylitol powder + cinnamon on some cut up apples. It totally tastes like apple pie to me and only takes about 30 seconds to make.
Lately I've been using lucuma powder to sweeten things, and I do like that. Also, Sun Warrior protein powder tastes kind of sweet and creamy.
I've never been a huge honey fan. I used to use it on my face and that was yummy, but also pretty messy! I'm very sensitive to how it's havested--actually feel weird if I get a sense that the bees were angry about having their honey harvested. For the last month or so, I got a very strong urge to add in some bee pollen, which is also quite sweet. For what it's worth, I feel a lot more energy and extra happy since making that switch.
and
Purevia is PepsiCo's patented made in a lab version of stevia...
It's kinda like Splenda calling itself sugar (again made in a lab and thus patentable.)
I'm pretty much against eating things made in a lab and patented (and I reacted to Splenda by feeling like I couldn't get out of bed for more than an hour. It was two weeks until I figured out that the splenda in the tasty flavored water I had been drinking might be the cause and stopped drinking it.)
My only concern about the bees - how many are killed in the making of honey? Aren't we just using the poor things? It really bothers me to use something created by a poor little animal (besides plants of course) for my consumption, especially if there is harm done in the process.
I use it, but very occasionally. It IS really hard on the teeth, so it's easy to imagine the effect on the body.
My friend John wrote this article about 3 years ago:
http://www.rawfoods.com/articles/agave.html
So I was aware of the agave issue. At a Gabriel Cousens event I point blank asked him about agave nectar. He said that on his tests with diabetics that it is high glycemic. My diabetic friend seconds this: by saying that the quickest way to get his blood sugar up, is to eat agave nectar.
My main concern with any high fructose sweetner is the fact that our livers have to process it. Most of us wouldn't eat large amounts of high fructose corn syrup, not sure why high fructose sweetners, such as agave, have become so popular in the raw food arena.
I used to live in a house which grew organic stevia leaves and we would dry them for off season. They do have a licorice taste, but are lovely in tea, blended in a smothie, or a raw dessert. The trick for me was not to use them alone but with dates or fruit. Now that I don't have access to the leaves I use the amount of half of my pinky finger nail (I have small fingers) of the white stevia powder in a green smoothie so that I can tolerate more greens without having to add more fruit. Now with all this discussion, it's making me aware that perhaps I should go back to using the green leaves. Or at least find out how the white stevia powder is made.
Stevia leaves are available at many garden supply stores or can be ordered. They grow like weeds and always come back in the spring. Navita's Naturals carries the organic green stevia powder, which looks like the dried leaves ground up:
http://www.navitasnaturals.com/products/stevia....
Haven't tried it yet but will let you know. Thanks for the discussion.
Smoothie this morning - bananas, blackcurrants from the garden (a bit sharp), and Medjool dates. Amazing.
Which takes me back to what Dr. Mercola has always said. Stick to the whole foods!
Nowadays I use fresh dates and raw honey from my local farmer as sweetener.
I am very curious about stevia but havn´t tried it since I have not found it in Stockholm were I live.
I have used agave in the past in the belief that it was a healthy sugar substitute, and was suprised of the negative health effects it had on me. Cravings, fatigue, sore throat. This made me want to investigate agave further and I stumbled upon this highly interesting articles, to make a pick of two;
http://www.living-foods.com/articles/agave.html
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/arch...
I use a few things...To me, I'm more concerned with being healthy than being 100% vegan, so I use honey a majority of the time, as it's full of medicinal properties & tastes delicious. In NorCal it's pretty easy to arrange visits to the local beekeepers to see how they treat the bees & know you're not supporting something harmful. And learning about beekeeping is so much fun, so you get to learn really fascinating things in the process!
I also use medjool dates in smoothies & date paste in desserts.
Yacon is also a pretty good natural, vegan sweetener taste-wise. It's just very pricey, and it's not local though it can be grown in some soil in Norcal, so perhaps it will become easier to get it as a whole food. I'm not sure about the processing of yacon...as far as i know, the root is dried & crushed into a powder, and for the syrup it's supposedly pressed fresh, but who knows what else goes on.
A quater pound of beef raises insulin levels in diabetics as much as a quarter pound of straight sugar. DIABETES CARE 7,1984, p.465
Cheese and beef raise insulin levels higher than "dreaded " higher than high carbohydrate foods like pasta. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRTION 50, 1997, page 1264
A single burgers worth of beef, or 3 slices of cheddar cheese, boosts insulin levels more than almost two cups of pasta. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRTION 50, 1997 page 1264
This is straight from There is a Cure for Diabetes DR. Gabriel Cousens page 39.
i love the flavor of yacon syrup although i wish this was less expensive. it is a great alternative for me.