Agave syrup is a food tipped as a good substitute for sugar, but rumors are now swirling that it is even worse for your health than ‘normal table sugar’.
Those with a sweet tooth will fall in love with agave syrup. It is wonderfully sweet, even thinner than honey and melts wonderfully over a portion of pancakes. It can also be used as a sugar substitute in cake recipes.
What is agave syrup made of?
Let’s start at the beginning. What is the syrup actually made of? It is the thickened sap of the Agave plant. There are various types – from blue to gray – which is why the Agave syrup is also available in light to dark colored variants. Fun fact: tequila is also made from the Agave plant.
It is available in most health food stores, because many people think that it is a healthy and natural product. Wrong! The syrup is made after a chemical process of food processing and filtering. All beneficial nutrients are removed during this process. In addition, a form of fructose is created that is even worse for your health than regular sugar.
Is agave syrup unhealthy or healthy?
Oops! We have already revealed it. Indeed. Agave syrup is unhealthier than normal table sugar. Some varieties are even unhealthier than honey.
Agave syrup is about 1.5 times sweeter than normal sugar. So you have to use less to get the same sweet taste. However, it is better to throw agave syrup in the trash because of the high fructose content. Let’s compare. Agave syrup contains from 55 to 90% fructose. For comparison, honey contains 40%. And as you probably know, honey is anything but healthy.
Why is agave syrup so bad?
Health coach and personal trainer Inge van Haselen says: “Refined fructose can cause anemia, osteoporosis and damage to your blood vessels, among other things. So agave syrup is absolutely not natural or organic and if you put everything together it is even worse than sugar.”
So don’t fall for the hype!
