The natural foods world is one of so many obvious examples of marketing gone haywire, and a recent glut of articles debunking the myth of agave necter got me a-thinkin’ about it again. I feel the need to underline this marketing extravaganza.
Agave syrup is a substance as bad (or worse, according to some) for you as corn syrup. It is cleverly enrobed in well-thought-out promotional words and packages as being a very healthy all-natural alternative to sugar. You may see such brands as Agave Dream and Blue Agave Nectar adorning the carefully designed stores of Whole Foods and other “natural” food stores. Dr. Johnny Bowden of the Huffington Post states, “Agave nectar has a low-glycemic index for one reason only: it’s largely made of fructose, which although it has a low-glycemic index, is probably the single most damaging form of sugar when used as a sweetener. With the exception of pure liquid fructose, agave nectar has the highest fructose content of any commercial sweetener.”
Ask yourself what imagery comes to mind with word agave — chances are it’s a pure, healthy, natural image of sorts. Now ask yourself why this picture exists for you? Obviously it’s not based in fact or science, because on a purely scientific level agave syrup is a very highly processed sweetener that has little to do with agave fruit and more to do with concentrated fructose syrup (often more than you will find in the dreaded corn syrup) that is spun in a factory and often has little to do with anything natural. So, is it because the word “agave” conjures up images of mystical, exotic lands where holistic healing is paramount? Is it because you saw it on a shelf in Whole Foods with nice graphics and a serene drawing, and assume that it must be healthy?
Let’s hold up a concrete example: I have in front of me a plastic bottle from the company Wholesome Sweeteners. The product is “Organic Blue Agave - made with organic agave nectar from the core of the agave plant”. It’s got simple packaging that screams “natural”. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Not if you look at science as opposed to advertising; Science says that most agave nectar is a laboratory-created highly-condensed fructose syrup that lacks almost any nutritional value. While marketing would have you believe that you’re doing your health a favor by using it, reality will remind you that agave syrup has a higher fructose content than almost any other sweetener out there, and thus is as or more dangerous than corn syrup as far as the nation’s health is concerned.
Reality vs. marketing are often very different planets. It’s so very easy to get sucked in by these things (I know from experience!), to get lulled in by the placid farm watercolor on the front of an egg carton, to get sucker punched by the words “all natural” on a bottle of sweetener made in a factory like anything else. The more research you do, the more you see how much we are lied to and how much less a lot of us would buy if we knew the truth vs. carefully constructed marketing. There is no grand conspiracy here, it’s just the age old way of making profit.
