Is Agave a Healthy Sweetener In Bread Recipe if I am Pregnant?

by Charlotte

I want to experiment with the sweetener in the soaked flour bread recipe.

My blood sugar is elevated from being pregnant. I feel much better eating just meat and green vegetables in my diet. But my diet calls for whole grains, so I want to cut the additional carbohydrates, especially sugar.

I know that agave is supposed to be low-glycemic, safe and natural, but it does cost a bit more than blackstrap molasses.

Is agave a good sweetener for the soaked flour homemade bread recipe if I am pregnant?

Eryn's Reply: I am not a fan of agave "nectar." In fact, I do not care for the taste either. The Weston Price Foundation is not in support of consuming agave nectar either.

The Weston Price Foundations says, "Saponins found in many varieties of agave plants are toxic steroid derivatives, capable of disrupting red blood cells and producing diarrhea and vomiting, to be avoided during pregnancy or breastfeeding because they might cause or contribute to miscarriage by stimulating blood flow to the uterus. At the very least, agave products should carry a warning label indicating that the product may cause a miscarriage. Here is the Weston Price article on agave "nectar".

The Weston Price foundation says Agave "nectar" is a sweetener made from man. Agave nectar contains manufactured fructose. Agave has been refined through a process of enzyme digestion that changes the agave starch and fiber into the manmade, not natural, chemical fructose.

Agave nectar is at least 70 percent fructose - with some websites indicating higher levels of fructose. The high fructose corn syrup used in sodas in 55 percent refined fructose. You will find this Health Diabetes article on fructose (the disguised sugar) of interest.

It is good to keep in mind, that many people function best without consuming sweeteners at all.

Evidently, the patented processing of agave began in 1998. So, consuming the agave sweetener, in its current highly marketed form, is a newer way of processing then consuming the agave sweetener.

The safety of agave nectar consumption is a very controversial topic. Within the agave plant there are saponins. The saponin is found throughout the agave plant, in the rootstocks as well as in the leaves, which, after the fibers have been removed, are also used locally as soap substitutes. From observations, it is believed that the saponin occurs in the sap of the cells too. Saponins are found in other foods too.


There are interesting bioactive properties in agave saponins as well as information on its toxicity.

Fish certainly don't seem to like saponins. In this agave saponin article, minnows were placed in dishes with tap water and isolated saponin, the highest concentration used was 0.02 per cent. When the agave saponin had been added, the "fish became greatly excited and swam about rapidly, but soon calmed down and came to the surface for the water gasping for air. Bleeding in the vicinity of the gills and fins was observed. The fish lost their power of maintaining equilibrium and gradually turned over on their backs. After swimming in this position for some time they died."

Now granted, the saponin was isolated and they are known to be toxic to fish, but hey makes me think I don't want to overdo my saponins especially if they are coming from a processed non whole food.

Here is a link to a book on saponins if you are real interested in learning more about them - Saponins (Chemistry and Pharmacology of Natural Products).

Saponins do have anti-fertility properties and have been used for contraceptives including birth control pills. Do a search on saponins and contraceptives.

I think it would be a lot easier to over-consume processed agave "nectar" than the whole food agave leaf that has been consumed for a very long time.

Based on what I have personally read on agave nectar, I just would not feel comfortable consuming too much of it. I would also steer away from it if I were pregnant, or looking to get pregnant.

Will consuming small amounts of agave nectar really hurt? I don't think so. Is it of health benefit to consume the nutrient absent agave nectar? I don't believe so.

I will stick to the traditionally used sweeteners that have a nice long history of safety and that taste good and right to me.

It will be interesting to follow these ongoing discussions on the safety of agave nectar.

Hope this information is of value to you Charlotte,

Eryn



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