Agave: You May Be Better Off Drinking the Tequila

Agave nectar has become the fashionable sugar-substitute of choice in the last couple of years. I even noticed a two-pack of large bottles of organic agave nectar at Costco yesterday. The blue agave plant grows native in Mexico and, once fermented, forms the basis of tequila.

Dr. Mercola has published a scathing critique of agave nectar, saying it is higher in fructose than the much-bedeviled HFCS (high fructose corn syrup)—fructose being the bad-for-you form of "sugar" (glucose being the natural, good form). Along with the fructose count, agave nectar is highly chemical-processed and devoid of nutrients—you can read the rest of the story here.

If Dr. Mercola is right, caveat emptor—let the buyer beware. Clever marketing can make natural things look good even after all the "nature" has been removed. (It goes without saying that I'm not a scientist or nutritionist, so can't evaluate Mercola's claims. I pass along the link for your own consideration.)