Thank you for your comments and concern. We maintain that Agave that is raw, such as Madhava, is a great sweetener.

We encourage anyone looking into this to read Kal and Traci’s article closely and also their comments.

As Kal stated above: “The use of the Agave plant the way described in Traci’s article is not only the traditional way, it is so outrageously the most cost effective way that one has to wonder why anyone would try to process Agave any other way. Why would you add chemicals to process a product that you only need to dehydrate or heat (if not producing a raw product) to make a healthy, wholesome and tasty sweetener?”

And then in referring to an article that made the accusation that Agave containts fructose he says: “The majority of the article is about fructose, with an introductory paragraph that assumes (without citation) that commercial agave nectars contain it. I suspect that the article is simply inaccurate. It makes a very loose, non-specific almost accusation about one supposed producer and a looser implication about other producers and then changes the subject completely to high fructose corn sweetener, which no one doubts is really toxic and problematic.”

We always appreciate concerned readers pointing out things like that.

Here is Traci and Kal’s resonse to the article:

I really feel like this type of question is an excellent time to provide some education. In order for individuals to not be ‘blown about by every wind of doctrine’ or in other words, not be subject to popular opinions to guide them in what they should do…people need to learn to utilize “The Natural Food Filter.” When an individual knows 1) how a food is produced and processed…(question #2 in the filter) then they can make a determination of wether or not a food is truly ‘Natural’.

Without this information, it is impossible to know what we are getting. The information I provided on how the agave syrup is produced is ‘the traditional way’ or the way it has been done on the southern continent since time immemorial. I know of people who tap their personal agaves in the fashion the article describes. Secondly, the brand of agave nectar in the article( ‘Madhava’ ) is produced in this fashion, information taken directly from the Madhava website. I have not researched every brand of Agave Nectar on the market to confirm that their production is as pristine, but if an individual knows what to ask, then they can.

The article on Natural News.com was placed there intentionally to increase awareness that there is corruption that exists in the industry on products that are sweetened with “agave”, much like there was a lot of corruption in the olive oil industry years ago, selling ‘pure’ oils that were fooling the uneducated into thinking they were getting a cold pressed, extra virgin oil. Being aware and having a good Natural Food Filter is the key to being a savvy shopper.

Hope this helps,
Traci

Kal also answers:

Where do we begin?

The use of the Agave plant the way described in Traci’s article is not only the traditional way, it is so outrageously the most cost effective way that one has to wonder why anyone would try to process Agave any other way. Why would you add chemicals to process a product that you only need to dehydrate or heat (if not producing a raw product) to make a healthy, wholesome and tasty sweetener?

The majority of the article is about fructose, with an introductory paragraph that assumes (without citation) that commercial agave nectars contain it. I suspect that the article is simply inaccurate, not to mention the fact that the article does not really talk much about agave, except for very circumstantially. It makes a very loose, non-specific almost accusation about one supposed producer and a looser implication about other producers and then changes the subject completely to high fructose corn sweetener, which no one doubts is really toxic and problematic.

The real question is can you investigate the companies you buy from and can you determine, using Traci’s Natural Food Filter, if what they are doing is natural? If you can, you have nothing to fear about what is healthy and what products you use. If you are going to turn off your own brain and trust someone to make sure that if you shop at a health food store, anything you buy will make you immortal, then you are in big trouble and believing every negative report about new health foods is not going to help you.

The companies we buy from strip the flowers and tap the stalk like maple syrup farms do maple trees. They heat or dehydrate (for the raw stuff) the liquid and it is very cheap and it would do them no good to add chemical processing as that would only increase the expenses and lower the profit margin. It would simply be silly.

I do not know what every company is doing, but the very idea is a little weird. One has to wonder why anyone would do that? It is certainly no cheaper than making high fructose corn syrup and would be far more expensive than just using the sap.

The author of the mentioned article also makes some out of hand remarks about saponins that are nothing short of ridiculous. She mixed in one accurate comment, but in a context that grossly misrepresents the facts about saponins.

It is our opinion that anyone wondering what to do should study Traci’s Transformational Health Principles and learn the Natural Food Filter. They should then do their own investigation and, upon discovering the facts about their company and product of interest, make the obvious choice that nature clearly condones.

Thank you.

Kal

Remember that you can get Traci’s Transformational Health Principle for free at http://www.bestfoodist.com