More On Agave, HFCS and How Fructose Affects the Liver #374

[PatriotPaul759]

Maple water is called sap. Maybe some people want to take sap for a sweetner?

[spidathon]

PLEASE focus the info u r delivering

[faulconandsnowjob]

Just recently found out agave contains saponins, which can cause miscarriage.

[jeanofarc4203]

I have been severely reactive hypoglycemic most of my life and simply can not tolerate any type of sugars, even carob and most fruits. I have been able to overcome this a bit, but agave gives me a bit of reaction, whereas organic brown rice syrup never has, even when I at the most unhealthy state I could have as much as I want without any apparent spike in blood sugar or hangover effect. I am saddened that agave seems to be the key ingredient in so much food that claims to be low glycemic.

[safiartv]

Thanks so much. Have been trying to get off sugar even when preparing raw or vegan recipes. Going broke buying agave anyway, thanks. And I appreciate you addressing the alcohol sugar addict thing.

[Clarion13]

Sweet things in nature would be mainly fruits, and if we think about it they are only naturally available in late summer/autumn.

Science tells us that our bodies are supposed to desire sweet things, so we can store up some extra calories for wintertime. Our issue in modern times is "the grocery store effect" which allows us all foods, all the time. Hard to resist! :)

[Clarion13]

Love your openness to explore all aspects of your diet! I am a more Primal eater, not Raw, but I am on the "hunt" for the natural way to eat. ;)

Sweets of any type, raw or not, do spike blood sugars, cause inflammation, and lead to disease. Even fruit and that fructose, as you mention. Fructose of all kinds can even cause Cirrhosis in the liver, especially in the diabetic! Just like alcohol would in an alcoholic.

Great info as always Kevin!

[johnandrewdaly]

Hey Kevin, thought I'd pass on that you were one of my main inspirations for starting my own youtube show which I'll be doing once a week talking about how to live a little more holistically which includes nutrition, breathing, stretching and even how meditation and concentration exercises can benefit us. I'd love your feedback on it!

Thanks Kevin!

[rubyvrom17]

Great Video, Kevin.....thanks for all the research and teaching you bring!

xo....Penni

[angelbe88]

Is there corn syrup in Agave? I was recently diagnosed as having a corn allergy. I stopped eating it and my hands finally cleared up. Then ate a big salad with a couple squirts of agave and the next morning had blisters again.

[Lacoux]

i went out and got the green stevia powder. I've never tried the white powdered version, but the green version creates almost a dried grass taste at the end of my smoothies. Do you have any other recommendations for sweeteners? HELP

[LadyChiefRider]

Try adding dates to your smoothies to sweeten them up.

[TarotLadyLissa]

Im the Master Cleanse they use Maple Syrup; are there other sugars or ingredients to substitute.

[JJsAhBoo143]

You have a great point on the addictions to sugars and how if we were talking about lettuce or tomatoes most people wouldn't give it much thought. I know I had an "addictive reaction" when I first heard you mention that agave isn't healthy. I didn't want it to be true lol, so that just confirms that I'm addicted to my sweets!!

[watershed11]

are you saying the pure fructose is bad for you and therefore agave is not good for you? I have thought for years that agave is just too much sugar. Thanks.

[ty99999returns]

Great info, thanks for sharing.

I am greatful for the constitution and bill of rights, although I maybe have one or two or rather a few problems with a few things but I will not get into that here.

[joeups72]

I am grateful for freedom of choice, I have chosen not to be 100% raw but to increase my raw intake through dehydrated crackers, juices, smoothies, dried fruits and salads. I read about and then make a decision based on what I think after I have read!

[ButchBerryMusic]

Kevin, thank you for pointing out that the fructose in fruits is ok to eat. I would add regarding honey or anything that you can't make a meal out of is probably not optimum for you. Think about if you could sit there and eat a bowl of honey like Winnie the Pooh and be satisfied.

[okeeno27]

I heard you mention GMO it is important to remember that we are the ginny pigs for GMO there has never been a long term effect research ever. Studies in animals show reproductive issues and animals giving birth to sacks of water it should really be looked into

[okeeno27]

I'm glad you mentioned honey I always buy it unpasteurized. And honey is the number one thing on earth proven to make you live longer

[Mandy86lynn]

free will in general kevin :P

[edibleaspirations]

I am grateful for my God given right to break any law

[hend6475]

Kevin, Is there anything I should know about xylitol?

[obesejim]

ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOFL!

[Zoeebella]

Yay for Stevia!

Raw honey? Did you say anything about that? My kids were acting crazy during some of this video! LOL

[JackNeedles]

Raw honey is fine because:

1. It is not refined, oxidized sugar like white sugar or agave. Oxidized sugar is what becomes addictive, because of the structural retardation that occurs in heated/oxidized sugar. 2. Raw honey contains the necessary enzymes that are needed to break down the sugar, etc., unlike heated honey/sugar. Keven should have also pointed out that not all fructose is natural & that fruit fructose is healthy because it is dependent on other minerals/nutrients to balance it out.

[JackNeedles]

Also, there is a BIG DIFFERENCE between isolated chemicals/nutrients & whole food chemicals/nutrients. I have said this many times. Whole food nutrients contain all the original nutrients that are in sequence with nature. Isolated chemicals are hard to digest and become addictive because your body does not recognize them as whole foods because other nutrients that are dependent on that one nutrient are lost, thus making it a low quality, possibility addictive chemical. Laws of biochemistry.

[starflower666]

gabriel cousens recommends xyitol, which is from birch tree bark

[WellnessMafia]

8 n )

[thanks4tuningin]

I am grateful for the ability to let my body heal itself. I am also grateful for love. Hippie sounding? yes but who cares :)

[joelsjunkemail]

THX 4 teh NFO Playa! Peace!

[IamDemetri00]

David Wolfe talks about honey having more enzymes than any food there is. Would you say adding more honey into our recipes would be worth the extra sugar content do to how highly rich it is in important enzymes? Great video!

[ShaolinHero1]

Diet is really about balance, it's best not to chase after one 'specific' food for any reason! Plus there's also enzyme supplements if you really need them that bad.

[IamDemetri00]

cool thanks

[ShaolinHero1]

welcome

[linksysrouted]

Dude's a geenus.

[armoguy94]

freedoms? what freedoms with obama? :\ codex alimentarius?

[StarFlower99654]

Yes, maple syrups are all cooked. As a kid growing up in Ohio, we tapped trees and made our own maple syrup. It tastes totally different than anything I have ever gotten in a store, even those labled raw, pure and organic. It was probably alot healthier too.

[ShaolinHero1]

sounds awesome

[StarFlower99654]

All the 'raw' sweetners along with raw nuts and fats are my crutch right now. I am still in transistion so I do believe that they have value in helping me bridge the difference until I am able to learn and prepare all raw.

[Torre801010]

Kevin Can you Answer my ? in one of your Videos about Skin Dermatitis.... Do you know what can help heal this particular skin problem.. THANKS!

[thewiseturtle]

Post your question on the main site. I don't think they read the youtube comments. Or at least not regularly.

[faylinameir]

I personally believe honey tastes better then agave, I'm not a big sweet person, never have been. I do use raw honey when needed, and I use sea salt also, i'll throw that out there too.

I'm thankful for my right to free speach, plain and simple

[GrannySlimsDown]

This question is along the line of AcrycChique101- Is it true that by eating Yams or sweetpotatos raw will send a woman into menopause?

[kimxxxyyy]

No one ever told me agave was possibly bad, but the strange thing is I have instinctively been completely avoiding it and have sense turn to raw honey or dates, local and organic (:

[StoryeTime]

YES!

Dates are the way to go!

We're lucky to grow them in California

Also, I totally agree with JackNeedles about eating food that is in its natural state, that's what I keep telling people, if it's isolated and you have the choice and can eat this food part of the food its coming from then don't eat the isolate product

Thanks Kevin!

[ObiRawKenobi]

I'm grateful for my god-given rights, as protected by the United States Constitution, among them being: the right to grow my own food, and the right to buy food that has not been irradiated, pasteurized, or otherwise adulterated, although, these rights are coming under attack more and more (raw almonds banned, etc).

[SoldierofChrist87]

Raw organic honey ftw.

[faylinameir]

yep! Raw honey Ftw =)

[thewiseturtle]

I don't like stealing from others, especially when they put lots of work into making something for their babies. Seems pretty much a losing approach to me.

I'd rather eat fruit, then compost the leftovers, so that the plant's babies have a chance to spread. :-)

[AcrylicChique101]

LEvin? Could you answer me a question on menstruation and raw foods. What is the problem when your period stops coming when you go raw, and how can you bring it back?

[ObiRawKenobi]

Amenorrhea is a sign that something is very wrong, especially if you're really 14, like it says in your profile. I'd recommend you get off the raw diet immediately, do some research as to what is wrong, and maybe give it another try after your body is finished developing. I found, personally, that I couldn't be successful on the raw food diet without including some animal products (like raw fish).

[thewiseturtle]

What are you suggesting that cooked food would do for someone that raw doesn't?

[ObiRawKenobi]

Well, cooked food wouldn't cause a 14 year old girl to miss her period, for starters.

I think she'd be much better off just avoiding chemical-laden processed foods, for the time being, until she figures out what she's doing. Getting proper nutrition, exclusively from plant sources, is very complicated.

[thewiseturtle]

That's not at all true. Most young women who miss periods are eating cooked food.

But you didn't answer my question. What do you think cooked food would do for someone that raw doesn't? How do you think cooking something is going to make it more healthy for someone compared to eating it fresh and whole?

[ObiRawKenobi]

I've been on raw forums on the net for a long time, so I know how common this problem is for raw vegan women. It's almost always attributed to "detox" or whatever, because people don't want to acknowledge the possibility that raw veganism might not be the perfect diet. I'm assuming the girl had normal menstruation when she was eating "normal" food, which is why I recommended that she go back on it. It would be irresponsible to do otherwise.

[thewiseturtle]

Ask over on the main website. I don't think Kevin reads the YouTube comments, or at least not often. As for my own suggestion, I'd say this has nothing to do with raw foods in general, but something specific about your body and your selection of foods. If I were you, I'd look into what nutritional deficiencies cause Amenorrhea, and then seek out foods that reverse that deficiency. Though it also could simply be that you're not eating enough calories. Or, you could be pregnant...

[thewiseturtle]

Obi(not)RawKenobi, what would be irresponsible would be to make an assumption about a treatment for a medical problem without understanding what the cause of the problem is.

[ObiRawKenobi]

Whatever. It's really pointless to argue about it. My original advice stands.

[neraknerak1]

Yes amenorrhea could be due to being underweight (or pregnancy of course..). Check your BMI. If it's less than 18, I suggest you eat more calories, fats, etc. Raw or otherwise.

[ShaolinHero1]

If it's not stopped completely there is a possibility that it's ok, ladies in Japan don't have as much menstrual flow because of their diet. But you would want to be on the diet for a while for that to happen, otherwise i'd get it checked out, if you decide to go back to eating some cooked food, do so carefully if you are 100% raw, otherwise it can make you sick. All the best