So we know sugar's bad for you, but what about agave nectar? After all, it's all-natural, organic, and it doesn't spike your blood glucose like sugar does. And since it's sweeter than sugar, you can use less of it, right? So isn't it a healthy substitute for sugar?
No, not really.
"People are disgusted with aspartame and Splenda, and they're looking for an alternative to high-fructose corn syrup," said Kantha Shelke, a food chemist specializing in natural foods and principal with the Chicago-based food science think tank Corvus Blue. But Shelke adds that consumers' high hopes for agave may be somewhat misguided. "People say it's a healthful alternative, but it's not really. A sugar is a sugar is a sugar," she says.
(My favorite line: "Organic junk is still junk.")
