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Joe Mercola and GreenSmoothieGirl on agave


Robyn Openshaw - Apr 26, 2010 - This Post May Contain Affiliate Links


In the natural health space, Joe Mercola is very much a Goliath, and I’m very much a David. Today’s topic: my affinities and differences with his philosophies.

Dr. Mercola responded to my blog posting and newsletter of a week ago, about agave.

I stand firm that drawing fear-based parallels between raw, organic agave from a reputable company and tequila or HFCS is “ridiculous” as I said before.

A raw agave plant is to agave is to HFCS—as an orange is to orange juice is to Tang.

I disagree with Joe Mercola on a variety of issues, including his promoting and selling whey protein, beef, tanning beds, and his metabolic typing theory with no real basis in science.

This whole agave controversy reminds me of something I remember from when my kids were little. There was a group of parents who were furious with the Barney show. The parents decided to form a coalition to fight the producers because they’d decided Barney was really the devil in a big purple suit, teaching kids about séances and witchcraft. The lawsuit, as I recall, referred to Barney the Dinosaur as promoting Satanism.

As a young mother, I remember reading about it in the paper and laughing out loud.

There are so many true evils in the world hurting children. Sweat shots, kiddie porn. Too-heavy backpacks full of textbooks. Let’s not forget McDonald’s products and marketing program. Just to name a few.

Why spend precious energy creating fear about a harmless TV show that has the dinosaur imagining things and disappearing?

That’s how I feel about the agave controversy. Again, I disagree with People Magazine calling it a “superfood” as much as I disagree that it’s going to hurt us when used in moderation.

I have interviewed experts as well. I feel confident that predicting nutritional catastrophe because someone adds a bit of agave to her green smoothie takes away from the real, more meaningful debate.

Let’s attack the true villains gaining traction in the food world: Monsanto; modern practices in raising beef/poultry; corn/soy products taking over the food supply; processed foods; fast foods; GMO foods; pasteurized and irradiated foods.

There’s plenty of evil without attacking the little bit of maple syrup, honey, agave, or stevia we whole-foods advocates use. (Each of those has pluses and minuses. Agave’s pluses are lower blood sugar impact as well as availability in raw/organic form.)

The whole debate takes away from the basic premise I reiterate here over and over:

Plant foods are good preventive medicine. We alter them to our detriment. We have to get back to our roots. Less processed is better, less concentrated sweeteners is better, more natural is better. Whole is good; fractionated and refined is bad.

And I want to say this about Joe Mercola. Some of the things he promotes seem oversold or a bit paranoid to me, and others are counter to what I teach on this site, like an incredibly expensive tanning bed being a good way to get Vita D. However, I respect him tremendously for being one of the first on the internet to start educating people about natural healing. He is smart and educated, and I believe he has good motives.

He and I have the same goal of educating people, empowering them, to eat natural foods and live a lifestyle that avoids reliance on medical solutions such as drugs and surgery.

I agree with Mercola about far more things than I disagree with him about. I appreciate his commenting here on my blog.

Posted in: Whole Food

17 thoughts on “Joe Mercola and GreenSmoothieGirl on agave”

Leave a Comment
  1. Anonymous says:

    I am so totally mixed up. I have been sharing agave with tons of people that are diabetic. Telling them it will not raise their glycemic index, and now I feel horrible. What brand is a good one?

  2. Anonymous says:

    Hi Robyn,

    I was just at the Longevity Conference in Costa Mesa with Dr. Mercola and David Wolf, so this is a tiny update. They both spoke about Agave. They were even at time on stage together talking about Agave (it is a huge topic right now). They were both clear that:

    1) Agave is not appropriate for people who have

    blood sugar issues because it is not really a

    low glycemic product

    2) Much Agave currently available is an off-product

    from the manufacture of Tequila (by the mafia)

    in Mexico and other similar countries

    3) Clear Agaves (basically those from Ultimate and

    some others) are possibly okay for some people

    in small quantities

    By the way, David Wolfe does not sell or specifically sponsor any products. He has not been associated with David Wolfe’s Sunfoods for over a year. They should no longer be associating his name with their products. They are probably just running out some old labels.

    Thanks for your work Robyn. You are doing a great job for all of us.

    The better it gets the better it gets,

    Robina

    (BTW, my husband and I have been living foods people since the 70’s with Ann Wigmore. We remain flexible and in love with life. This is an amazing life style that produces long term wonderful results in terms of health and consciousness.)

  3. Anonymous says:

    I think the problem is people are so addicted to something sweet. So try to stay away from any sweetner there is no such thing as moderation. Just don’t add anything agave, stevia, honey just add fruit to your smoothie. Remember why your having a smoothie in the first place. 75% leafy greens 25% friut.

  4. Anonymous says:

    THANKS ROBYN!! Your article was right-on and maturely expressed! Keep up the great work, you are helping MANY people!!

    Betsy

  5. Anonymous says:

    Though I do not agree with many of Dr. Mercola’s views, the way agave is processed, it is just another highly processed food – not one that can be considered nutritious.

    The real test in how people react to it. It may be trumped as low on the glycemic index, yet those with low blood sugar or diabetes will tell you they know it’s not a good sweetener because of how they feel. They can’t use it.

    It’s really not a product on the list of healthy foods!! And those who desire better health need to know this!

  6. Anonymous says:

    Thanks so much for having this debate, because Dr. Mercola does have this aura of authority, however I do agree with you on many levels. Organic Raw agave nectar is fine in reasonable doses for those not afflicted with diabetes.

    I believe it is reckless to compare it with HFCS, David Wolfe’s article which you reference is the most calm and level headed explanation of what agave is and the process by which it is manufactured.

    thanks Robyn for doing what you do so well, keep it up!

    Love,

    Natasha

  7. Anonymous says:

    I do like Mercola in moderation. I am not a fan of the fear based approach to living and many of his articles comes across to me as fear based. All I know is that I have been sick for many years (4 years completely bedridden) and changing my diet to include whole foods green smoothies and veggie juices has done more for my health than any of the supplements or other alternative approach I have tried over the last 20 years. I have tried just about everything and getting to the basics with vegetables, especially the green leafy ones has made the biggest difference to my health. I am functioning better now than I have at any time in my life previously. I appreciate your blog, it is the one that got me to try my first green smoothie. In fact, I live in Maryland, but am in Utah househunting this week, so I may try to make it to your event in Lehi on Friday. I would love that. Green smoothies have really changed my life.

    1. Robyn Openshaw says:

      Maren, wonderful! Hope to see you Friday.

  8. Anonymous says:

    If agave were truly natural and unprocessed, I would love using it. I began using it after seeing it in RAW recipes. online and in RAW recipe books. I celebrated the idea of something so sweet and natural in my recipes.

    I have liver AND blood sugar problems and I was surprised that RAW AGAVE caused ringing in my ears, just as products containing corn syrup did. I felt “off” and tired after eating it or products that contain it. I wondered what was wrong and did a little research on the subject to figure out what the heck the problem was. This is a little of what I learned:

    From the Weston A. Price foundation’s website:

    “Agave “nectar” is not made from the sap of the yucca or agave plant but from the starch of the giant pineapple-like, root bulb. The principal constituent of the agave root is starch, similar to the starch in corn or rice, and a complex carbohydrate called inulin, which is made up of chains of fructose molecules.Technically a highly indigestible fiber, inulin, which does not taste sweet, comprises about half of the carbohydrate content of agave.

    The process by which agave glucose and inulin are converted into “nectar” is similar to the process by which corn starch is converted into High Fructose Corn Syrup. The agave starch is subject to an enzymatic and chemical process that converts the starch into a fructose-rich syrup–anywhere from 70 percent fructose and higher according to the agave nectar chemical profiles posted on agave nectar websites.” (one said 95%!)

    Regular corn syrup is only about 55% fructose! No wonder my liver was giving me the “help me” signal. It had to work harder.

    Fructose, especially concentrated fructose, is hazardous and aging for our bodies. If you choose to use it, understand the risks and understand that AGAVE syrup is rich enough in it that it poses a health risk. I noticed the energy robbing effect of agave nectar pretty quickly. I don’t know if anyone else with liver problems gets ringing in their ears or other indicators when they encounter a food they shouldn’t eat, but I do. When I learned that fructose was highly concentrated in AGAVE nectar, I understood why I was getting the same signal I get when I eat foods with corn syrup or corn syrup solids as an ingredient.

    According to my investigation of the Journal of Clinical Investigation research results, when fructose is digested in your liver, it is turned into triglycerides or stored body fat. It isn’t converted into blood glucose like other sugars, so doesn’t impact your blood sugar levels. Because of this, I thought it would be safe for hypoglycemics and diabetics, but it isn’t.

    Instead it inhibits leptin, the hormone your body uses to notify your body that you’re full, Your body is still hungry nad you gain weight, but not just fat, the worst kind of fat: viscerla fat. Increased visceral fat is associated with worsening of blood gucose and insulin sensitivity problems and an increase in LDL the “bad” cholesterol.

    Regularly eating this kind of fructose can train your body to increase fat synthesis by 75% in nine weeks! I didn’t start eating raw or organic foods to get fatter! Did you?

    So, if you use agave nectar, maple syrup or cane syrup, or other processed food products, and you know the risks associated with those foods and still like to include them as treats or even in your daily meals, fine, but please, don’t call them super-foods or imply they are actually health-builders, when they are in fact compromises. They are not eaten to build our bodies, but to keep our old candy addictions alive or comfort us the way a snickers bar or chocolate chip cookies used to.

    I am not into legalism, in diet or religion, I just say, “know the truth and then make your decision.” I have never seen a real living agave plant or cut it open to squeeze out the nectar. I have only seen bottles and jars of very thick syrup in bottle at my health food store. From my own due diligence, my conclusion is that agave nectar is not a natural health food. Humans have to meddle with the natural agave juices quite a bit in order to produce the jars we find at the market. It is a processed food, rich in processed fructose. Do what you think best with it.

  9. Anonymous says:

    I don’t agree with every Dr Mercola says either but he does have some good info.

    On this I have I’m going to lean to the side of better stay away from it. I will stick to the Stevia, which I’m going to order a plant and grow my own and add the leaves to my soothies, and adding a couple of dates, apples really help to sweeten them right up also. 🙂 I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes and feel like it’s better to err on the safe side than risk spiking my sigar levels or overloading my liver.

    Thanks for all your info Robyn, sure wish I lived close to where you would be doing a class!

  10. Anonymous says:

    P.S. I agree with you that Dr. Merola advocates some things I don’t find particularly natural and tanning beds and whey protein are among them. Everyone is responsible for checking out what they hear or read before deciding what they will do.

  11. Anonymous says:

    Green Smoothie girl get off Mercola”s back. My goodness you disagree but do you have to bash him and his corporation. Why are you going down this road? So very distasteful. And I am finding it even more offense on your part because you are the only one debating. I thought you said it was an ongoing debate, I was expecting to hear him debating with you.

    You sound like a jealous competitor, a jealous self righteous competitor.

    1. Robyn Openshaw says:

      Would love to hear more from Joe Mercola or anyone else about agave or any other topic you’d like to discuss. I don’t compete–like I said, he sells tanning beds and meat and supplements. I offer information about a whole foods lifestyle.

  12. Anonymous says:

    if yu would like more information on what furctose does in the body look on u tube at “Sugar the bitter truth” i think you will think a little different after this 60 min vedio.

  13. Anonymous says:

    I greatly appreciated your statement, Robyn, on agave, as I read it as a reasonable approach on the subject. I have been getting Dr. Mercola’s newsletters for some years, and share his articles with my Child Psychology classes for their awareness about health issues. Having said that, I teach students to use critical thinking and sometimes articles from mercola.com go overboard, i.e. “sugar causes cancer.” Trust me, I fully understand that sugar FEEDS cancer, and alert my students to it’s dangers; to make a blanket statement that it causes it is over the top.

    Regarding agave, as with anything processed, we all need to make an educated decision about what we put in our bodies. Thank you to those who posted additional websites to review regarding this topic.

  14. Anonymous says:

    Robyn,

    I went off sugar (all refined, etc., HFCS sugars) for the past almost 6 months, and instead used agave nectar as a sugar subsitute. I can say that I felt so good NOT eating white sugar and HFCS, and felt no ill effects from using agave daily (at most 2 tbls, usually less than 1 tbls). I am now, however, just trying to ween off a bit so I can lose my last 10 pounds, but I plan on using it, in moderation, for life, as long as its from a quality source.

    One day I made whole grain pancakes for my son and I, and used organic 100% maple syrup. The pancakes and the syrup were something I hadn’t eaten for a while, and I ended up having a slight headache the rest of the day, and this happened again the next time I ate the same thing. While I understand that its possible from not eating wheat that often (other than toast every so often) that I could’ve got a headache from that (I used agave instead of sugar in the pancake recipe), but I believe that the maple syrup could have caused the headache. I don’t get headaches, and the only time I had maple syrup I did…

    My point is this, like you have said, these sugar substitutes ALL have their plus and minuses, and shouldn’t be over-eaten. Some people might be very ‘sugar’ sensitive, in whatever form (candida, headaches, etc.) so I don’t think that’s a reason to, like you’re trying to say, make it “bad” or evil.

    It is frustrating because I would much rather see someone make a a BETTER choice by having agave on their whole oatmeal or in a smoothie than having some refined over-processed breakfast cereal. Its sometimes about what is BETTER. Once you have reached the “perfect” way of eating, than great. You can be “perfect” and cut out agave and all sugar substitutes, and good for you! But in the mean time, help those who are just trying to make better choices feel encouraged not confused and demonized.

    I despise people telling me agave is “bad”, especially people in the nutrition field. It doesn’t spike your insulin, and I don’t believe it has given me any long term problems (I’ve been eating it for over 2 years), and I have lost 25 lbs over the last 5 months eating clean, healthy (having green smoothies daily), cutting sugar, as well as exercising and getting good rest.

    Lets put our energy towards battling things like what children are fed in schools, what is advertised and marketed towards children, and so on.

    Lets just be “better” about choosing our battles 🙂

    Amy

  15. Anonymous says:

    Melanie is right. Plain and simple. I read about agave nectar on greensmootiegir.com. I gave it to my brother who is diabetic to help him. Immediately he told me “this stuff is crap” it is the same as sugar. It was from a reputable source. In fact I don’t know of a more reputable source.

    I did my research. Melanie, you are 100% right. I see no difference between it and high fructose corn syrup. In fact high fructose corn syrup at least is produced in the United States which at least has tighter restrictions on food production than mexico.

    As far as a sweetner I am sticking with honey. Can you get anymore natural than honey? I don’t use a sweetner in my smooties (other than the fruit). But you can’t make your own granola without something sticky to hold it together.

    Dr. Mercola and what he does sell should not be brought into this. What he sells or believes on other subjects has nothing to do with this subject.

    I learned of the video on youtube called “sugar the bitter truth” from Dr. Mercola. Not GSG.com. That is the most informative and important segment on health I have ever seen. Sugar is a poison in our bodies. We are not hummingbirds or bees. It is not part of our normal diet.

    Robyn thinks of meat the way Dr. Mercola thinks about sugar. Meat is part of a native humans diet. Agave nectar is not. So which in more “natural”?

    I like my ideas to be backed up by science. I understand Dr. Mercola’s point of view. When we have some science that backs up the idea that agave nectar is different than corn syrup I will listen.

    But from a chemistry standpoint, I don’t think it is going to happen. From the original product all the way down to the final agave nectar. It parallels corn syrup.

    So why should its effects on the body be any different?

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