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Agave Nectar offers a form of sweetening without giving you that sugar rush. Find out what it is and how to use it.

What is Agave Nectar? Agave Nectar is produced most often from the Blue Agave plants that grow in Southern Mexico. The agave nectar is taken from the sap of the core of the plant (the “pina”), filtered, and heated breaking down the carbohydrates into sugars.

What are the benefits of Agave Nectar? The sweetness in Agave Nectar comes primarily from fructose, which is the sugar that is also naturally found in fruits and vegetables. Agave Nectar has a low glycemic index, which means that there will not be a blood sugar spike, which is caused by many other sugars. Foods that have a high glycemic index release insulin, which is associated with type II diabetes, abdominal weight gain, heart disease, high blood pressure, and problem with blood lipids. Because Agave Nectar has a low glycemic index, this spike in insulin is not present.

How do I use Agave Nectar? To replace table sugar with agave nectar, use about 25% less agave nectar then you would table sugar and then reduce your liquids slightly, no more then by 1/3 and reduce oven temperature by 25 degrees. This is just an estimate and substitutions may differ from recipe to recipe. Honey can be replaced by agave nectar by the same amount of honey called for.

By: Kayla Clark

Sources:

All About Agave. http://www.allaboutagave.com/health-benefits-of-agave-nectar.php

The Awesome Agave. http://www.shakeoffthesugar.net/article1042.html