It’s time for another “my favorite things” articles. Another one of my favorite things is Agave Nectar. Agave Nectar is both organic and kosher and is made from a plant found in Mexico, known as aguamiel, or “honey water.” So why do I like Agave Nectar? First of all, it tastes similar to maple syrup. It can be used as a sweetener in drinks such as tea or coffee, cold drinks, and smoothies. It can be used in place of maple syrup that one might use on pancakes, muffins, or breads. But is yet neutral enough to be used in many other culinary applications.
Ok, so it tastes good, so what’s different about it?
The best thing I like about Agave Nectar is its Low Glycemic index. Even though Agave Nectar is similar in sweetness and calories of Honey, it has a much lower glycemic index. Similar to that of brown rice. So when this “sweet” sweetener hits your blood stream, even though it’s mainly made up of Fructose, your body doesn’t see it any different than brown rice. Additionally, even though I’ve heard plenty of negative things about fructose, the fructose of Agave Nectar is un-refined and is in its raw form. Aside from that, fructose does not stimulate digestive insulin secretion as do other sugars such as glucose. It is an excellent sweetener for those who are watching their weight or are diabetic.
Click here to see what Dr. Oz says about Agave on the Oprah Show
How is Agave Nectar made?
This is the cool part: Agave Nectar comes from the Agave Plants. The plants are in the same family as the Blue Agave, from which tequila is made. So this makes sense of why Agave comes from Mexico, because so does tequila. Fine tequila that is. The tequila that you find in bars that will make you sick, is cheap tequila that is mixed in with high fructose corn syrup. Good fine distilled tequila is clear and won’t make you sick. But it’s hard to find in bars or night clubs.
Additional benefits of Agave are:
* Agave Nectar can be used for baking, cooking and anywhere else where you would normally use sugar or a chemical, artificial sweetener.
* Agave Nectar is low calorie* Agave Nectar does not contain processing chemicals.
* Agave Nectar is safe and recommended for children.
* And it does not crystalize!! Meaning, if you leave a bottle of honey in your cabinet for a long enough period of time, it becomes thick and nasty and crystalizes. Not Agave Nectar! Agave stays smooth and light no matter how long it is left in your cabinets. It’s always ready to be used and is my first sweetener of choice to use on my organic french toast or in my smoothies.