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Handmaid4Him
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| Joined: | Tue Jan 20th, 2009 |
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Posted: Sat Feb 14th, 2009 02:56 pm |
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I just purchased some Agave Nectar and would like to get some information about it. I purchased some to try because my 6 yr. old daughter is a Type I Diabetic. I'd heard that the glycemic index on the Agave Nectar is super low and that will be good for her to keep her sugars managed better.
How do I use this Agave Nectar? Can I cook with it? What are the ratios to sugar/brown sugar/honey, etc. Since it's a liquid, how do I substitute for granulated sugar, etc.
I'd appreciate any information that I can get. Thank you very much!
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KSherrill
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Posted: Tue Feb 17th, 2009 02:28 am |
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Agave Nectar does have a low glycemic index. It also has a very mild flavor and dissolves in cold liquid, so you can sweeten iced tea and smoothies with it. You can bake with it too, although I have only used it to sweeten coffee & smoothies.
It is not as thick as honey, and to me, seems a bit sweeter. You'll have to experiment with the flavor to suit your taste. But you can use it wherever you would use sugar in the same ratio if you like. I don't think it would work well for cookies. I think it will not "cream" together properly with the butter the way sucanat (or evil refined sugar  ) does. But you could give it a shot and see how it goes.
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Gigmaster
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Posted: Fri May 1st, 2009 06:01 pm |
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Your daughter might also be able to tolerate Tupelo Honey. It would probably be better for her than the Agave. Tupelo honey does not raise the blood sugar like other honeys. It also does not crystalize. It has a neutral flavor, but is plenty sweet enough for most uses. And it has the added benefit of all the therapeudic properties of other honeys.
I am a doctor (ND), and this is what I recommend to some of my diabetic patients.
Here are the stats for Tupelo Honey:
Glycemic Index 54.1 +/- 8.2
1 tbsp = 21 grams
3.59 grams water
17.30 grams carbohydrate
6.45 grams glucose
.19 grams sucrose
9.03 grams fructose
.30 grams maltose
.65 grams galactose
Calories 60
As you can see, it is very low in glucose and sucrose. It sweetens with fructose and maltose , which are more easily absorbed and used by the body than other sugars.
This in no way constitutes medical advice. It is for informational purposes only. As with any change, check with your daughters doctor first, even with the Agave.
Bon apetit.
Last edited on Fri May 1st, 2009 06:05 pm by Gigmaster
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Treklady
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| Joined: | Mon Apr 28th, 2008 |
| Location: | Florida USA |
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Posted: Wed May 13th, 2009 06:26 pm |
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We gave up white table sugar a while back and go between raw sugar and agave nectar. And we use it for everything. My daughter prefers raw sugar when she bake Sher cookies, but will use agave if necessary.
My husband uses it in his coffee now and doe snot miss table sugar what so ever. We take it with us when we travel so we do not slack and use white sugar.
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denise rogers
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Posted: Thu Jul 23rd, 2009 07:28 pm |
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Raw Organic Blue Agave is in at Bread Beckers. This is the amber kind and comes in 2 sizes: 23.5 ounce and 44 ounce. (No gallons.) The amber agave has a full sweet flavor with subtle molasses tones.
Agave is 1 1/4 times sweeter than sugar, so you need less. Reduce oven temperatures by 25 degrees when substituting in recipes. Since agave is a liquid sweetener, reduce the amount of other liquids.
20 calories per teaspoon
4 grams sugar per tsp.
We tried the amber agave in place of maple syrup on pancakes and french toast - yum! I still love maple syrup but it is expensive and lacks the low glycemic benefit agave has.
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dancinginafield
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| Joined: | Thu Nov 12th, 2009 |
| Location: | Virginia USA |
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Posted: Thu Nov 12th, 2009 06:10 pm |
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| I recently read an article from the Weston A. Price Foundation published this past spring about how agave nectar is manufactured that has given me concern. I wonder if you all have read this information and can address it? The article stated that agave nectar is not a raw food, but actually produced by subjecting starches from the root of the yucca plant to a complex chemical process similar to the production of high fructose corn syrup. It said that agave syrup actually has a higher percentage of refined fructose than HFCS, which is why it has a low glycemic index--because it has very little glucose. I tend to take advice from WAPF with a grain of salt, but if this article is true then agave nectar is not a raw, natural food close to the form God made it. The only sweeteners we use are honey, maple syrup and agave nectar, and all of them sparingly, but I am wondering if I should be using agave nectar at all?
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