Agave nectar is actually a syrup nectar is really just a marketing term. It comes from the fluid inside the blue agave plant. This is the same plant that is used to make tequila. Agave nectar requires multiple processing steps before it can be consumed. Processed food may be less healthy because the process of refining foods often means losing some or all of its natural health benefits.
Honey comes from bees. These busy little insects produce honey by collecting the nectar of plants. But certain brands of honey are heated pasteurized to prevent crystallization and to kill bacteria before storage. Raw honey is all-natural and unprocessed, making it the wiser choice. Agave nectar and honey have about the same number of calories. Both a tablespoon of agave nectar and a tablespoon of honey contain roughly 64 calories.
Keep in mind that agave nectar and honey both add these calories to your dish with little extra nutrition.
The Glycemic Index GI measures how much a carbohydrate-rich food may raise blood glucose levels. Sugar is a carbohydrate. GI is an especially important tool for people with diabetes, who need to control their blood glucose levels to stay healthy. Foods with a higher GI can trigger a spike in blood sugar and insulin release after eating. High-GI foods are also digested quickly, which can mean feeling hungry again much sooner.
The lower the GI value, the less the food raises your blood glucose. If you only consider glycemic index, then agave nectar takes the cake.
Honey is made mostly out of the sugars glucose about 30 percent and fructose about 40 percent. It also contains smaller amounts of other sugars, including:. Agave nectar, on the other hand, consists of percent fructose. Although glucose and fructose look very similar, they have completely different effects in the body. Unfortunately, fructose is thought to be linked to many health problems including:.
Unlike other types of sugar, fructose is processed by the liver. Consuming too much fructose at once can overwhelm the liver and cause it to produce dangerous triglycerides.
High fructose foods are thought to lead to belly fat, which is bad for your overall heart health. A recent study found that rats that consumed high-fructose syrups gained significantly more weight than rats that consumed table sugar, even when their calorie intake was the same.
More Information Organic Agave Syrup, also known as agave nectar, is a low GI sweetener made from the blue agave plant, the same plant used to make tequila. The syrup is made by evaporating and filtering the sap of the pina, the heart of the blue agave plant. Agave syrup is similar in taste to honey making it a great vegan substitute.
Agave is often used to sweeten cold drinks or cocktails as it dissolves quickly. No GMO. No artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.
Suitable for vegans. Country of Origin. Allergen Advice. Nutritional Information. Fat Saturated g. Carbohydrate g.
Energy kj. Protein g. Fat Total g. It has a similar color and usually comes in a squeezable bottle like agave, making it great for sweetening tea. It also has a similar sugar content and has about 60 calories per tablespoon like agave. When using honey as a substitute for agave nectar, you can use a ratio. That said, honey has a thicker consistency than agave. Therefore, it can make it more challenging to mix it in recipes. Another factor to consider when using honey as an agave substitute is its taste.
If your recipe calls for a large quantity of agave, using honey may cause your dish to take on a slightly honey-like flavor. Unlike regular honey , which is heavily processed, raw honey only gets strained before bottling. As a result, it keeps more nutrients and antioxidants.
While you can use simple syrup in any recipe calling for agave nectar, we find that it tends to work best in cocktails and other drinks you want to sweeten. Part of the reason for this is that simple syrup is thinner than agave nectar. When using simple syrup, add the same amount to your drinks as you would agave nectar. You can expect your simple syrup to last around one month, so get your agave nectar recipes ready to make use of it.
If part of your reasoning for wanting to use agave nectar as a sweetener is because of its nutritional content , such as riboflavin and vitamin K, maple syrup is an excellent choice. Like agave, maple syrup is a source of riboflavin. It also contains manganese, calcium, and other vitamins and minerals.
Others feel put off by how much it changes the taste of their food or drink. Whatever the recipe calls for in agave nectar is the amount you can use in maple syrup. The reason being is that maple syrup contains less sugar than agave. See maple syrup substitutes. Furthermore, it undergoes little processing, making it a great choice for people wanting some nutrition with their sweeteners. Coconut nectar is an excellent substitute for baked goods.
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