While it is less harmful and more natural, people who are closely managing blood glucose should avoid agave. The high fructose content can reduce insulin sensitivity and may worsen liver health. Agave is also a higher-calorie sweetener than table sugar. Your body is well equipped to handle the small amounts of fructose found in fruit. Because agave syrup is much higher in fructose than plain sugar, it has greater potential to cause adverse health effects, such as increased belly fat and fatty liver disease.
Stevia is probably the healthiest option, followed by xylitol, erythritol, and yacon syrup. Natural sugars like maple syrup, molasses, and honey are less harmful than regular sugar and even have health benefits. Yet, they should still be used sparingly. Agave nectar, or agave syrup, is a popular sweetener derived from several different species of the agave plant.
It's often hailed as a healthy alternative to regular sugar, as it has a low GI, which is a measure of how much a food increases your blood sugar levels 34 , According to this article from the Huffington Post, Agave has the highest fructose content of any commercial sweetener on the market. Agave is a whopping 90 percent fructose, while maple syrup is about 35 percent. University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources characterizes agave as being mildly toxic.
It describes the plant as having oxalate crystals in its leaves, which can cause extreme irritation. As almost all commercial products do, agave nectar also comes with its own 'Use Before' date. Despite being sweeter than sugar, agave nectar is healthier as it has a low glycemic index and lesser calorie. A bottle of agave nectar surely looks like honey but you know what? When you buy agave nectar or syrup, you buy a bottle of wholesome goodness!
However, agave nectar is available in three different colors. In this blog, we shall see the difference between:. A unique procedure is followed to produce raw agave nectar in which the liquid is extracted from the blue agave plant. This liquid is then heated at a considerably lower temperature for a longer period of time.
It tastes best when used in hot and cold beverages, baked dishes, dry and hot cereals, and sauces. The lighter grades are also produced from organic raw blue agave plants and are best used as a flavor enhancer. You can use it to prepare fruit drinks, smoothies, tea, coffee, jams, jellies, yogurts and salad dressings without amending their original flavors. Blue agave shapes its native landscape, adding color and character to thousands of acres of Jaliscos subtropical region.
Blue agave Agave tequilana var. Weber , a member of the Amaryllis family, is a slow-growing plant that spreads runners from a 'mother' plant. The runners are then harvested and replanted; some are cultivated for blue agave nectar or tequila , while others become new mother plants. After growing for 5 to 7 years, a mature blue agave stands several feet tall and its carbohydrates are concentrated in the plant's core.
The blue agaves treasure is held in the pina so called because it resembles a pineapple after the leaves have been trimmed away.
Wax in the blue agaves long leaves gives the species its bluish color. Farmers hand-cut the blue agave with a simple razor-sharp blade. A skilled farmer can cut and trim a pound blue agave pina in less than 5 minutes.
The field trimmings are left behind to restore the soil and reduce erosion. The fibrous blue agave pina is taken to the mill where it is pressed and its inulin-rich juice is collected and cleaned. Inulin, a dietary fiber made up of complex carbohydrates, is not sweet by nature.
Cooking or hydrolyzing the inulin transforms it into sweet nectar. In this simple process, the inulin becomes fructose, a slowly metabolizing simple sugar found in many fruits and vegetables. Filtering determines the blue agave nectars flavor and color. The intent in exposing the agave's liquid inulin to that temperature is to convert it to fructose, not to pasteurize it. Agave Nectar is very versatile, suitable for any sweetening use. And, it has both organic and kosher certification, is gluten and allergen free, and has a low Glycemic Index of This is significant because limiting glucose consumption is a vital concern for many people.
The main carbohydrate is a complex form of fructose called inulin or fructosan. The filtered, hydrolyzed juice is concentrated to a syrup-like liquid a little thinner than honey and ranges in color from light to dark depending on the degree of processing.
There is a United States patent for a process that uses enzymes to hydrolyze the polyfructose extract into fructose, using an enzyme derived from Aspergillus niger black mold.
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