Agave Nectar

In the early, angry days of my diagnosis as a diabetic, my husband found a Chinese herbalist/nutritionist for me to see. We were hoping a more carefully controlled diet might keep my blood sugars under control and prevent the need for medication. Proudly I told her that I used agave nectar instead of honey, thinking she would be impressed that I even knew what it was (this was 2005--ages ago in health trends).

Agave nectar(or syrup) is a sweetener that looks like honey, but it flows better ( I love words and "to flow better" means it has less viscosity--and suddenly I remember high school physics) and dissolves well in both hot and cold drinks. It is three times sweeter than table sugar so you shouldn't need as much of it to sweeten your favorite foods. Calorie for calorie it is even with table sugar. It's popular among vegans, who like food that don't require work from bees and even among the raw food crowd (some varieties guarantee their nectar was not cooked at temps over 118 degrees thereby making it a raw food). It's also popular as an alternative to processed sugars. And since claims about it having a low glycemic index abound, it has attracted some diabetics too. Proof of its popularity can be found in numbers. The number of agave products on the market tripled between 2003 and 2007. And this year, McCormick  listed agave as one its top ten flavors of the year (whatever a top flavor is..maybe a gimmick?)

Great, but what is the agave? I used to think the nectar came from the agave cactus. But the agave plant is not a cactus. It's a succulent, like an aloe vera plant, only man-size, with leaves 5-8 feet long and a diameter of 7-12 feet. It grows mostly in Mexico. When a plant is 7 to 10 years old, the leaves can be stripped to harvest the pina, or core of the plant. This center can weigh between 50 and 150 pounds. The sap is removed from the pina, filtered, and then heated at low temps to turn the carbs into sugar. The amount of filtration and heating temperature will change the flavor and color of the nectar. Nectar can be purchased as raw (least amount of processing, delicate flavor), to amber (still light in color, slight caramel flavor), to dark (stronger caramelish taste).

Now that background information is done, I'll return to my story. Far from being impressed, the nutritionist advised me to avoid agave nectar. She said that while it does score well on the glycemic index it isn't really good for diabetics. I was too overwhelmed at the time with all her other suggestions to ask more questions. It's been four years, and I still vacillate about using agave nectar. It is advertised as having a low glycemic index and a low glycemic load. I was confused but never had time to do the research. Someone recently sent me this article from Dr. Mercola. With the title of "Agave Nectar: A Triumph of Marketing over Truth" I felt compelled to find some clarity. Here is what I learned, though the truth is still a bit allusive.

Agave nectar production is not regulated by the FDA. So the exact make-up of the sugars in agave nectar can vary greatly (so can the level of pesticides). The sugar in agave nectar can be largely fructose, percentages can vary between 56% and 92% fructose depending on how it is processed and which agave plant is used. (Honey and table sugar are close to 50% glucose/50% fructose) High fructose content makes agave nectar have a low glycemic index number which is why it is often promoted as safe for diabetics. But consuming large quantities of fructose regularly can cause the body to start converting the fructose into fat, which may lead to all kinds of other problems ranging from mineral depletion, to insulin resistance, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and even miscarriage in pregnant women. See my posts on high fructose corn syrup.

And the exact percentage of fructose varies from brand to brand. So as a diabetic, I would be careful with agave nectar. Check out brands like Volcanic and Madhava agave nectars. These companies have had their specific nectar tested for the glycemic index--so you know what you are getting. The raw nectar, which has been processed the least, will have the greatest amount of nutrients left in a useful state though arguing that this sugar has much health value is rather dubious (taste value--certainly).

Here's my verdict. Agave nectar is a great sweetener. It taste goods, it dissolves well, it doesn't crystallize like sugar, it gives vegans another sweetener to use. But as a diabetic, or just a someone trying to lose weight. agave nectar is still sugar. A diabetic should only use agave nectar if  the exact fructose content is known, and even then, consume in small amounts. Just to add a little POW to my statement, Dr. Susan Mitchell, a fellow for the American Dietic Assocation agrees.

That being said, how could you use this sugar other than to sweeten dirnks? Among the natural and organic crowd, I've been finding many recipes that use agave nectar instead of sugar or honey. But if you want to try some substitutions yourself, here are some great guidelines from the Madhava website.
* Agave syrup may be substituted for sugar in recipes.
* Use 1/3 cup of agave syrup for every 1 cup of sugar in the original recipe.
* The quantity of liquids in the original recipe must be reduced due to the moisture included in the syrup.
* Some chefs also reduce the oven temperature by 25°F in recipes requiring baking.

Happy sweetening (but not too much!). 

Image of agave plant from:
http://www.travelbeat.net/spirits/archives/jalisco/
and image of agave syrup with waffle from
http://www.foodista.com/food/RQFVLY33/agave-syrup
based on creative commons license. Thanks!

http://www.wholeandnatural.com/servlet/the-117/Madhava-Organic-Agave-Nectar,/Detail, http://www.volcanicnectar.com/agavenectarmanufacturer.html, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agave_syrup, http://www.allaboutagave.com/ http://www.blueagavenectar.com/agavenectarmanufacturer.html, http://www.vegfamily.com/whole-family/wholesome-sweeteners.htm, http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/07/02/Agave-A-Triumph-of-Marketing-over-Truth.aspx
http://www.shakeoffthesugar.net/article1042.htm, http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-nutrition30-2009mar30,0,4068006.story, http://food-facts.suite101.com/article.cfm/agave_syrup_may_not_be_helpful_for_diabetics, http://preventdisease.com/news/09/062309_agave.shtml
http://susanmitchell.org/blog/2009/04/sweetener-update-agave-and-stevia/