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Agave: the healthy and delicious alternative to sugar
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Stephane Tougard/Dreamstime.com
While an occasional dessert is the ultimate mood lifter, too much sugar in your diet will be detrimental to your health. Enter agave: the healthy and delicious alternative to sugar.
When you consume sugar, insulin is produced in your body, and too much insulin has been linked to all kinds of problems such as depression, lethargy, hypertension, heart disease, type II diabetes and even Alzheimer’s. So if you really enjoy sweets, agave might be the answer for you.
Agave is a sweet syrupy liquid found inside a plant that grows in Mexico. Ancient Mexicans considered the plant sacred and believed it purified the body and spirit. There are many kinds of agave plants, however, the most common is blue agave, which when fermented becomes tequila.
Only in the last decade has agave’s natural sweetness been used as a sugar substitute. It requires little processing and hence is mostly available organic and raw. It’s rich in vitamins and minerals and 100% vegan. And, unlike sugar, it has a low glycemic index. The higher the glycemic index, the faster your blood sugar level spikes.
You’ll find agave near the baking supplies or honey in your supermarket. It can be called agave syrup” or “agave nectar”. The dark and amber varieties retain more of the nutrients and have a bolder taste. In recent years, agave has been used as a sweetener in prepared foods such as cereals, cookies and ice cream. It’s also makes a wonderful topping on plain, unsweetened yogurt in the morning. Add fruit and nuts, and you’ll have a very healthy breakfast.
If you’d like to learn more about cooking with agave, here are two books to check out:
Baking with Agave Nectar by Ania Catalano
Everyday Agave by Ann Astle
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