Guest guest Posted June 13, 2006 Report Share Posted June 13, 2006 Aside from being vegan, agave has a low glycemic index. It is absorbed more slowly into the blood stream so it doesn't raise your blood sugar as fast or as high. I went raw 2 years ago because I was diebetic and now my diabetes is gone. I can consume agave nectar almost daily and have no blood sugar problem so far with it! Once after having given up honey for 3 months and only having agave and no honey or any other sweeteners, I had a tiny bit of honey in a raw coconut macaroon and I got a buzz from it! (The same kind of " buzz " I get from eating corn syrup!) Agave is also high in minerals like maple syrup (Calcium, Potassium, Magnesium) and tastes much better in lemonade! I used Agave Nectar during the master cleanse (lemonade fast) instead of maple syrup. Two more advantages of agave is that it disolves in cold liquids, and the light kind is mild enough that it's taste isn't overpwering and doesn't cover up other milder tastes in your dishes! Also, from my research into honey collection practices, bee keepers have to kill the queen bee every year or two in order to prevent the bees from swarming (do they get pissed?). Then they order a fresh queen by mail from companies that create queen bees by feeding them Royal Jelly (or some other such way, the details of which I am not certain of) These queen bees often sit in post offices and mail trucks etc... for long periods of time confined in small boxes before they arrive at their final destination. Also, because the honey is collected for human consumption, the bees don't have enough honey to feed themselves through the winter. They are given corn syrup or sugar water to make up for the stolen honey (I wonder how that affects them? It sure doen't feel good to me!) These practices are done in small honey businesses as well as large ones. I checked with a friend of mine who has 6 hives and she confirmed that this is done with her bees. Also I have read about a mite that has contaminated all North American bees for which bee keepers typically administrate an antimite medication that is located at the entrance of the hives where the bees collect it on their feet and then lick it off (this is my recollection to the best of my memory, forgive me if it is not completely accurate, please check for research and articles on line for more reliable sources!) Anyway, if you eat honey which is regurgitated from the bees mouths, it seems likely you will get some anti-mite medication too in the honey. All this info was enough to convince me to give up honey in favor of Agave!!! More detailed info at: http://www.vegetus.org/honey/honey.htm Here is info I received from Madhave (where I buy my Agave) about Agave Nectar, maybe more info than you wanted!! Madhava Agave Nectar Product Information Madhava's Agave Nectar has the following characteristics: 1) Because Agave Nectar is high in fructose, it enjoys all the benefits that continue to make fructose a preferred sweetening agent. It is sweeter than refined sugar (approximately 1.4 times sweeter); in fact, fructose offers an equivalent sweetness for nearly half the amount of carbohydrate calories. Fructose does not stimulate digestive insulin secretion as do other sugars. 2) Madhava Agave Nectar is available in two grades that vary in flavor and color. The light grade is flavor neutral, enhancing without altering the natural flavors of any food sweetened with it. This is in marked contrast with other natural sweeteners that can alter the flavor of the products that they sweeten. The amber grade offers a delicate natural flavor of Agave. It is delicious in tea and suitable to sweeten a wide variety of foods, dry and hot cereals, pancakes, waffles, baked goods, protein drinks, and sauces. 3) Agave Nectar will not crystallize. It has a very long shelf life, approximately three years. 4) Agave Nectar is easy to handle. Because of its light viscosity, Agave Nectar is easy to handle in an industrial setting and pours easily as a table-top sweetener. It will never harden in the bottle. It also is highly soluble and dissolves readily even in cold beverages such as lemonade or iced teas. Its light viscosity and solubility also make it ideal to sweeten any cold food. 5) Agave Nectar is a moisture retainer. It increases the water retention properties of food. In bread and baked goods, Agave Nectar enhances product freshness due to its hygroscopic properties that act as humidifying agents, thereby increasing the shelf life of such products. 6) Madhava's Agave Nectar is certified organic, by BioAgriCert, accredited by the USDA. 7) Madhava's Agave Nectar is KOSHER. The manufacturers have obtained KOSHER PAREVE certification: Special Kosher – Lepesach production certification for their plant. 8) Total Carbohydrate Grams: Serving Size: This product falls into the " honey " category, and thus its serving size is 1 tablespoon (note: tablespoon and not teaspoon). In turn, 1 tablespoon of Agave Nectar weighs 21 grams. Based on the fact that it contains on the average 77% solids, one serving (1 tablespoon) contains 16 grams total carbohydrates (21 grams x 77% = 16 grams). 9) Calories per Serving: A serving (1 tablespoon) contains 60 calories. 10) Glycemic Index: This is a relatively new concept which can be important from a metabolic standpoint, especially to diabetics, along with athletes and overweight individuals. The index is an indicator as to how much your blood sugar increases in 2-3 hours after specific food consumption. Most if not all carbohydrates are normally metabolized into the simple carbohydrate glucose, which in the glycemic index concept is arbitrarily assigned a value of 100. As a result, the higher a glycemic index food number is, the faster it raises your blood sugar level. Foods or ingredients with glycemic index numbers close to or above 100 present some significant health issues to diabetics, and in general, sweeteners of all kinds should be avoided by diabetics. Nonetheless, for those diabetics who choose to consume certain amounts of carbohydrates, Agave Nectar, it should be noted has a lower glycemic index than honey. Agave Nectar was found to have a glycemic index of 46. In contrast, honey has a reported glycemic index of 58, due to its higher ratio of glucose to fructose, as compared to the ratio of glucose to fructose in Agave Nectar. Please note: these values are based on using glucose as the reference point, which is the currently accepted approach relative to reporting glycemic index. Earlier, white bread was the reference point, but white bread composition can vary widely, and thus glucose is now the preferred base product. 11) Glycemic Load values are a more useful rating as they factor in quantity consumed. Glycemic Load = GI/100 x No. of Calories per serving 46/100 x 16 (1 TBLS) = 7.36 for Agave Nectar Quality Assurance: Independent analysis of Madhava's Agave Nectar corroborates the purity and high quality of this sweetener. Analysis has been conducted by Dr. Joseph Maga, Professor Emeritus of Colorado State University at Fort Collins with the collaboration of the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition. Potential customers are invited to consult with Dr. Maga in regards to any questions regarding quality assurance, nutritional labeling or regulatory issues that may concern them. Analysis conducted by: Dr. Joseph Maga, Professor Emeritus Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition Colorado State University at Fort Collins JA International 4800 Hogan Drive Fort Collins, Colorado 80525 Tel: 970-226-1544 Fax: 970-491-7252 e-mail: magaja Agave Nectar Information and Analysis: Analyses were performed in duplicate on 4 color grade samples, and were identical or very close to those supplied by the manufacturer. The only difference among the 4 samples was obviously their color and taste properties. Below are the range data for the 4 samples conducted in duplicate, for a total of 8 individual analyses: (List range data because there could be slight differences among batches.) Chemical Composition: Range Moisture % 21.5-23.6 Dry Matter % 76.3-78.5 Ash % 0.08-0.20 Total Carbohydrates % 99.32-99.96 D-Fructose 67.2-69.7 Dextrose (Glucose) 26.5-28.8 Maltose 1.28-1.45 Maltodextrose 1.05-1.22 Tetramaltose 0.60-0.73 Fat % 0.00 Cholesterol % 0.00 Physical Properties: pH 3.68-3.72 °Brix at 20°C 76.8-77.4 Conductivity 13.3-17.6 Dispersability in Water Excellent Taste varies according to Grade Color varies according to Grade Minerals: Copper, ppm <1 Iron, ppm <1 Sodium, ppm <5 Calcium, ppm <15 Potassium, ppm <10 Magnesium, ppm <10 Lead, ppm Not Detected Cadmium, ppm Not Detected Mercury, ppm Not Detected Chromium, ppm Not Detected Arsenic, ppm <1 FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THIS PRODUCT PLEASE CONTACT CRAIG GERBORE AT MADHAVA rawfood , " Kassia Fiedor " <greenlifeorganics wrote: > > Does anyone know the advantages to using Agave nectar vs. Honey? I know > Agave is used in the Raw diet a lot, and i'm wondering if it's nutritionally > better than honey? > > -- > Kassia Fiedor > 510.882.4703 > miessence > Certified Organic Skin Care, Hair Care, Health Care & Cosmetic Products > www.GreenLifeOrganics.com > > " Food for your skin, literally! " > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.