Blue Agave Nectar
One of the latest and greatest health foods on the market right now is Blue Agave nectar. This sweetener made from the juice of a blue agave plant and distilled down into a thick honey like syrup. It is very popular with those who suffer from diabetes as a replacement for sugar.
Agave has become synonymous with tequilla, but truly it has many more uses. Natives of old used the agave plant for years to produce things like rope, clothing, nails, and of course alcoholic spirits like mezcal, pulque, and tequilla. But the blue agave plant has yet another use: a sugar replacement.
When processed from the heart of a agave plant, the nectar of a blue agave plant becomes the consistency of honey, and is actually 25% sweeter than sugar. It is popular with diabetics because it has one of the lowest glycemic indexes of all the sugar replacement sweeteners available on the market.
Combine the low glycimic index with the fact that it has very little calories, and it becomes basically a guilt free food. Since the fructose in this syrup is different from from sugar and high fructose corn syrup, it is absorbed differently in your body. You don't get the highs and lows that sugar gives you, and it is also less addicting than sugar, so it's a great way to wean yourself away from your sweet tooth.
It is good for any time you would normally use sugar, just remember it is about 25% sweeter than sugar, so adjust your recipe accordingly. Many coffee shops have begun to carry it as a sugar alternative when sweetening your roasted beverage as the syrup does not distort the flavor like other alternatives.
Why all this information about Blue Agave Nectar? Well, apart from the fact that it was featured on Oprah a while ago... it's primarily grown and produced very close to Manzanillo in the nearby state of Jalisco! While in the U.S. blue agave nectar can be a little pricey, here it is much much cheaper. If you want to try some of this miracle syrup, whether you are diabetic, dieting, or just curious, you can find it at the local super markets! (Walmart for sure, we have yet to look in Soriana and Comercial)
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This is very interesting. Thank you for posting it.
A friend of mine in Barrio Uno has a ranch in the State of Guanajuato and he farms nopales; the cactus used as a food staple here. Evidently the nopales have similar characteristics as the nectar of agave and can be used to help diabetics manage their condition.
I’m going to do some more research. Maybe I will have something for you to post in the future that is similar.
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