The Smarter
Sweetener
How sweet it is
Agave Nectar is made from an Agave plant, a type of cactus that
grows mainly in Mexico. The sap of the agave plant, often called
agave nectar has been used for centuries by Mexicans as a sweetener
and for medicinal purposes. Agave was used in their traditional
medicine for digestive support, as an anti-inflammatory and a blood
purifier. Some believe it to have anti-inflammatory properties.
Agave is also fermented and made into tequila.
Agave Nectar: Frequently
Asked Questions
Is agave healthier than sugar?
Agave is 25% sweeter tasting than sugar. That extra sweet taste
combines with our premium flavorings to fool the taste buds into
thinking that a 35 calorie drink tastes as good as a 100 calorie
drink. The sugar in agave is agave is primarily fructose instead of
sucrose. Fructose is the kind of sugar found in fruit and has
a lower glycemic index. This means that it doesn't spike blood
sugar the way sucrose does. Many nutritionists advise their clients
to eat lower glycemic index foods.
So does this mean that Agave is similar to high fructose
corn syrup?
Quoting from the Global Healing Center website: "There is no
comparison between a natural form of fructose, such as in fruit or
from agave, and the chemically-processed, pesticide-laden,
genetically-modified High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)...the
enzymatic processing of agave is very different from the process of
High-Fructose Corn Syrup, which fabricates fructose out of the
glucose made from the milled starch of corn."
Is Agave safe for diabetics?
Each diabetic is different and different physicians and
nutritionists have different opinions on this subject. One highly
sensationalized study found that feeding large amounts of agave to
diabetics cause them some serious problems. So if you are a
diabetic, you should probably not eat large amounts of agave (or,
for that matter, large amounts of any other sweetener with fructose
or sucrose). The best advice is to discuss agave and Flavrz with
your physician or nutritionist.
There has been some bad press about agave. What is
the story with this?
There is misinformation going around about agave, much of it
started by one Dr. Mercola. Sometimes the internet can contribute
to the passing around of misinformation until it begins to seem
like fact. There is not one credible study that shows harmful
effects from agave. Mexicans have been eating agave for centuries.
It is sold in Whole Foods where they have many staff members
researching the safety of the products they sell, and is broadly
recognized as a healthier sweetener.
For more info on agave, see the following
links:
Global Healing Center: Why Agave Nectar is Not
Worse than High-Fructose Corn Syrup
AllAboutAgave.com
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