Guest Post: Agave Nectar
December 5, 2008 by Kelly Turner
Filed under Fitness
Today’s guest post comes from Fit Bottomed Girls’ Jenn. Sit back, relax, and learn of the sweetness that is agave nectar.
Throughout the ages, the “nectar of the gods” has typically referred to beer or some other delicious alcoholic drink. While, honestly, it’s hard to argue with that, I am going to differ, a bit. In my kitchen, the nectar of the gods is agave nectar, a natural sweetener commerically produced in Mexico from the agave plant.The agave plant is a big ol’ succulant that fits right into the desert. The nectar comes from the juice in the core of the plant, which is then filtered and heated to create a syrup. It ends up looking kind of like honey, although it’s runnier than the stuff Pooh loves, and it’s much sweeter.
Agave nectar—from here on out to be called only “the nectar”—is beyond awesome. Not to get too scientifc-y, but the nectar consists of primarily fructose and glucose. At the time of this post, Wikipedia is debating whether the fructose:glucose ratio is 92:8 or 56:20, but all you need to know is that because of the nectar’s high-fructose content, the nectar ranks much lower on the glycemic index (which measures how quickly carbs are broken down into glucose) than other natural sweeteners on the market. Basic translation: The nectar is sweeter than honey, so you need less of it, and when you do enjoy it, you don’t get as big as a sugar rush and therefore you don’t crash like you do after forcing a piece of Aunt Mearle’s fruitcake down. And, unlike other natural sweeteners like Stevia, it doesn’t have a weird aftertaste. Nor is it jacked up with chemicals you can’t begin to pronounce.
I just learned about the nectar a few months ago, but I’m already (obviously) hooked. I sweeten my oatmeal and smoothies with it at breakfast, used it in my low-fat pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving (you can use about 1/3 cup of the nectar for every cup of sugar in your recipe) and even drizzle it in my tea or coffee (it dissolves super quick). Basically, it’s my new super food.
Sound too good to be true? Well, even though it is absorbed more slowly into the bloodstream (and even that claim may be a little misguided according to this article), I don’t recommend a diet heavy on the nectar. One tablespoon of my Whole Foods brand has 60 calories and 16 grams of sugar. Plus, because its consistency is thinner than honey, you tend to drizzle more than you intend. Lastly, it’s pricier than table sugar, which probably isn’t a big surprise since most varieties are organic. My 23.5-oz. bottle set me back about $3.75. Worth it in my book as it’s taken me four months to get through half my bottle. Plus, it’s totally animal-free. Vegans rejoice.
Now if you’re one of those naysayers who say that any nectar of the gods must be some sort of alcoholic beverage—not the syrup of some plant—have no fear. The agave plant is most commonly used to make tequila. Coincidence? I think not.
—Jenn,
If you’re looking for more FBG posts on tasty eats, check out our guide to lightening any recipe in a Rachael Ray cookbook and our tips to ordering sushi that your pants will thank you for.
Photo grabbed from moria on Flickr.
If you would like to guest post on Grounded Fitness, email me at kelly.turner@b5media.com.
grounded fitness, fitness, health, yoga, pilates, strength training, personal trainer, cardiovascular, cardio, exercise, wellness, weight loss, blog, blogging, fitness blog, weightloss blog, Fit Bottomed Girls, agave, agave nectar,
Very Cool! Thanks for sharing, Jenn. I am v. curious about this stuff and think I need to just bite the bullet and buy a bottle.
Heather
Great guest post, Jenn!! I looove agave nectar.
Heart FBG!
Thanks for all of this great information. I really really want to try agave nectar.
Ive nevet tried it either, but based on this im going to give it a shot. anything called nectar sounds like its got to be good.
thanks jenn!
Hey Jenn,
Thank you for the guest post! I’d like to share with you an excerpt from a fellow bloggers take on Agave, if anything to spur the conversation:
“Agave nectar can range from 56-92% fructose, depending on the brand. There are other options like evaporated cane juice, which vary in quantity of sucrose (and therefore fructose), but the best number I came up with was 85-95% sucrose, meaning 42.5-47.5% fructose.(5) The only mark I’ll give them above other sweeteners is that they’re less processed.”
He (Scott Kustes of The Modern Forager) goes on to conclude that we really shouldn’t use any sweeteners on a consistent, daily basis. But if you are going to use one, go for the less processed, which would be Agave. Thoughts?
All the Best,
Andrew R
Cool. I’ve never tried it, but maybe I’ll use it as a sugar substitute in baked goods. Will it work for that? I don’t typically add sugar or honey to things like oatmeal or tea, so I don’t need it for those reasons.
You read my mind! I was just thinking I wish I knew more about this stuff, since the bloggy world is in lurrrve with the nectar. I have to conclude that it sounds amazing. And the tequila bit? That really roped me in.
Thanks, Jenn!
great info! I just tried this for the first time a few weeks back and was wondering how to substitute the agave nectar for sugar in recipes! thanks!
i’ve tried it recipes that call for it, but not subbing it for sugar. Now i’ll have to get crackin :) great post jenn!
I love the FBGs! Thanks for the guest post Jenn! I like agave nectar but I also like stevia. Does that make me weird? I’m also known to use regular sugar on occasion. I guess I try to limit all sweeteners. But this one definitely does make a nice addition. My fave is to use it to sweeten herbal teas.
Thanks for the article. I use agave in all sorts of dishes, cakes and even drinks. I started with small bottles and now buy gallons at a time.
The last few times I ordered it online at Whole And Natural.com. They have all sizes at very reasonable prices and ship fast.
Healthy Holidays to all,
Debby
Just to chime in, Agave Nectar seems like a godsend for all the reasons mentioned above. But it IS still a highly processed food product. I definitely use my fair share, but at first I didn’t realize that while it’s good for the glycemic index it’s not a whole food by any means.