Health Benefits & Nutritionist News

Why all the Buzz about Agave?

By Deborah Enos, CN, author of Weight a Minute!, is known as “The One-Minute Wellness Coach”™
With all the “buzz” about agave these days, you’d think agave was honey. Though honey has been a faithful natural sweetener over the years, I’ve come upon a more healthful and versatile sweetener in Sohgave! premium blue weber agave. And many people still do not know of the natural health benefits of this product.

Agave nectar is a low glycemic sweetener made from the agave plant, which is cultivated in high altitudes in the sate of Jalisco, Mexico. While there are many types of agave, the one used in Sohgave! is called “blue weber agave.” It is the highest quality agave available and also certified organic.

Agave is used in beverages, food, and cooking as a sweetener, specifically, as an alternative to other types of sugar. This remarkable plant is the same one that tequila is made from but I’m happy to report that agave nectar is alcohol free! Importantly, the agave plant is highly regulated in Mexico, which ensures product quality and quantity.

Comparing Agave to Other Sweeteners

Agave is sweeter than other sweeteners so you can use less, which helps to lower your daily caloric intake. Agave is a low glycemic index sweetener while other sweeteners are considerably higher on the scale—making it a healthy and delicious option to various other sweeteners.

This means that using sweeteners like sugar, maple syrup, or honey will “spike” your blood sugar levels, while using agave can actually keep your blood sugars at a much lower level. When your blood sugars are at a lower level, you have higher levels of health, a more even mood (a really good thing!), and your energy levels will be more stable.

One other note of comparison: because honey is not vegan, many vegans enjoy agave as a delicious replacement for honey. For this reason, agave nectar has become quite a popular sweetener in the vegan community.

Agave is a delicious and mild tasting sweetener that comes from the agave plant. It won’t raise blood sugar levels like other sweeteners (table sugar or honey) and most physicians consider it to be safe for diabetics.

Side Effects of Too Much Sugar

We are a culture obsessed with sugar. Most of us have been trained from an early age to have a “sweet tooth.” The more sugar we consume, the less it satisfies. So every year most of us eat more sugar than we did the previous year. In fact, one hundred years ago people consumed five pounds of sugar per person. According to the USDA that number has now risen to an astounding one hundred and fifty six pounds of sugar per person!

Many people mistakenly think that the only side effects of consuming too much sugar is a little tooth decay and a few extra pounds. But the effects of too much sugar are wide ranging. When you consume too much sugar it can affect your immune system and make it more difficult to fight off bugs and viruses. Too much sugar can increase your risk of diabetes, cancer and heart disease. Sugar is also implicated in depression, anxiety and hyperactivity.

Get in the habit of reading food labels and cut back on processed sugars in the everyday products you have in your pantry and refrigerator. Also, try using agave in any instance where you might reach for the sugar bowl. Because it’s sweeter than honey and table sugar, you will use less and it’s a low glycemic sweetener, so it won’t spike your blood sugar like other sweeteners would.

Is Agave a Good Choice for Pre-diabetic?

Absolutely! Your body likes to keep your blood sugar level stable. When you eat high GI foods, your body can begin to rapidly convert the food into glucose and then dump it in your blood stream. This creates a state of stress in your body and your body will work very hard to get your blood sugar levels back down to a reasonable level.

When you are pre-diabetic, you want to keep your blood sugars as level as possible. Using a sweetener like agave, which carries a GI of approximately 17 compared to sugar with a GI of approximately 68, will help to prevent your blood sugar level from “spiking.” And since most diabetics are also concerned about weight management, agave is a good alternative to sugar. It is sweeter than other sugars and sweeteners, so you use less.

When you use agave instead of sugar, you will consume fewer calories, which will help you maintain a healthy weight.