Agave nectar and your health. . . not so black and white

I would not doubt that one day someone will come up with the sinless sweetener. Or at least it is something to hope for. I had heard rumblings about Agave for some time. I never really gave it a second thought because it was sold as a natural sugar and I fell for it. Agave is touted as a healthy alternative to sugar, but is it really? I browsed the internet for information and EBSCOhost (a research database). The information is as controversial as it is plentiful.

So, here is the scoop:

- Agave is obtained from a plant (or succulent) primarily in Mexico. It has been used as a sweetener in that region for years. It has also been combined with salt and placed on wounds. I would not take that as medical advice. Automatically individuals claim that this is healthy because it is obtained from a plant. True, but it still undergoes processing and refining which change its properties.

- There are claims that the agave is about 1.5 times sweeter than regular table sugar. True, but that can depend on the refining process which varies widely.

- There are the same amount of calories in one tablespoon of table sugar and one tablespoon of Agave. The decrease in in calories is from claims that you use less agave because it is sweeter than table sugar.

- There are claims that because of the high amounts of inulin (a complex form of fructose), agave has a lower glycemic index than other sweeteners. The research on this is mixed and officially the American Diabetes Association does not endorse this and lists agave as a sweetener to avoid.

I did experiment and create some fruit dip (New Years Eve Fruit Creations) on New Years Eve. It was easy to blend in because there were no sugar crystals to dissolve. However, I am not sure that I really used less sugar otherwise. The flavor as claimed was mild and did not adversely affect the taste of the dip.

Bottom Line: Agave is still sugar and should be treated as such, in moderation.