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I would love to learn to use agave nectar in place of white sugar, partly because of the low glycemic index and partly because my grocery bill just isn't high enough yet, but I have had no luck finding out how much agave nectar equals a teaspoon, a cup or a whatever of sugar. You would think the bottle of nectar would tell you, but nooooooo.
The difficulty is partly because it is a different sweetness. When replacing white sugar with brown, for instance, you use 1/4 less brown because each serving is sweeter. You use half the amount of honey to replace white sugar because honey is MUCH sweeter.
The problem lies also in the fact that one is in the form of crumbles and one is liquid. No recipe ever says more than "adjust liquids in the recipe accordingly." Meaning what? If I use a cup of agave, which is a liquid, do I reduce the other liquids in the recipe by 1 cup? More? Less? If there is more than one liquid used in the recipe, say water and milk, which one do I reduce?
For baking, I substitute 2/3 cup agave for 1 cup of sugar. I reduce whichever liquid is used in the greatest quantity by 1/4 cup for each 2/3 cup of agave. I've never reduced liquids that provide flavoring (vanilla or other liquid extracts) or fats. I also turn down the oven temp by 25 degree. My go-to cupcakes are made with agave because they're quick and always turn out well.
I don't mind using agave. I think it's strange that those articles stress that agave is NOT a health food. Well, of course it's not! It's just an alternative to sugar that may work for some people. I don't know anyone who thinks, "Oh, but they're made with agave, so they're healthy and now I can eat these cookies every day". As with any sweets and any sweetener, you need to limit consumption.
I don't mind using agave. I think it's strange that those articles stress that agave is NOT a health food. Well, of course it's not! It's just an alternative to sugar that may work for some people. I don't know anyone who thinks, "Oh, but they're made with agave, so they're healthy and now I can eat these cookies every day". As with any sweets and any sweetener, you need to limit consumption.
When agave first became popular, it was everywhere....articles, recipes, in the markets - Costco...everyone was on the agave syrup bandwagon because it was touted to be better than sugar for diabetics, etc. There are better sweeteners...you'll notice that currently there are not many health sites or magazine articles that are praising the benefits of agave syrup....if it is indeed similar to high fructose corn syrup (which is what new research indicates), then it would probably be better to just use plain sugar...I've also read that coconut sugar has better health benefits than either cane sugar or agave.
When agave first became popular, it was everywhere....articles, recipes, in the markets - Costco...everyone was on the agave syrup bandwagon because it was touted to be better than sugar for diabetics, etc. There are better sweeteners...you'll notice that currently there are not many health sites or magazine articles that are praising the benefits of agave syrup....if it is indeed similar to high fructose corn syrup (which is what new research indicates), then it would probably be better to just use plain sugar...I've also read that coconut sugar has better health benefits than either cane sugar or agave.
Yeah, but you can also find numerous articles claiming that sugar is toxic. I think it's all about common sense and moderation, regardless of which sweetener you use. I don't think any of them would fall under the category of "good for you". They're all basically empty calories and many times, fruit or unsweetened fruit juice works nicely to provide some sweetness. In my pantry, I have a 36 oz bottle of organic raw agave and a 24 oz jar of organic raw sugar. Those will last me many months. I'm pretty comfortable with that intake.
I'd heard of it, but still have not seen convincing evidence that it's any better than any other sweetener. It's like anything that comes along as the latest trend. The information is constantly changing.
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