agave

Glycemic Index

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Everywhere I go lately, I am hearing people talking about and asking me about glycemic index. I hope this will help you to understand it more. Come back next week for additional information on this subject.

Glycemic Index: is a scale of 0-100 illustrating how carbohydrates raise blood sugar after eating High GI foods are absorbed fast and cause high blood sugar levels-spikes. Kids going crazy and bouncing off the walls after sugar is an example of the effect of high GI. Low GI foods are absorbed more slowly and cause the a much slower rise in blood sugar levels which has proven health benefits. Low GI diets have benefits for weight control because they help control appetite and are also beneficial for improving glucose and lipid(fat) levels in people with diabetes(Type 1 and 2).

Glycemic Index(GI) indicates the level of glucose in a food.

I love agave nectar(GI 32) and palm/coconut palm sugar(GI 35) to sweeten compared to Honey that is (GI58) and refined white sugar(GI64-80).. See my previous articles on both of them for more benefits/details.

Some of the sweeteners such as Agave are sweeter than sugar, so you can use less! I spent 7 years developing recipes with the right amount of alternative natural sweeteners in my cookbook, No Wheat No Dairy No Problem which you can order on this site and I will personally autograph it just for you!

See the Recipe of the Week tab above for a low calorie, high fiber, healthy Pureed Vegetable Soup! Be Well, Lauren

Agave Nectar Article in the News!

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Hi Everyone,

The San Jose Mercury had an article in SVLife today on agave.

One problem I saw was the price was wrong. Whole Foods sells a 23.5 ounce bottle for $5-$6, a fraction of the cost the newspaper mentioned. Enjoy the article. I placed a Summer Fruit Crisp made with agave onto my blog site for this week. Hope you will give it a try and let us all know how you liked it. Be Well, Lauren

Blue Agave Cactus-produces Tequila and a low glycemic natural sweetener!

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Yes, agave is known for making tequila, but it is also a wonderful natural sweetener! White sugar can have many negative effects on our bodies including the highs and lows associated with it.  Now there is a great low glycemic alternative called Agave Nectar. And, many diabetics can tolerate agave too, but check with your physician first. So far it is only available in a liquid state, which can be used in place of sugar. It is a bit sweeter than sugar so you can use a little less than sugar. Did you know that sugar is actually a liquid although it comes in dry granules? Yes, in baking it is considered a liquid. Therefore, agave being a liquid is fine. It can be a little tricky when converting a baking recipe. I will be placing a space on my blog site soon where you can submit recipes for conversion. Keep an eye on the blog…or click on the subscribe button to get automatic updates via email.

Agave nectar: Tastes sweet and neutral. Extracted from the Blue Agave Cactus. Raw agave syrup has a low glycemic index and is absorbed into the body much slower than sugar. It eliminates the highs and lows experienced with eating refined sugar. Dissolves in cold liquid. Available in light and dark, use light unless recipe indicates dark. Dark has a molasses flavor and the light is very neutral and mild. Madhava is also making flavored agave that can be stirred into hot or iced coffee: Vanilla, Hazelnut, Amaretto and Cappuccino.

Enjoy!

Available at Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe’s and local health food stores or online at http://www.madhava.com, it is on sale at http://www.vitacost.com now