For people with diabetes, controlling your blood sugar is an important and often difficult task. While eliminating sweets entirely from your diet is not necessary, low-glycemic-index sweeteners such as agave nectar can be a good substitute for refined sugar.
About Diabetes
Diabetes is a disorder in which the body cannot effectively use glucose, the six-carbon molecule of which all carbohydrates are composed. Type 1 diabetics do not produce the hormone insulin, which transports sugar in the blood to body tissues and organs, causing a harmful buildup of glucose in the bloodstream. Type 2 diabetics do not produce enough insulin or are resistant to the effects of insulin, and similarly experience a dangerous buildup of blood sugar that can lead to nerve, kidney and eye damage.
About Agave
Agave refers to a genus of plants native to South America. Some have described the plants as resembling an artichoke with protruding stalks. Edible varieties can be found at high elevations in Arizona, New Mexico, Southern California, Southern Utah and Northern Mexico. Indians of the Southwest region of the United States valued the agave plant for its fiber and sweet flavor.
Agave and Glycemic Index
Agave nectar is a popular sugar alternative due to its lower glycemic index rating. While using agave nectar instead of sugar results in a more gradual rise in blood glucose levels, Rico cautions that diabetics should not treat agave any differently than sugar or corn syrup. Agave, she notes, contains the same amount of calories and carbohydrates as refined sugar.
Uses
If you've decided to use agave as a sweetener, consider drizzling some of the nectar on yogurt or on buttered toast. If you're interested in using agave as a substitute for refined sugar in baked goods, "Eating Well" magazine says a general substitution is that for whatever the amount of sugar the recipe calls for, cut that to a third when using agave, and to reduce other liquids in the recipe by a fourth.
