Stevia and agave nectar offer alternatives to white table sugar, honey and other sweeteners that are high in calories and have a marked effect on your blood sugar. While the sweetness in agave nectar comes from its high concentration of fructose, stevia derives its sweet taste from compounds called glycosides. Although both sweeteners come from plants, agave nectar can be purchased in its unrefined form. The Food and Drug Administration only permits purified stevia extracts to be used in foods and beverages, as the agency does not yet have sufficient proof that whole stevia leaves and unrefined extracts are safe for human consumption.
Sources
Stevia rebaudiana is an herb whose leaves have been used as a sweetening agent in South American cultures for centuries. The FDA, which regulates sugar substitutes, has authorized the use of stevia products made with a purified portion of the leaf called rebaudioside A. Blue agave is a succulent plant grown in Mexico and the southwestern United States. Its nectar comes from its large green leaves. Agave nectar looks and tastes similar to honey, but agave nectar has a thinner consistency.
Calories and Carbohydrates
Stevia products contain few or no calories and have 200 to 350 times the sweetness of sugar. Stevia products may contain minimal amounts of calories and carbohydrates from ingredients added to these products. Agave nectar has 20 calories per tsp. and is 1.4 to 1.5 times sweeter than table sugar. One tsp. of agave nectar has approximately 2 g of carbohydrates.
Effects on Blood Sugar
The glycemic index measures the ability of carbohydrate-containing foods to increase your blood sugar levels on a scale of zero to 100. If you're using the glycemic index value of foods to keep your blood sugar within a healthy range, sweetening your foods with agave nectar may help you meet this goal. Because agave nectar has a high concentration of fructose -- a form of sugar that has a low effect on blood sugar levels -- this sweetener has a low GI value. Agave nectar consisting of 90 percent fructose has a GI value of 11, according to the Glycemic Index Foundation. Commercially processed stevia products do not appear to affect blood glucose levels when used as sweetening agents.
Health Concerns
The FDA has not approved stevia in its whole-leaf or unrefined forms because these products may pose risks to your kidneys, heart and reproductive systems. Unprocessed forms of stevia may also interfere with blood glucose management. While agave nectar may help you manage your blood sugar levels, this syrup is high in calories and carbohydrates and may promote obesity if used in excess. Although stevia has no calories, baked desserts, candies and other sweet foods made with stevia may still cause weight gain if eaten in large amounts.
References
- American Diabetes Association: Diabetes Forecast Magazine: Size Up Your Sweetener Options; July 2009
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Is Stevia an "FDA Approved" Sweetener?; July 8, 2010
- The Nibble: Agave Nectar; Jan. 4, 2011
- Drugs.com: Stevia; 2009
- The Glycemic Index
- MayoClinic.com: Stevia: Can It Help with Weight Control?; Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.; Nov. 18, 2010
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