Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Agave Nectar Sweetened Lemonade

Last night Chris and I went out to Juice for Life (JFL) for dinner. We were meeting up with a friend who is vegan so JFL was the natural pick. I had my usual - the Mega Life Salad - but was adventurous trying a new dressing. I usually get the Green dressing but last night I ordered the Tahini dressing.

Our friend ordered a lemonade and I was pleasantly surprised when I found out it was sweetened with agave nectar! It was pure lemon juice, water and agave nectar!For those that read my blog or are a Zawada Health facebook fan or read my monthly newsletters, you have definitely seen the ingredient agave nectar before. Maybe you've glanced over it thinking 'here's another crazy health-food that I'll never be able to find!'

Agave nectar is a sweetener made in Mexico from the agave plant - yes that's right - the tequila plant! It is sweeter than sugar or honey and commonly used to replace sugar in baking. Vegans commonly use agave nectar instead of honey as honey comes from bees. 1 cup of honey equals 1 cup agave when doing substitutions. For each cup of white sugar, use 2/3 of a cup of agave and reduce other liquids by 1/4 to 1/3 cup. This substitution will also work for Demerara Sugar, Turbinado Sugar, Evaporated Cane Juice, or Sucanat.

The best thing about agave nectar is that it does raise blood sugar levels as quickly as other forms of sugar. No crazy blood sugar rush!

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