Thoughts on Agave Nectar (or other sweeteners?)

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Sebani
Sebani Posts: 24 Member
in Recipes
I just bought a Vitamix and am looking to make smoothies and sorbets/ice creams but I see that a lot of recipes call for Agave Nectar or Honey. I'm not sure how I feel about these two products so I was wondering if you guys could provide me an alternative?? Thanks!!

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  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited October 2015
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    I use both honey and agave. If you do not like honey or agave (if you are not sure about the taste of them you should try them out before knocking them out of your recipe)...

    Agave is the alternative for honey. Sometimes the honey or agvae is also the "binder" in a recipe or it is used with the other ingredients so taking them out may hurt the texture of a recipe.. But for sweetness only that is another issue.
  • pinggolfer96
    pinggolfer96 Posts: 2,248 Member
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    Depends. Are you talking about in terms of taste, health, for weight loss? Natural sweeteners like agave and honey are metabolized exactly the same as table sugar. They do have some extra nutrition benefits, but in terms of weightloss are the same. In terms of taste, I think something like maple syrup would be good for smoothies! As well as honey and agave, but I like syrup(: in terms of just sweetening, I like to use stevia as a zero calorie sugar substitute.
  • friendlymush
    friendlymush Posts: 26 Member
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    I don't usually add syrups to smoothies or ice cream, but for things like cocktails that call for agave I substitute with Organic AgaveFIVE. It's agave sweetened with stevia for 15 kcal per tbsp vs 60 kcal per tbsp for regular agave. It doesn't have the same taste as agave so I only use it as a sweetener. If you need that honey or agave flavor, the real thing might be the way to go.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    I usually keep raw local honey in the kitchen because it is said to have some antibiotic properties.
    If you are experimenting with sweeteners, consider blackstrap molasses --- it is strong and can be used in lots of things.
  • MorganMoreaux
    MorganMoreaux Posts: 691 Member
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    I use organic raw honey and have found it to be a great sweetener for my recipes. It's super sweet without being over powering. I use it when I make waffles, cookies, cakes, shakes, etc. Like RodaRose said, blackstrap molasses is also very good but it does have a stronger taste.
  • KimmyKicksAss
    KimmyKicksAss Posts: 60 Member
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    I use Stevia. Either Pure Via or Truvia. Don't get me wrong, I love me some honey but *sigh* sacrifices....
  • summerkissed
    summerkissed Posts: 730 Member
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    pinggolfer96 wrote: »
    Depends. Are you talking about in terms of taste, health, for weight loss? Natural sweeteners like agave and honey are metabolized exactly the same as table sugar. They do have some extra nutrition benefits, but in terms of weightloss are the same. In terms of taste, I think something like maple syrup would be good for smoothies! As well as honey and agave, but I like syrup(: in terms of just sweetening, I like to use stevia as a zero calorie sugar substitute.

    Was going to the same as this!!!
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    Here's my list all about sweeteners.

    The authors of those recipes seem to be trying to go the "all-natural" route. That would be honey, agave nectar, or maple syrup. These all three are still sugars though so are to be tracked as free sugars added to your diet. Agave nectar and honey you can use less of because of their relative sweetness.

    If you don't need sweet, you can try blending in fruit instead. You're still getting some natural sugars but not as much. Hubby makes his shakes with protein powder, a frozen banana, more frozen fruit, and milk. I'm fuzzy on the details because he's in charge of the blender.

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