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substitute for agave

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Started 5 months ago by jane
Latest reply from suncrystal
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jane
Member

I am cooking for someone who is gluten intolerant and diabetic. I would like to know if there is a substitute to bake with for agave?

Posted 5 months ago #
emaegf
Member

Honey with sub for agave use the same amount of honey as agave.

Posted 5 months ago #
jane
Member

Thank you for posting! Do you know if a diabetic can use honey? I'm new to this.

Posted 5 months ago #
vyvyan
Member

honey has an extremely high GI so it's not fit for a diabetic. Just bite the bullet and use agave. There is a lot of negative hype on agave probably started by the honey association/cane sugar association. I have been using 1/2 agave 1/2 palm sugar with great results. Palm sugar's GI is lower than agave (about 33). I melt down the palm sugar that I buy for .99 with 1/2 cup of water and it has the same thickness and sweetness as agave but more closer to brown sugar.

Posted 5 months ago #
jane
Member

vyvyan, Thank you for the information. When you melt down palm sugar with 1/2 cup of water, how much palm sugar did you use? Thanks! Jane

Posted 5 months ago #
vyvyan
Member

I used half a pound (8.8oz) of Asli's Gula Jawa palm "candy" (100% palm sugar) and about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of water. That made about 12 oz of syrup. But if you use SweetTree (from Whole Foods) you will have to adjust based how much syrup you need. Maybe a cup of granulated plus 1/2 cup of water.

Yes, it is called "palm candy" or "palm nectar" probably because the sugar association doesn't want non-cane sugar product to be sold as "sugar."

Posted 5 months ago #
jane
Member

Thanks so much!

Posted 5 months ago #
Diane
Member

Jane,

Stevia would be a very good sugar substitute for a diabetic. I have used stevia in a number of Elana's recipes (including her Chewy Chocolate cookie recipe from her cookbook). Please see the following link for more information & help on using stevia in baking:

http://www.elanaspantry.com/forums/topic/substitute-stevia-for-agave-nectar#post-418

Good luck & happy experimenting,

Diane J.

Posted 5 months ago #
elissajeanette
Member

Stevia helps to rebuild the pancreas, so it's a fantastic substitute for agave. I've used it in Elana's gingerbread, it worked perfectly. Coconut Palm sugar is lover GI than agave, and very good for you (twelve amino acids, I think, and more good stuff), so that's a good substitute. Most recipes you'll need to reduce the amount of sweetener for anyway, I usually find agave spikes my blood sugar terribly at the amounts Elana usually suggests.. my mum and I have insulin resistance (diabetes symptom, but not diabetes), so we need to work on that. Thanks for the recommendation for making a syrup out of coconut palm sugar - excellent idea!

Posted 4 months ago #
wheeler604
Member

PALM SUGAR....I recently found out that agave nectar is very high in fructose (similar to high fructose corn syrup...I am very sad about this really since I loved agave nectar). I did some research and discovered Palm Sugar as a great alternative. It is not as sweet as agave nectar therefore I haven't tried it in any of the recipes yet, but for teas etc it works great. Do your research and learn about the truth of agave nectar!

Posted 4 months ago #
Dr. Jen DC
Member

I've been doing some research on agave after attending an herb seminar in Phoenix, AZ. The instructor mentioned that agave has high amounts of fructose, much more than HFCS. The reason high amounts of fructose, like HFCS and agave, is bad is because your liver metabolizes it in a similar way as it does alcohol. Your liver only has one enzyme pathway to breakdown fructose like it only has one to breakdown alcohol. If you drink too much you might get a hangover because your liver can’t keep up with the amount of alcohol you consumed, it’s the same situation with agave without the hangover; instead it hurts your liver little by little and you don’t notice it. With all of the HFCS in so many of our foods and then using a sweetener such as agave it overloads your liver causing all sorts of problems down the road. Raw sugar, organic maple syrup, and raw honey are broken down into glucose which the liver can handle more easily. In my opinion it’s better to use what nature made in moderation than try use some “miracle” sweetener that ends up causing more problems. Hope this helps! I’ve also attached a link about agave and some other sweeteners.

http://www.living-foods.com/articles/agave.html

Posted 4 months ago #
Violet
Member

I've also experienced the "agave isn't as good as I thought" revelation. It was way too much sugar for me.

I have recently tried some of Elana's coconut flour recipes - muffins and cupcakes. Mine have turned out beautifully and the only sweetener I used was Stevia. I have tried the 1-1 spoonable kind before but I find it VERY expensive to use, so I mostly use a concentrated extract powder. The one I really like is from the company New Roots. I was prepared to have to make some adjustments as the tiny amount of white powder is very different from 1/4cup of agave, but it turned out really great and I didn't have to.
Since Stevia tends to have a really sharp sweetness to it I usually balance it out by adding a little more vanilla. This made for a very happy household when I was able to present DELICIOUS gluten-free, dairy-free AND completely sugar-free treats. :)

THANKS ELANA!! :)

Posted 4 months ago #
Ari- The Frugally Rich Life
Member

Hi there!
Violet---can I have your recipe? That sounds amazing? (thefrugallyrichlife AT gmail DOT com)
Does anyone else have any tips on using stevia? What is the cheapest stevia you have found that still works well and isn't too bitter?

Anyone know where you can get coconut palm sugar the sweetest and why it's called candy sometimes and if it's the same thing? Thanks!

Also, you can find recipes for sugar-free (and mostly GF and dairy-free recipes at my site: http://www.thefrugallyrichlife.wordpress.com)

Posted 4 months ago #
mrsgrew
Member

Violet....cann I have your recipe as well?(debbill@consolidated.net) thanks.

Posted 3 months ago #
justscratchingthesurface
Member

I have a friend of mine who swares by "xylitol" as a sweetner for anything...... He and his wife use it completely as a suger replacement. I have used it in my coffee and prefer it, to stevia. Has anyone else tried Xylitol?

Posted 2 months ago #
justscratchingthesurface
Member

I have a friend of mine who swears by "xylitol" as a sweetener for anything...... He and his wife use it completely as a sugar replacement. I have used it in my coffee and prefer it, to stevia. Has anyone else tried Xylitol....
Sorry for the typos...... I didn't proofread before I hit enter.

Posted 2 months ago #
jkendra585
Member

I'm new and I can't figure out how to post. So, if this is a repeat, I apologize....

I use xylitol for all my baking--it looks and acts like white sugar, with none of the sugar rush. It's made from the bark of a tree, at least that is true of the 2 sources I use (Emerald Forest and Z Natural Foods). Other products are made from corn (which I am allergic to). I am also going to start experimenting with coconut palm sugar as well. Z Natural Foods has my mouth watering with this description "Our organic coconut sugar is made from the sap of the coconut palm. This is some of the most fragrant, flavorful sugar we've ever tasted. Hints of toasted coconut and caramel waft from the open bag. Not quite as sweet as cane sugar or as overpowering as dark muscovado, it is loaded with toasty flavor - maple sugar fans will love this. Best of all it is nutrient rich and has a low GI of only 35!"

Thanks for the suggestion about making a syrup from the palm sugar--I never would have thought of that! HAPPY BAKING!!

Posted 2 months ago #
redt
Member

I just began experimenting a bit with Palm Sugar syrup as a substitute for Agave Nectar in baked recipes. (I heard it's lower on the glycemic index) Yesterday I made "Elana's Double Chocolate Mocha cookies", and they turned out amazing! (they didn't hold together too well, it may have been the almond flour I used, but we put them in the fridge which helped, and they were delicious cold!) *Check out http://www.sweet-tree.biz to order Palm Sugar and for some recipes. They recommend bringing 1 1/2 C. of the Palm sugar and 1/2 C. water just to a boil, (make sure you stir to dissolve sugar) then turn down heat and simmer for 3 minutes. By the way, I just read that you can find Palm Sugar at Asian markets for much cheaper. :-)

Posted 2 months ago #
mymanzwife
Member

I've been using the palm sugar syrup (1 1/2 c. palm sugar, 1/2 c. water like "redt" just posted) in all of Elana's recipes since January, and think it's a perfect substitute for the agave, so it has my vote!
I've been using the Navitas Naturals brand.

Posted 2 months ago #
Amy_Green
Member

I use palm sugar, too and love it. I also use NuNaturals Stevia which is non-bitter and has a great flavor. I think you can only order it on-line, though.

iHerb.com is also a great source for palm sugar.

Posted 2 months ago #
suncrystal
Member

i found the truth about agave, finally. A great explanation.

Mike Adams (naturalnews.com) contacted the manufacturer, who wrote a loooong rebuttal, explaining the 2 different processes being used by 2 differenet manufacturers, the first of which is out of business and which is the one the negative report is based on, even thouugh the good guy was contacted. Not one word of his explanation was contained in the negative report. Elana's recipes containing agave are just fine.

it appears to me that agave is very successful and is probably competition for the toxins aspartame and Splenda (?), making this an attack by TPTW (The Powers That Were).

Here's the full article: http://www.naturalnews.com/025060_agave_nectar_sugar_sugars.html

Posted 1 month ago #

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