Agave makes a good substitute for sugar for a variety of reasons. Agave nectar is a real sugar, as opposed to an artificial or non-nutritive sweetener. It has properties similar to many sugars with one important exception: its glycemic index is significantly lower. This makes it a healthier alternative to many processed AND natural sweeteners, including:
white granulated sugar
brown sugar
demerara or turbinado sugar
maple sugar crystals
dehydrated cane juice
date sugar
Weight Management Friendly
Agave nectar's low glycemic index makes it suitable for some individuals on low-carb or slow-carb diets (the Atkins Diet, the South Beach Diet) and for a variety of weight loss/management programs. Granulated sugar has an average glycemic index in the high 60's, while agave generally scores under 30. Foods with a glycemic index lower than 55 are considered low glycemic foods. Foods lower on the scale are less likely to trigger the body's mechanisms for fat storage. While it's not a "free" food for indiscriminate consumption, many individuals on a diet or weight maintenance plan find that agave is a healthier substitute for sugar, and that moderate use of agave nectar can help them enjoy foods that otherwise might be off limits.
Diabetic Friendly
Diabetics are usually advised to monitor sugar intake in their diet and, like those trying to lose weight, watch the glycemic index of the foods they eat. Agave nectar DOES have calories and carbohydrates that must be taken into consideration, and responses to sweeteners vary from one individual to the next. However, because agave has a lower glycemic index than refined sugars, its carbohydrates are less likely to raise the blood sugar quickly. Again - agave is not a "free" food but, under proper medical monitoring, using it as a substitute for sugar may broaden dietary options for many diabetics.
No Bone Char!?
Some granulated and brown sugar - especially brands made from sugar cane - are filtered using bone char (animal-bone-based charcoal). Agave nectar is completely vegan, meaning that it's appropriate for those whose diet and lifestyle choices exclude all animal products.
Using Agave as a Substitute for Sugar
Though agave nectar is more calorie-dense than brown or white sugar, it is about 40% sweeter, so the amount of agave can be reduced. It may take some adjustment of recipes to substitute agave nectar for granulated sugars, but it's much easier than using an artificial sweetener to substitute for sugar. Artificial sweeteners provide sweetness, but few of the functional properties of real sugars. Agave provides the same variety of functions (including browning, moisture retention, softening and food preservation) as processed sugars.
Agave vs Artificial Sweeteners
It can be a challenge for even experienced cooks to substitute artificial sweeteners for sugars without compromising food quality or palatability. An artificial sweetener may be suitable for reducing the caloric content and glycemic index of a dish, but they lose their usefulness in many other culinary applications where a sugar is needed for more than its ability to sweeten.
What Artificial Sweeteners CAN Do
In some instances, as when replacing sugars in drinks, the primary side effect of using an artificial sweetener may be the addition of a chemical or bitter aftertaste in the finished product. Sometimes this can be remedied by under-sweetening a dish slightly, or by adding herbs, seasonings, or ingredients like citrus that can disguise an unpleasant aftertaste. In baked goods, however, sugars perform more functions than sweetening, many of which are difficult for imitation sugars to imitate.
What Artificial Sweeteners CAN'T Do
Sugars are a virtually indispensable aid to carmelization or browning, meaning that breads and cookies rely on the presence of sugars to help form a crisp crust and a golden brown exterior. Depending on the other ingredients in the recipe, a cookie made with an artificial sweetener may have a reasonably good flavor, but come out of the oven looking pale and unappetizing.
In yeast doughs, sugars are needed to feed the yeast which leavens the bread. While there are some natural sugars in wheat flour, they are not in sufficient quantity or in simple enough form to make them quickly usable to the yeast. Sugars also act as a humectant to help baked goods retain the moisture they need to remain soft and fresh.
Additionally, sugars inhibit microbial action and extend shelf life in foods. For products in which sugar is required for its preservative qualities, like jams and jellies, replacing sugar with an artificial sweetener can dramatically reduce a food's shelf life.
Removing sugar from many sweets can also result in a compromised texture; for example, replacing the sugar in ice cream with an artificial sweetener (without the addition of other softening agents) can produce a frozen product that is full of ice crystals and unpleasantly hard.
Agave Nectar to the Rescue!
In many regards agave nectar bridges the gap between real and artificial sweeteners. While it has all the useful properties of real sugars, its lower glycemic index helps protect against health risks associated with higher glycemic sweeteners.
Agave nectar can be used in many more applications than artificial sweeteners, while also producing more palatable results. Since it is composed of real sugars (fructose and glucose), agave nectar performs admirably in the kitchen and bakery. It matches refined sugars in all the qualities mentioned above, serving as a browning agent, a humectant, a softener, and a preservative.
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