AGAVE NECTAR

I have found different recipes that call for Agave Nectar, Brown Rice Syrup, or other sweeteners like Stevia.  I have a couple of questions:

1.  Can we use these products in recipes?

2.  Are they a better alternative than Splenda?

3.  Does anyone know of a substitution for any of these products? 

4.  With WLS ...How will this affect our new bodies?

I just want to be in the know.
Many Thanks!
Amber  

I would say the answer is that it all depends on how you feel about carbs.

Agave Nectar, Brown Rice Syrup and Stevia are all "natural" products.  The closest thing that I would compare Agave Nectar and the brown rice syrup to is honey, although at least the brown rice syrup isn't as sweet.  Both have lower "glycemic index" numbers than sugar and are less likely to cause blood sugar spikes.  They both also have plenty of carbs (and therefore calories) so if you are watching those, take that into consideration.

Stevia is totally different.  Made from an herb (I grew some in my kitchen once) it is a very, very sweet product.  The extract is 200-300 times sweeter than sugar and has no calories (yeah).  It is really great for sweetening liquids, but using it in baking can be trickier, because it doesn't have the volume or structure of sugar that is a big piece of texture outcome in foods.

Personally, I'm not a big fan of Splenda.  I don't mind it in a lot of commercially prepared items, but I have never made anything at home that I ended up enjoying.  A lot of people like it, and if you're one of them, then enjoy it.

I have been using stevia more and more--it has become my favorite sweetener.  I also use agave nectar and brown rice syrup, usually in combination with the stevia in recipes that originally called for honey (like granola), where the "stickiness" is a factor in the recipe.
 

Great topic! I've been wanting to know the same thing about Agave. I was offered to try it but was afraid I'd dump. I don't have to count carb so it doesn't matter to me. I was worried about sugar I wasn't sure if it was like honey or not. Thanks so much for the info. Christine (internetnut)

wow what a great question....i do use stevia...but not nearly as much as splenda....and as for agave nectar...nope..not at all...  carbs is the ultimate problem...nectar in any form is pretty potent....so i will use honey as the only naturally occuring sugar in any of my cooking......or splenda...

Stevia isn't really usable since it's so hard to measure for the right consistency...(yes I tired to make a cake with it and coconut flour and let's just say that elmers glue with sawdust tastes better....)  Sadness and stuff.... but hey...to be great, you must make great mistakes...or somekinda nonsence like that...

anyway I know my entertaining cake experiment wasn't insightful but hey at least you got a chuckle...dangit!

T.

my friend told me to buy the agave nectar- now i have it and i have no idea what to do with it.  she said it helps sweeten the food and give it a little flavor she had RNY over 10 months ago it doesn't bother her-  i haven't tried it yet because i have no idea what to do with it! Could you share those recipes?  Or help me out!?!  Thanks!