New Star Ingredient - AgaveWith our new Agave range already winning awards from the Guild of Fine Foods just as we launch, our Star Ingredient for this month simply had to be..Agave!But what is Agave? Where does it come from? If you don't know already, you might be surprised to hear that it comes from a cactus. From Mexico! In fact, it's from the same plant they use to make tequila.
The agave is an incredibly versatile plant and has long been used as edible - the flowers, the leaves, the stalks (or basel rosettes) and the sap. Known as aguamiel (which translates as honey nectar), the natural, organic sweetener derived from the sap has incredible health benefits, which is why we use it to make our new range of Hale & Hearty syrups! Also, the process used to extract the sap from the plant requires only very low temperatures, so the 'syrup' is preserved in its natural state - which is why many raw food enthusiasts and vegans love it.
The health benefits of agave are simply fantastic. It contains fewer calories than sugar; it's a natural alternative to artificial sweeteners, and its diabetic friendly. New, unique and completely groundbreaking, Hale & Hearty's agave syrups also come in Organic Honey Agave and Organic Maple Agave which are new and unique. Hale & Hearty's agave syrups have a log GI value of 19-24. Far lower thatn conventional processed sugar (GI 65), Honey (GI 55), Maple (GI55).
This means the carbohydrates in Agave syrups release their energy slower and are therefore less likely to raise blood sugar levels quickly. It means you can enjoy the sweet taste of our syrups withouth the unwelcome sugar highs! And that's why Agave is our Star Ingredient this month!
