Agave is a plant that is a monocot genus. The plant is native to hot climates throughout America. However, some agave species can be found in the tropical regions of South America. The species is known for being succulent and having huge, strong leaves made of flesh. These plants are sometimes perennial. It takes many years for these plants to mature and produce flowers. Agave plants tend to not need much water in order to survive or grow. Sometimes agave plants are interchangeably referred to as a century plant.
The leaves of the agave species have marginal teeth. The spine is sharp and terminal. The inside of the agave plant is rather fibrous. The stem of the plant is rather short, sometimes making the plant appear as though it has no stem at all. When the plant is flowering, a tall stem grows that releases beautiful rosettes and tubular flowers. Sometimes suckers appear on the agave plant throughout the course of its life.
The agave can be easily confused with other plants like the cacti. Although these plants have similar features, they do belong to different plant families. Agave plants are used as food. Moth and butterfly species snack on agave plants. Recently, with a rise of health-conscious eating, people are starting to participate in eating and drinking organic agave nectar.
Agave has become a popular part of food trends. The health benefits afforded by agave and how agave can help cut back on sugar has caused this plant to become rather popular. Agave is a plant that for so many years was never regarded as a major component of meals. Today, agave can be found on the sugar aisle of many grocery stores.
Agave has become popular due to how the plant is a healthier sweetener than white cane sugar. For people with diabetes or just people who want to consume less sugar, they can find refuge in agave. The blue agave plant is where most agave sweeteners are extracted from. Rarely do you get the raw nectar served in stores. Instead, the raw nectar is processed before being bottled up and stocked on supermarket shelves. Agave contains sixty calories per tablespoon which does mean it contains more sugar than regular table sugar. Agave is a great sugar alternative, especially if you have diabetes. But like all sweeteners, agave should still be consumed in moderation.
Other healthy facts about agave include how high it is in calcium. Calcium is great for the body. Calcium supports strong bones, helps with menstrual symptoms, and aids in keeping a healthy weight. Rest assured that most suppliers of agave nectar are supplying organic agave. Organic has become very popular over the past few years and agave tends to never be polluted during production making it almost always organic.
Next time you are in the supermarket, pick up some agave. You can add this natural sweetener to almost any food. What you normally would add regular white sugar to can be substituted with agave nectar. Try agave in your coffee. Agave goes great in smoothies if you want to sweeten a green juice or chocolate smoothie. Try drizzling agave over oatmeal. Even learning some new recipes that contain agave is a great way to implement a healthier alternative to sugar.
Agave got so popular due to the help of social media. Food gurus and influencers have uploaded many photos to Instagram and Snapchat showcasing agave drizzled over desserts and pastries. They have also captured photos as an ingredient in a dish. The world has noticed and has grown attracted to the sweet nectar of this plant. The fascination with agave has caused the plant to become a sweetener that may outgrow the normal trendy phase new foods go through.
We are living in a health-conscious society that prides itself on finding the latest and greatest new food trends. Some food trends come and go. As for others, they tend to stick around and become staples of our food diet. Agave is one of those items that remain to line the aisles of grocery stores. As long as the natural sweetener continues to produce healthy results for people wanting to cut back on cane sugar, then agave just may last a lot longer than other food trends.
