Agave Nectar

I have been asked recently about agave nectar. What is it and is it better than sugar?

Agave nectar is made from the blue agave plant, which is a desert shrub. It is a liquid sweetener that is only slighly lower in calories than sugar, but because it falls lower on the glycemic index, it is absorbed more slowly and won't cause spikes in blood sugar. It is sweeter than table sugar, so you would only use about half the amout called for in a recipe. And because agave necter has a lower burning point, you will want to make sure that you reduce the oven temperature by about 25 degrees.