For anyone who might have seen me hobbling around Hamilton on crutches recently, let me clear something up.

I haven’t had some sort of novelty accident involving a treadmill. Nor did I trip over a curb during my daily jog, or get too competitive on an Easter egg hunt.

These are, however, the scenarios that people have dreamed up for me — someone even suggested that I was on crutches “because you don’t eat enough burgers”, which was optimistic of them.

Now, burger theory aside, most of the assumptions weren’t far off. I actually had an incident involving too much confidence and a snow bank on our first ever ski trip.

As I did this half way through day two, I had a lot of time (lying on the sofa with an ice pack on my knee) to think about the pros and cons of exercise.

However, despite a torn ligament and feeling disappointed beyond belief, the whole thing ended up as an oddly healthy experience.

Normally I find it hard to sit still and being forced to sit down and do nothing for a week was really relaxing.

I’d been fully stressed-out when we left, yet by the end of the week life was blissful — the hardest thing I had to do was move from the sofa to the hot tub, and participate in a little après ski.

So our holiday didn’t really go as planned, but on the other hand, that’s sometimes not such a bad thing. And it’s a good job I learned this lesson recently, otherwise last night would have been really frustrating.

Having promised you a recipe using a natural, low GI sweetener (Agave syrup) last week, I spent most of my evening experimenting with oatmeal and raisin cookies.

However I was a little too ambitious, and tried to make them wheat-free and dairy-free as well.

Two hours later, several batches of cookies landed in the bin. And it wasn’t that the Agave syrup was no good, it’s just that my culinary skills are a little sporadic.

Sometimes I’m good, sometimes I’m crap— and last night I was crap.

Nevertheless, in an effort to still give you something of value this week, I ended up doing some more research into the Agave syrup instead.

Had I known about the cooking quantities before, things may have worked out differently — however, instead I now know everything there is to know about Agave. Here’s what I learned:

-Agave syrup is actually nectar that comes from the Agave cactus (the same plant used to make tequila!) and is predominantly harvested in Guadalajara, Mexico.

-Agave has a golden colour and is a little runnier than honey. It actually tastes very similar to honey. It’s delicious, with no odd after-taste, unlike other natural sweeteners such as stevia.

-Although very sweet, Agave has a very low Glycemic Index (GI) score. GI measures how quickly foods break down and release sugar into the bloodstream.

The higher the score, the more quickly sugar is released, and the greater the disruption to blood sugar. Honey has a GI value of 83, whereas Agave has a GI score of 27.

This means that sugar is released from Agave nice and slowly, leading to a more sustained energy release and resulting in less pressure on the body’s insulin response.

<-b>- Agave syrup has officially been recognised as a “diabetic friendly” low GI sweetener by the Glycemic Research Institute in Washington DC.

It has approximately 11g of carbs per tablespoon, but brands vary, so always check the labels. The institute advises that all diabetics consult their dieticians before including it in their diets.

- Agave syrup and table sugar have the same calorific value. However, as Agave is approximately four times as sweet as table sugar, you will only need one quarter of the

amount of sugar when using it. This means that your overall calorific intake will be lower when using Agave.

[bul] You can use one third of a teaspoon of Agave syrup to sweeten drinks, such as tea and coffee.

It’s also good mixed with plain, natural (soy or dairy) yoghurt — as it can take away the sharp edge and make a sweet dessert that’s lower in sugar.

[bul] When baking, approximately one quarter to one third Agave syrup should equal one cup of sugar.

[bul] Dark Agave syrup contains more minerals than light, and has a stronger taste with a hint of vanilla. Light Agave syrup is useful for recipes that require a more neutral sweetener.

- Agave syrup is squeezed out of the plant and then filtered to remove fibres or residue. If it comes from a quality source (such as “Organic Nectars” at Down to Earth) then no chemicals are used for processing.

- Agave’s sweetness comes from oligosaccharides — these are undigestable compounds that feed friendly bacteria in the digestive tract.

Friendly bacteria are important for good digestion, effective absorption of nutrients and for supporting the immune system.

- The Agave cacti take six years to grow. Because of this, some manufacturers have been known to add fillers — such as corn syrup — to make their supply last longer.

It’s therefore important to buy a good quality brand from an ethical company. Again, “Organic Nectars” at Down to Earth is an excellent brand.

- BE CAREFUL! The “sugar” in Agave syrup largely comes from fructose — the sweetest naturally occurring sugar. However, just because fructose is naturally occurring, doesn’t mean that it is safe to consume in large quantities.

Recent research suggests that fructose may actually raise blood lipid and uric acid levels — both of which are indicators for heart disease.

Keep this in perspective though as a high intake of normal (table) sugar is also linked to heart disease (directly and via diabetes and obesity.) Where does this leave you?

Whilst Agave is certainly a really great alternative to ordinary sugar in many respects, just as with the dark chocolate last week, it does still need to be used in moderation.

It’s also important to note that consistent use of any sweetener will maintain your “sweet tooth”, meaning that you may still crave other, less healthy, sugary foods.

However, it’s certainly worth experimenting with Agave syrup as you try to reduce the overall sugar content of your diet.

And as you do so, if any of you culinary geniuses out there come up with a good cookie recipe, let me know!

The advice given in this article is not intended to replace medical advice, but to complement it. Always consult your GP if you have any health concerns. Catherine Burns is a fully qualified Nutritional Therapist. She can be contacted at 291-4725 or comclinicalnutrition@gmail.com.