Almost all of us love to eat processed and sugary food and it’s very common that food contains refined sugar. These foods satisfied your cravings and make you feel happy but they make you gain weight as well.
If you are targeting the aim of losing weight and keep healthy or simply putting if you have been trying to cut down the refined sugar in your food than substitute refined sugar with natural sugar or natural sweetener as coconut sugar.
Coconut sugar is also available in the name of coconut palm sugar or coco sap sugar and a better option as natural sweetener.
Coconut Sugar
Coconut sugar …!! Ah this obtains from coconut hence called as coconut sugar…… if you are thinking like this than you will be surprise to know that coconut sugar doesn’t come from coconut in actual. In fact coconut sugar has been made from the sap of the coconut palm tree (Michigan State University).
This sugar has been used in Southeast Asian country for many years. This looks like brown sugar but crystals are bigger, drier and flakier in size in comparison to brown sugar.
It can substitute cane sugar but also cause some drier consistency effect on using homemade bake product and you may end up adding some liquid to your homemade baked product.
How Is Coconut Sugar prepared?
The process of making coconut sugar is quite fascinating and a bit similar to the process of maple sugar or maple syrup. First coconut nectar sap is collected from the trees as flower buds and then boiled until a large portion of liquid get evaporated leaving a sweet and thick syrup.
According to food and agriculture organization (FAO), after cooling this mixture crystallizes into brown colored granules and looks like brown sugar
Read: 10+ Best Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Coconut Oil
Nutrition values of Coconut Sugar
1 tablespoon (12.5 grams) Coconut sugar contains :
- 45 calories
- 0 g fat
- 12 g carbs
- 12 g sugar
- 0 g fiber
- 0 g protein
Benefits of Coconut Sugar over Table Sugar
1. Contain more nutritious element
According to a report published in November 2017 in british dental journal, Coconut sugar contains more vitamins and mineral that white sugar like iron, potassium, calcium, zinc and copper.
This sugar also contains some antioxidants, vitamin C and fiber inulin Compared to white sugar, coconut sugar contains more vitamins and minerals.
As per the Michigan state university, white sugar and coconut sugar both contain similar calorie count in a single tablespoon that is 15 calorie.
The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends getting less than 100 calories (or 6 teaspoons) to 150 calories (or 9 teaspoons) from added sugar.
2. Coconut Sugar’s has Low Glycemic Index
glycemic index (GI) is the major difference between the coconut sugar and regular table sugar.
Glycemic index is the measurement of how food affects the blood sugar level of the body.
According to Michigan university coconut sugar is healthy substitute of white sugar for the people with diabetes as it has a glycemic index of 36 while white sugar has a glycemic index of 6o which is much larger.
As per university of Washington food having high glycemic index increase the blood sugar level tha has a negative effect on the body.
3. Helps to maintain calorie intake and weight
Sugary food and drinks contains refined sugar and refined sugar tends to gain weight so having coconut sugar instead of refined sugar and white sugar in small quantities makes you cut down the calorie.
Effects of Added Sugars, Including Coconut Sugar
Coconut sugar is a kind of added sugar and a having a diet with too much of added sugar can often results weight gain and risk of developing heart disease so make sure to use it in a small quantity, according to AHA.
