Coconut Sugar — A Healthy Sugar Alternative or a Big, Fat Lie?

December 22, 2022

Diabetes and obesity have affected the majority of the population since the early 20th century. People have shifted to organic replacements for a wide range of food items because of a greater concern of eating healthily and ethically. One of the widely used sweeteners that are touted as having a variety of health benefits is coconut sugar. It is thought to contain more key components and minerals

Coconut Sugar — A Healthy Sugar Alternative

that are missing from regular sugar as it has been treated less thoroughly than white sugar.

It's important to know the source of coconut sugar before evaluating its advantages and disadvantages. The coconut palm tree's sap is used to make this sugar. Coconut sugar is essentially a dried form of sap, which flows like fluid inside the tree. The sap of the coconut palm tree is done by making slits into the flower buds. Coconut sugar is made by heating the sap that was extracted with water. It looks to be unprocessed, raw white sugar with a hint of brown in the granules.

Let's examine a few of coconut sugar's incredible health benefits to see why it's a better option for sweetening than other substances.

Low glycemic index:

This suggests that eating coconut sugar does not immediately induce a spike in blood glucose. Elevated levels of glucose in the blood are the source of diseases like diabetes, hence patients are instructed to avoid or restrict their consumption of such foods. Coconut sugar, on the other hand, includes the fiber known as insulin, which controls blood glucose levels.

Nutritional and mineral sources:

Coconut sugar maintains a large number of necessary nutrients for the body as it is naturally deduced from the coconut palm. This includes elements like potassium, calcium, iron, and zinc. Also, it contains short-chain fatty acids, antioxidants, and polyphenols that provide increased health benefits to the body.

White sugar lacks trace minerals, despite the calorie consumption and carbohydrate content of coconut sugar and white sugar being nearly identical.

Organic extract:

The method used to obtain coconut sugar shows proof of a natural cycle. In contrast to white sugar, it doesn't go through a lot of refining. Coconut sugar is considered to be a safe and nutritious sweetener as a result.

Reduced fructose levels:

A form of sugar called fructose is hard to digest and does get stored as fat within the body. White sugar includes significant amounts of sucrose and fructose. Coconut sugar, on the other hand, has a fairly low fructose level which makes it a better option in terms of nutrition.

Despite all of that, if the use of coconut sugar is excessive, this could ultimately be harmful to people. Therefore, it's important to always give heed to your calorie intake, irrespective of the sweetener you select.