Last Updated on December 24, 2020 by James Matthews
Eating healthy and switching to better food options will have a massive impact on your overall well-being. It’s challenging to skip consuming sugar altogether, and some people don’t feel comfortable consuming artificial alternatives. Coconut sugar is a healthy alternative, and adding it to your diet will transform your life. So, how is coconut sugar made? What are its health benefits? Keep on reading to find out.
What is Coconut Sugar?
Coconut sugar is a healthier alternative to white sugar. Contrary to the common belief, you don’t make coconut sugar from actual coconuts. You make it using the sap of flowers from the coconut palm tree.
Coconut sugar is 75% sucrose. The rest is glucose and fructose. The carbohydrates and calorie content are similar to white sugar.
The manufacturing process retains most of the minerals from the sap of the flower buds. Coconut sugar is rich in potassium, unlike white sugar. It’s also rich in other minerals like zinc, iron, and calcium. Moreover, it contains useful fatty acids and antioxidants.
Specialists agree that coconut sugar has a lower glycemic index than white sugar. The coconut sugar glycemic index is 35, while that of the white sugar is between 60 and 65. As a result, it’s suitable for people with insulin resistance or suffer from diabetes because it doesn’t spike up your blood sugar levels.
How is Coconut Sugar Made?
Coconut sugar is more nutritious and safer than white sugar. It’s different from palm sugar, which is made from a different type of palm tree. Here is how coconut sugar is made.
- Inspect palm trees for flowers.
- Carefully collect and store flowers of the coconut palm trees in containers.
- Collect the sap from the flower.
- Boil the sap to get rid of the water, which leaves the coconut sugar.
Coconut sugar is usually brownish in color, very much like unrefined sugar. However, the crystals are more variable in size and are smaller than the crystals of regular sugar.
Why is Coconut Sugar Better than White Sugar?
White sugar has no nutrients and provides the body with empty calories. This is why most people try to find better alternatives that they can add to their diet.
Although coconut sugar has a higher nutritional value than white sugar, you shouldn’t depend on coconut sugar to provide your body with these essential minerals and fatty acids. It’s also high in calories, just like white sugar.
Nevertheless, coconut sugar has several benefits that you might find interesting, so you should think about switching to it.
- Coconut sugar is very popular. It contains 400 times the amount of potassium found in white sugar, in addition to other essential minerals.
You will have to consume a large amount of coconut sugar to reach your daily recommended intake of these minerals, which is not advisable. Nevertheless, it’s definitely healthier than white sugar.
- Coconut sugar contains short-chain fatty acids and antioxidants from the sap of coconut flowers. These nutrients keep your heart healthy and help your body fight off inflammation and cell mutation.
- Coconut sugar is rich in Inulin. Inulin is a dietary fiber that improves the taste of sugar and has prebiotic properties to support the colon’s good bacteria. Consuming coconut sugar will help protect your intestines from colon cancer.
- Although coconut sugar contains sucrose, just like white sugar, it’s only 75% sucrose.
- Refined sugar is sometimes prepared using bone char to achieve fine consistency and white color. Coconut sugar is not processed and doesn’t contain any traces of bone char.
- Coconut sugar can be used to prepare several recipes. It melts and tastes just like sugar, so you can use it to prepare drinks and desserts.
What are the Disadvantages of Coconut Sugar?
Coconut sugar is healthier than white sugar, but consuming it comes with a few limitations that you need to be aware of.
- Although coconut sugar is rich in nutrients, you will have to consume a huge amount of this sugar to meet your daily needs of these essential minerals and fatty acids.
- Coconut sugar comes from the coconut palm trees’ flowers, not the actual fruits, which contain most of the nutrients.
- When you consume coconut sugar in big amounts, you’re still putting your liver at risk. Your liver needs to process fructose to prevent toxic accumulation. It can also increase the risk of fungal infections and inflammation.
- Coconut sugar is not suitable for people going on a keto diet. It’s healthier than white sugar, but it’s still sugar.
What are the Best Types of Coconut Sugar?
It’s quite difficult to obtain the sap in order to make coconut sugar. Luckily there are several brands available on the market.
Anthony’s Organic
This coconut sugar comes in a brown bag, keeping all the nutrients and minerals inside. It’s a vegan option with no GMOs, for those who want to switch to healthy eating. This is organic coconut sugar and USDA-approved.
Sourced from Indonesia’s coconut palm trees, this coconut sugar is an excellent alternative to white sugar. It comes in a resealable pouch to guarantee that the sugar will always taste good and won’t get lumpy.
You should seal the bag after every use as moisture will affect this sugar quickly. You might need to transfer the sugar to a jar to make sure that it stays dry.
BetterBody Foods
This affordable white sugar alternative will taste delicious in multiple recipes. Thanks to its 1:1 ratio with white sugar, you won’t feel a difference in sweetness, but your body will thank you as you’re switching to a healthy alternative.
If you’re worried about your blood sugar level, you should switch to this GMO-free coconut sugar as it doesn’t raise your blood sugar level as fast as white sugar does. It’s USDA-certified and suitable for vegans.
This coconut sugar has a subtle caramel flavor that you can’t get with white sugar. As a result, it will add a distinctive taste to your desserts and drinks. The jar protects the sugar from humidity and will keep it in an excellent state for a long time.
You might need to spend more time trying to dissolve this sugar in colder liquids. Nevertheless, it’s a great addition to your cuisine as you use it to prepare various delicious drinks and recipes.
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Recipe
Coconut sugar adds a slightly distinctive taste to your desserts. It has a light yet unique flavor that resembles that of brown sugar, so you can use it in multiple recipes. Here is a delicious recipe to try with coconut sugar.
Coconut Sugar Cookies
These wafers are quite delicious and relatively easy, so even kids can prepare them on their own. Coconut sugar gives the cookies an extra crunch, so they will taste amazing.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup of coconut sugar.
- ½ cup of all-purpose flour.
- 1 egg.
- ½ cup of cold chopped butter.
- 1 ½ cup of almond flour.
- A pinch of salt.
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda.
Instructions
- Start by greasing a large baking sheet or tray and preheat the oven to moderate heat.
- Mix the coconut sugar and butter until combined.
- Add the egg and mix well.
- Next, add the dry ingredients; salt, all-purpose flour, almond flour, and baking soda. Mix until the dough is consistent.
- Make balls of the dough and flatten them a little before placing them on the baking sheet.
- Bake between 10 and 15 minutes, or until they have turned golden.
- Let the cookies cool and serve.
Wrap Up
Coconut sugar is a healthy alternative to white sugar. It’s richer in essential minerals and other nutrients and can be used to prepare multiple recipes. However, you shouldn’t consume too much coconut sugar because this is not good for your liver, just like white sugar.
