Coconut Sugar: A Natural Sweetener
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Many women today are more concerned with healthy eating, and it is possible to gradually change what is present at the family table. For better eating habits, some changes of ingredients are necessary, even if they are mere details. Like, for example, replacing refined sugar with others, when it comes to sweetening your dishes.
What is Coconut Sugar?
Coconut sugar is a type of sugar without as much processing as refined cane, being more natural and healthy. It preserves a good part of vitamins and minerals, and the production is done without adding chemicals , that is, organically.
This sugar can also help those who are trying to lose a few pounds, if it is combined with other healthier lifestyle habits such as dietary reeducation and physical activities. Check it out below.
Advantages and Benefits of Coconut Sugar
Coconut sugar has large amounts of the following minerals and vitamins :
Another main advantage of the product, even more for those who have type 2 (acquired throughout life) or gestational diabetes is its low glycemic index , 35, compared to other sugars. Refined sugar has a glycemic index of 68. What does that mean? That when you eat something sweetened with coconut sugar, the release of energy in the body is much slower. This prevents spikes in blood glucose, which are a major cause of insulin resistance and pre-diabetic conditions.
The low glycemic index also makes coconut sugar an ally in weight loss , as it causes less that feeling of addiction to sweets, and hunger, with the slow release of energy, takes longer to appear again, giving the food more satiety .
In addition, even in relation to sweeteners, coconut sugar is a better option, as it is superior in nutritional value : sweeteners lack nutrients and even have chemical elements that are bad.
And even without calories, it has been found in some studies that artificial sweeteners also increase insulin and blood glucose . Therefore, when making a diet, 100% natural sugar that does not intoxicate the body, which is coconut sugar, is preferable to artificial sweeteners.
How Coconut Sugar is Produced
The extraction of coconut sugar is made from the flowers of the coconut palm. The nectar of these flowers is removed and heated in a boiler, which will generate a thick caramel. Then, this caramel is crushed into small crystals, and that’s it. Simple, the result is a thicker, integral sugar, with brown color.
Coconut sugar is known to be the most sustainable type of sugar in the world , because coconut palms produce 75% more sugar than sugar cane and need less water and nutrients to grow.
Palmas de Coco are also known as “trees of life” , as they are the source of more than 100 different products! The palms are friendly to farmers, who can make many uses of them. The palms used for extracting coconut sugar are different from those from which palm oil is extracted.
How to Introduce Coconut Sugar to the Diet
According to the recommendations of the World Health Organization , sugar consumption in general should not exceed 5% of the total daily calories . All consumption of glucose, sucrose and fructose, which come from sugars, fruits and starch, is included in these calories.
Even if coconut sugar is much healthier than the others, it should not be abused, therefore. It remains a carbohydrate that raises glucose, and should be included in any diet in a controlled manner, with exercises that burn your energy. His excess also turns into fat.
Coconut sugar sweetens more than brown sugar and honey. It can be used as a substitute for refined sugar in recipes , as they are 1: 1 equivalent in quantity. Its calories are similar to common sugars too, so it does not “lose weight” by itself, it only helps in a healthier , more nutritious diet with fewer glycemic peaks. Can be used by moms and kids.
Some recipes that can be made with coconut sugar to enhance the taste are cakes with icing, especially lemon, orange or mandarin with chocolate, as coconut sugar combines with the citrus touches of fruits. It can also be used in cocoa recipes, such as chocolate brownie, and in various natural yogurts.
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My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.
Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.