Coconut sugar is a palm sugar produced from the sap of the flower bud stem of the coconut palm. Other types of palm sugar are made from the Kithul palm, Palmyra palm, the date palm, the sugar date palm, the sago palm or the sugar palm.
Here are some of the many things found in coconut sugar that make it so great:
1. Electrolytes
Coconut sugar contains potassium, magnesium, and sodium, which are all essential for regulating your body’s water content as well as many heart, nerve, and muscle functions. It has nearly 400 times more potassium than regular sugar.
2. A low-glycemic index
Regular table sugar has a glycemic index (GI) of 65, while coconut sugar has a GI
of 35. This is much closer to the GI of the sugar that’s naturally found in fruits, which is around 25.
3. Minerals
Coconut sugar contains iron, zinc, and calcium, which can have many health benefits, including stronger bones.
4. Nitrogen
Nitrogen helps support the cardiovascular system and helps keep your heart
healthy.
5. Vitamin C
Vitamin C is best known for helping support your immune system and keeping you from getting sick, but it also supports healthy joints and skin.
6. Raw antioxidants
Since coconut sugar is just dehydrated coconut sap, it’s considered a raw food—this means that it retains all the rich antioxidants found in the original source. Antioxidants fight off the oxidation of cells in the body, which helps combat aging.
7. Short-chain fatty acids
Coconut sugar contains healthy fats that are known to help prevent high cholesterol and heart disease.
8. Inulin
Inulin is a type of dietary fiber that helps keep your gut healthy, prevent colon cancer, and balance your blood sugar.
9. Less sucrose
While standard table sugar is pure sucrose, coconut sugar only contains about 75 percent sucrose. The other 25 percent is composed of nutrients, fiber, and other “good stuff.” So for the same amount of sugar, you’re consuming less of the “bad stuff” and simultaneously increasing your nutrient intake!
10. No bone char
In some instances, regular sugar is processed with bone char from animals in order to produce its white color and fine consistency. However, coconut sugar is an unprocessed product that comes straight from the coconut tree—so you never have to worry about whether animals were harmed in the making of your sweet treats!
Coconut sugar can replace regular table sugar in a 1:1 ratio, which means it’s easy to make the transition. It is similar to brown sugar with regard to consistency, though, so make sure you give it a little extra time to melt or combine with other ingredients when you cook or bake with it. You can use it in your morning coffee, in your favorite vegan dessert recipe, or in virtually any other place you’d use regular sugar, so what are you waiting for?!
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