sugar alternatives
Coconut Blossom Sugar vs Regular Sugar: Which is Healthier?
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We know how harmful sugar is. But are alternatives like coconut blossom sugar really better for our health? We clarify.
Medicine has been warning of the consequences of excessive sugar consumption for years. Because in our world of ready-made products that are always available, we usually eat too much of the sweetener. It is often not even clear to us how much sugar we actually consume, because it is also used as a hidden flavor enhancer – in foods in which we would not actually expect any sweetness. Such traps are, for example, sauces, bread or yoghurt. The result: 31 kilos of sugar annually we Germans consume on average – with serious consequences. Because he increases the risk for cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, tooth decay and other diseases.
It is therefore all the more important that we make sure not to consume too much sugar – or to replace the white table sugar with healthier alternatives. You can now buy a wide variety of these: Artificial sweeteners, stevia, date syrup, agave syrup, rice syrup or coconut blossom sugar are now part of many people’s baking, cooking or sweetening of coffee and tea.
Coconut blossom sugar: what is it exactly?
Even if it sounds like it: Coconut blossom sugar does not come from the coconut and therefore does not taste like coconut. Instead, it is obtained from the inflorescence of the coconut palm. To do this, you scratch them and catch the leaking nectar. This is then filtered and boiled down until the liquid has evaporated completely and only the crystalline coconut blossom sugar remains.
At first glance, it is reminiscent of brown cane sugar, but it is a lot finer. And in terms of taste, a malty caramel note dominates the coconut blossom sugar.
Is coconut blossom sugar healthier than table sugar?
If we want to judge how healthy or unhealthy a food is, we need to look at several components. In terms of nutrients, for example, coconut blossom sugar is slightly ahead of industrial sugar – but the amounts of iron, zinc, potassium and Co. are much lower than in fruit and vegetables. You would therefore have to consume a lot of coconut blossom sugar to feel a positive effect.
This brings us straight to the next point, calorific value. Like white sugar, coconut blossom sugar has a lot of calories: the former has around 380 calories per 100 grams, while white sugar contains 400 calories per 100 grams. Both types of sugar are not a good source of nutrients when it comes to the amount of calories.
Finally, let’s look at the glycemic index, which describes how much blood sugar levels rise after eating the food in question. The following applies here: the lower the value, the better. The glycemic index of coconut blossom sugar, like the amount of calories, is only slightly better than that of table sugar: 54 compared to 60. This high rise in blood sugar levels is mainly due to the high fructose content of coconut blossom sugar. But here you should not lose sight of the fact that the type of processing can play a major role in the GI. Depending on what you combine the sugar with, the value can vary so much.
Too much sugar is harmful – regardless of whether it is household or coconut blossom sugar
Ultimately, it makes little difference to your health whether you use coconut blossom sugar, industrially processed sugar or another sweetener for baking or cooking – it depends on the amount. Of course, sugar of any kind does not have to disappear completely from our diet, but it should only be included in moderation. Because especially hidden sugar, which we don’t even have on the screen, can have very negative consequences for health.
But in this case you can leave it entirely up to your taste buds which means you use for (moderate) sweetening – the malt note in coconut blossom sugar is not for everyone.
Sources used: mindbodygreen.com, eatsmarter.de