What's The Deal With Coconut Sugar?

Move over Stevia there's a new player in Sugartown.

Lately, my social circle has been a buzz over Coconut Sugar.  It seems like everyone in the vegan & raw community is switching over to it.

So, I had to find out what was so great about it and whether I should be switching to it as well.

Here's what I found out...

Coconut Sugar, also known as Coconut Palm Sugar, is derived from the coconut palm tree and is believed to be more nutritious and lower on the glycemic index than table sugar.

Coconut Sugar has been used as a traditional sweetener for thousands of years in the South and South-East Asian regions.

Coconut Sugar is made in a natural 2-step process:

1. A cut is made on the flower of the coconut palm and the liquid sap is collected into containers
2. The sap is placed under heat until most of the water has evaporated

Unlike regular sugar, Coconut Sugar has a high mineral content and contains good stuff like: Iron, Zinc, Calcium, Magnesium and Potassium, in addition to Vitamin B1, B2, B3, and B6.  It also contains a fiber called Inulin, which may slow glucose absorption and explain why Coconut Sugar has a lower glycemic index than regular table sugar.

All this goodness aside, sugar is sugar, so sweeten responsibly.


Coconut Sugar looks more like brown sugar, but is not as sweet.  To me it has an almost burnt caramel taste.  But, since Coconut Sugar is not a highly processed product, the color, sweetness & flavor can vary depending on the coconut species used, season when it was harvested, where it was harvested and / or the way the "sap" was reduced.  Use it just like you would traditional white sugar, at a one-for-one replacement ratio - to sweeten tea, in baking, in cooking...anything!

I have already begun incorporating Coconut Sugar into my recipes and am quite happy with it.

Just like most foods, look for the raw, organic version of this sugar; such as Coconuts Secret Raw Coconut Crystals.

Check it out,

Sources:
http://authoritynutrition.com/coconut-sugar/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_sugar