Many health experts will not recommend using refined or
chemically made sweetener and choosing natural sweetener instead.
Among many pros and contras about these sweeteners, lies an
opinion that none of these sweeteners would cause any harm to our body health
as long as it's consumed in moderation (a.k.a in small amounts). This opinion
is surely not wrong. However, if there's a choice for a healthy substitutes for
sugar, why choosing others?
Sweetener that I consider as healthy substitutes for sugar
is of course come from natural resource, unrefined and very low processed. It
is coconut sugar.
What makes coconut sugar be the choice of healthy substitutes
for sugar? Let's take a look at the list below.
1. Low Glycemic Index
Glycemic Index depicts how fast certain carbohydrate is
converted into blood glucose. If the raise of blood sugar is high (after
consuming certain food), so this food is considered to have a high glycemic
index. It may not cause any harm to our body health if this high rise of glycemic
index happen once or twice. However, if it occurs many times in a short period,
it can cause an increase of the risk of insulin resistance. Furthermore, it may
lead to type 2 diabetes.
Glycemic Index of Food is considered to be:
a. Low if it's less than 55.
b. Moderate if it's between 56-69
c. High if it's more than 70.
Coconut sugar Glycemic Index is measured to be 35. Let's
compare with other sweetener; Cane Sugar: 68, Honey: 55 and Agave nectar 42.
Consuming carbohydrates with low Glycemic Index is required
for those who have diabetes mellitus and obesity.
I found in a website that mentioned the reason why coconut
sugar has low glycemic index is. They said, it’s because coconut sugar contains
high fructose, as those in agave nectar does. The fact is, coconut sugar is
very low in fructose and high in sucrose instead, just like our common table
sugar.
According to the analysis done by Sugar Regulatory
Administration, Philippines,
chemical property of coconut sugar is;
Glucose :
2-3%
Fructose :
1-4%
Sucrose :
78-89%
2. High Mineral
Content
Our body need certain minerals for many purposes; such as growth
of bone and muscle, cell production, mental development, immune system and
enzyme regulator. Because our body can not produce mineral, so these minerals
should enter via food that we consumed.
Coconut sugar contains some important mineral such as calcium,
magnesium, zinc, potassium, iron, phosphor and others.
Below are the functions of minerals for our body;
Calcium: important for the strength of bones and teeth as
well as muscle.
Magnesium: plays important role in enzyme activities
Zinc: also known as "smart mineral" because it's
needed for mental development and health of reproductive organs.
Iron: important for blood cell quality. If the body is lack
of iron, it can cause a disturbance in immune system and mental retardation.
Potassium/Kalium: plays important role in treating high
blood pressure.
Phosphor: required for bone growth, kidney function and cell
growth.
3. Contain Essential
Vitamin B-Complex
Substance that builds vitamin B complex which is mainly
found in coconut sap is Inositol. Although our body does not require inositol
in high amount, it has some health benefits such as;
1. It has an important role in the process of nerve
transmission.
2. It has an important role in managing enzyme activity.
3. It creates calming effect
4. It is known as cholesterol reducer and avoids hardening
of artery.
5. It is also important in hair growth.
4. Contain 17 kinds
of Amino Acids
Amino acids are substances which act as the building block
of protein. Everybody knows that protein is very important for cell growth and
cell repair. The good news is, coconut sap naturally contain 17 kinds of Amino
Acids with their health benefits.
Below is the list of amino acid that is naturally occurred
in freshly-gathered coconut sap (in g/100 g);
1. Trytophan :
1.27
2. Lysine :
0.32
3. Histidine :
1.19
4. Arginine :
0.35
5. Aspartic acid :
11.22
6. Threonine :
15.36
7. Serine :
8.24
8. Glutamic acid :
34.20
9. Proline :
3.52
10. Glycine :
0.47
11. Alanine :
2.56
12. Valine :
2.11
13. Methionine :
trace
14. Isoleucine :
0.38
15. Leucine :
0.48
16. Tyrosine :
0.31
17. Phenylalanine :
0.78
Some of their health benefits are;
- Glutamic acid, increase brain function, digestion and prostate health.
- Threonine, has calming effects and stress prevention.
- Aspartic acid, helps regulating hormones and acts as cells neurotransmitter. This one is found 11 times more than soy.
- Serine, enhances memory and cognition. It's found 8 times more than those in soy.
- Proline, promotes cardiovascular health, 2-3 times higher than soy.
- Valine, helps in tissue repair process
- Alanine, maintain glucose balance and assists in converting sugars in the body.
Because
of its amazing health benefits as well as its exotic taste, no wonder that this
natural sweetener starts to get its popularity. Especially for those who really
concern to the importance of maintaining their body metabolism.
Enjoy
your coconut sweetener, the healthy substitutes for sugar ^-^.
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