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Palm Sugar As A Substitute For Real Sugar

As more and more people are becoming health conscious there is a higher demand for nutritious and wholesome foods. People are turning towards organic foods, low sodium diet, vegetarian diet and several other healthy options. One major concern, for people is their sugar intake. The usual source of sugar in a household is refined/processed cane sugar or white sugar. This processed sugar is devoid of any nutrition and is basically nothing but “empty calorie”. It’s little wonder that health conscious people have started looking for healthier options with respect to their sugar consumption. Palm sugar is one such option.

What is palm sugar?

Basically it’s a type of sugar obtained from the nectar of palm flowers. The most common palm sugar is obtained from coconut palm. The nectar, from the budding flowers of the palm tree, is filtered and boiled, after which it’s allowed to cool in containers (or bamboo shoots). The resultant white cake is then cut into different shapes and sold as commercial palm sugar.

What are the benefits of palm sugar?

The most important benefit of palm sugar is that it has low “glycemic index”. What that means is that when you consume palm sugar, you will not experience a spike in your blood sugar levels. There is a gradual releasing of the sugars in the digestive tract due to the low glycemic index of palm sugar. This is one major reason why palm sugar can be a great substitute for real sugar (processed cane sugar).

Another benefit of palm sugar is that it’s a wholesome food, and so has a high nutrition content. A look at the palm sugar nutritional facts/data would show that it contains Vitamin A, B1, B2, B6 and Vitamin C. It’s also abundant in minerals like calcium, iron and phosphorous. The table sugar does not contain any nutrition and causes a spike in blood sugar because of its low glycemic index.

Palm sugar is a great option for diabetics. If you are suffering from diabetes, palm sugar would be healthier than stevia, and it’s low GI index will ensure that your blood sugar levels don’t spike.

Can palm sugar be a replacement for table sugar?

The only drawback of palm sugar is that is highly expensive when compared to the common processed table sugar. The reason why it’s expensive is because of the laborious manufacturing process. Palm sugar is organic in most cases, because there are no pesticides used on the palm trees. 100% pure palm sugar is the best option, instead of going in for the adulterated version which contains a good percentage of cane sugar, though the expense could well be a deterrent for most people.

If you take the cost out of the equation, then palm sugar can easily by a substitute for processed cane sugar. It has the added benefit of a richer taste, which leaves an aroma of caramel and butterscotch.

In conclusion, Palm sugar is an answer to many people’s demand for a healthier sugar option. It will take time before it gets popular in the mainstream but until then it can find favor with many health enthusiasts.

Written by Outofstress.com expert author ‘Sen’