Coconut - The New Sweetener On The Market

It may look like brown sugar, it may have a caramel taste, and it may be used in similar ways as regular table sugar.  This new sweetener on the market has made big waves lately - and for good reason.  Coconut Palm Sugar is the new natural sweetener recently discovered to have the lowest glycemic index - even lower than agave or stevia which are both considered diabetic safe.  Dr. Oz just recently presented a segment introducing this new sugar - Doctor Oz - and there are several articles online, but all sharing the same information.  I have searched and the only negative feedback provided is from one website claiming that if we use all our coconuts for sweeteners then there won't be enough coconuts used for coconut oil - tropicaltraditions - which I'm sure is a very minimal concern.

I've made mention before the harms of sugar.  I've heard one physician call it the "root of all evil".  As much as I enjoy a good dessert, or a sweet snack every now and again . . . it is obvious how sugar has infiltrated our society and has caused havoc on our health.  The United States obesity levels continues to rise - even in the midst of a nation-wide concern and countless efforts to reverse it.  An article was just posted by the CDC stating that the daily intake of excess sugars has decreased but remains dangerously high - kids eating about 16% of their total calorie intake - Too much sugar -   It remains unstoppable.

Efforts have been made to create better options.  Unfortunately, a majority of these efforts have made issues worse.  Products such as sucrolose, aspartame, and high fructose corn syrup are not only just as dangerous as regular sugar, but can be even worse.  They are synthetic, refined, and cheap products.  Certainly they have provided a better option - not for consumers - but for companies who use them in their products for a fraction of the cost.  They promote health only to be a facade - a gimick - only in effort to profit off an uneducated health scared nation.

In promotion for natural sweeteners - some have rose above the rest.  Honey, agave, cane sugar, and stevia have created healthier options.  However, each one seems to have limits to their use and fall short either in taste or in practical use.  Honey and cane sugar are unrefined, natural products with some health benefits, but they are still a little high on the glycemic levels.  Agave and stevia have been classed as diabetic safe, but agave use is limited and stevia has lacked in taste.

But now there stands alone a sweetener above all - Coconut Palm Sugar.  Each site I've checked has listed the same health benefits, with no negative effects.  Here are their claims found at ibtimes.com

1. Coconut Palm Sugar is 100% organic, unrefined, and unbleached - Unlike regular sugar, Palm Sugar is natural and unrefined. Regular sugar comes from a natural source, but then is processed and refined becoming a nutrition-less, empty, foreign object to our body.  And in the process it become bleached giving that white color we know so well.  Palm Sugar is a brown color naturally - unprocessed and unbleached

2. It contains no preservatives - This may be the downfall when it comes to companies using natural sugars.  It contains no preservatives so it doesn't have a long storage life.  Refined products, or synthesized products like aspartame has a long storage life making it easier for companies to maintain and keep without worrying about it going bad - which also allows their products to have a longer shelf life - not good.

3. Palm Sugar has a very low glycemic index -  The glycemic index level measures how much your body is aware and reacts to certain levels of sugar in the body.  Having a low glycemic index - it is nearly undetectable in the body.  This is fantastic for diabetics who worry about their blood sugar levels. 

4. Palm Sugar has a slow energy release - I don't know how this happens, but it has been shown that Palm Sugar has a steady release that maintains throughout the day.  This is mainly due to the low glycemic index.  The body hardly detects the sugar levels and so it remains steady and low for longer periods.  With table sugar - the glycemic index is high in which the body reacts quickly to react to the glycemic levels.  Insulin is released to reduce the blood sugar levels and can last for hours afterward, turning high blood sugar into a quick low blood sugar level, thus creating those well known sugar crashes.  The result of table sugar are periods of highs and lows throughout the day, creating havoc on our physiology, cognition, and appetite.

5. Palm Sugar contains several beneficial vitamins - These days almost everything promotes being nutritionally beneficial, trying to get a sale.  You kind of have to take it with a grain of salt.  Cereals claim to be fortified with vitamins and minerals when in reality they have very little which have no real benefit. And just as I was typing this up, I just found an article stating that Splenda - an artificial sweetener using sucrolose - has come out with a new product called Splenda Essentials.  Just the name alone claims that Splenda is a necessary and vital product to sustain life which is quite false in of itself - but even more so - it now claims to be an essential form of vitamins, antioxidants and fiber - Yes, those vitamins and amino acids will come in handy when the sucrolose wipes out your digestive tract.  How essential is that -
I have tried to look into this for Palm Sugar but I have not yet found anything on how much nutritional value it truly contains and how beneficial it can be.  However, the claim is that it is richer in vitamins and minerals than any other commercial sweetener, containing zinc, iron, potassium, magnesium, B vitamins (B1, B2, B3, B6) and vitamin C.  However - one shouldn't look to sugars as a vitamin supplement - It's a little gimmicky - but that's what we got to deal with.

If the reports remain to be accurate - Coconut Palm Sugar may be the superhero we've all been waiting for to save as from the grasp of the evil sweeteners.  A product that is diabetic safe, has a sweet caramel taste, and comes in a crystallized form which can be used in similar fashion as regular sugar.  I believe sugar has finally met its match.  I don't like to promote things without trying it first, but this seems almost too good to be true.  I still plan on trying it - if I can find it - in which I will share.  But if the claims are accurate - there should be a complete shift in how we view and use sweeteners.  Not that we should consume it by the pound like we do with other sweeteners.  We still have a responsibility as consumers to know what we are putting into our body and make wise decisions. But maybe, once and for all, we have found a way to conquer this sugar crisis.

Sweet As Sugar

I have made a few mentions in other posts concerning sugar and sweeteners however, in my effort to find alternatives I found a pretty good list of sugar alternatives to either stay away from or are natural and good to use in replace of regular table sugar.

So what is the big deal about sugar? When I say "sugar", I mean the white granulated table sugar we purchase and commonly use in our cooking.  Sugar is a processed and refined form of sucrose taken from a variety of natural sources.  Simply when something is refined - it pretty much means that all nutrients are taken out and when something is processed it means that it has been changed chemically. The natural sugar has been turned into an empty (nutrition-less) calorie that is frankly foreign to the body.  Sugar is a simple carbohydrate which has many effects

• Increases Triglycerides
• Promotes Dysglycemia
• Suppresses Immune Function
• Promotes Nutritional Deficiency
• Feeds Pathogens
• Promotes Cavities
• Increases Uric Acid
• Increases Blood Pressure
• Increases Cholesterol - Decreases HDL

All those are terrible effects, but what does this all mean?  Stats show that in 1750 the average person consumed 6-8 pounds of sugar per year, in 1950 the average person consumed about 120 pounds of sugar per year.  That's a dramatic increase.  Today, the average person consumes 170 pounds of sugar a year.  The reality of it all is this is the same pattern of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity and ADD/ADHD - all diseases or conditions that have inclined in the last couple decades.  It is no coincidence.

Sugar is an inflammatory agent that creates harmful reactions within our body.  Usually these are small effects, but with the increase of consumption - all the little reactions adds up to a gigantic problem.  Sugar increases triglycerides and increases LDL cholesterol levels which develops into atherosclerosis and heart disease. Sugar is a preferred substrate utilized by cancer cells, promoting cancer growth.  It also decreases immune function which prevents regulation of the cancer cells.  But most importantly may be a factor in causing cancer.  The refined sugar is an empty substance to which when is broken down in our body is basically waste.  Our body has several ways to rid of waste, however, when we have more waste than we can get rid of, our body has to store it somewhere.  This waste product is stored in fat cells - thus creating more fat cells which increases obesity risks.  But this is more than just a weight issue.  These new fat cells now contain toxic and harmful waste in which if accumulated can create defective and cancerous cells.  Diabetes is an obvious concern with simple sugar consumption.  Not only does sugar increase our blood sugar levels, but fat cells can create resistance to insulin.  ADD is also an up and coming issue in our society.  There are many issues when it comes to ADD or ADHD, however sugar is surely a component.  When we intake sugar, insulin is released to reduce blood sugar levels.  What people don't realize is that insulin stays in our system for hours clearing out the sugar in our blood that can deplete our body of all energy sources making one hypoglycemic which often effects our attention and thinking processes.  As a society we feed our kids cereal, juice, pancakes, muffins, or other sugary substances - overloading their system - and send them off to school where they are wired and energized, but are forced to sit in desks all day and than after several hours the kid gets a crash when the insulin has depleted all sugar levels and now can't concentrate or pay attention - and now we have an ADD kid.  Fantastic

Sugar is no harmless substance - and for decades we have tried to come up with alternatives to avoid these harmful effects.  There are some great natural sources, but there are also some synthesized forms in which need to be avoided.  Here is a helpful list of Sweeteners to know what is a good alternative to use.  To quickly forewarn - when I say "good" alternatives doesn't mean we don't need to limit ourselves.  Too much of anything is too much -

Sweeteners to Avoid -

1. High Fructose Corn Syrup - If sugar is harmful, then High Fructose Corn Syrup is 2x worse.  Also known as corn syrup or corn sugar - the claims of being a natural source is absolutely false.  It has the same effects of table sugar, but magnified.
2. Aspartame - This is an artificial sweetener found in NutraSweet, Equal, and Canderel.  This synthesized sweetener is an excitotoxin or neurotoxin.  This chemical excites the nerves in our body (mainly in the brain) and makes it rapidly fire until it burns out.
3. Neotame - This is the magnified version of Aspartame - another excitotoxin
4. Sucralose - This is a synthesized compound commonly known as Splenda.  This chemical when broken down releases Chlorine ions which kills the bacteria in our gut.  This chemical causes dysbiosis of the gut which if accumulated can create indirectly a whole mess of issues.  Never mess with the gut.
5. Acesulfame K - Also known as Acesulfame Potassium, Ace-K, or Sunett which is often found in Sweet One or Sweet & Safe (safe? ironic)  The issue is that this product has very little or improper testing.  It is known to contain the chemical Methylene Chloride which is a carcinogen (cancer causing) and has many effects on the body, but the FDA doesn't think that it is necessary to do more research - really?
6. Saccharin - This is considered a carcinogen compound, however, the FDA has for some reason decided to remove any warning of harmful effects.  There have been several reports of allergic reactions as well
7. Cyclamates - To be honest - the effects of cyclamates have been debated.  There has been research shown to cause stomach cancer and there has been research to refute it.  Cyclamates is used in 55 countries, but is banned in the United States.  I shrug my shoulder on this one - no clue

Natural Sweeteners To Use

1. Stevia - This comes from the Stevia plant and is a natural source.  It can come in powder form or in liquid.  My experience with Stevia is that it doesn't take much to make things sweetened, just a drop or two, but the taste is lacking.  It is becoming a popular choice however for an alternative due to the fact that it is safe for diabetics - look at the link for a list of other diabetic safe sweeteners
2. Evaporated Cane Juice - The name is a little confusing as ECJ is a granulated crystal and not liquid.  It is extracted from sugarcane and is a great alternative to sugar, especially brown sugar
3. Fruit Juice - Just good old fruit juice - yum
4. Rice Syrup - Derived from cooking rice with enzymes - Brown rice has a lower glycemic index
5. Honey - Raw Organic Honey is a great substitute for sugar, especially in baking and cooking.
6. Licorice Root - This is the only natural source that has a toxicity level, however, licorice root is also used for a variety of things such as alternative medical uses so using as a sweetener, the toxicity levels is not an issue
7. Amasake - This is a Japanese form of rice syrup, using koji to break down and ferment rice
8. Vegetable Glycerin - Glycerin is a natural component to oils and fats that gets broken down in our body into Amino Acids.  It is a colorless and odorless liquid with a sweet taste used in a variety of products
9. Maple Syrup (without added sugar) - Raw, organic, or molasses is the best form.

I hope this list helps.  I don't mean to begin with a fearful intro, however, it is necessary these days to be aware.  The first step is to check ingredients and see what is being used - even if you don't think sugar is in it, it most likely is or one of those other artificial sweeteners.  Even drug companies use sweeteners  Why do companies use artificial sweeteners when there are natural sources? Simply, it's cheaper to use artificial sweeteners.  Check labels.  Also, read the package or box.  If it says diet, sugar free, or other word play - that is the hint that artificial sweeteners are used.  Most importantly, it all starts in the home.  Just cooking at home dramatically decreases sugar intake, but we can do better and create recipes with these natural alternatives.  Grab the raw honey next time you are at the store and give it a try - your body will thank you