The following is part of an Organic Living Journey Guest Post Series now written by Mariana who has a mother’s heart and scientist’s brain.

Last week we finished up our look at zero-calorie alternative sweeteners and learned a little bit about monk fruit, the newest sweetener in the sugar aisle. Today, we’re staying in the sugar aisle but learning about alternative sugars with calories. Are there any health benefits over traditional sugar? Any drawbacks? Can I use it like traditional sugar? Let’s start by learning about the sweetener I’ve been using lately: coconut sugar!

I have to admit. I was scared to begin researching coconut sugar. I like this stuff! It tastes fabulous, it’s natural, and it has a low glycemic index. If you’ve been reading Organic Living Journey for a while you know that there is usually a dark, toxic side to many of the foods or products we have used. I didn’t want to learn about the dark, toxic side about coconut sugar, but I definitely didn’t want to continue consuming something that might be bad for my body…so here we go!

Where Does It Come From?

Coconut sugar comes from the coconut palm tree, the same type of tree that gives us coconuts and coconut oil. When the tree begins to blossom, the flowers are cut, and the sap is collected. This sap is then reduced by heat to make a rich syrup (called the “toddy” or coconut nectar). The syrup is completely dehydrated to produce the coconut sugar granules. (I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, for some chemically-laden purification process…but) That’s it. Pure coconut palm sugar is simply reduced and dehydrated coconut palm tree sap. It’s a caramel brown color and a little grainy looking. It’s available in conventional and organic varieties.

As always, continue to read labels. Some brands of coconut sugar will create a blend, combining coconut sugar with another sweetener, sometimes even plain white sugar. Coconut palm sugar is not the same thing as “palm sugar”, which comes from the sugar palm tree. Know what you’re paying for.

What are the benefits of choosing coconut sugar?

1. Glycemic Index: First and foremost, coconut sugar is still a sugar. It has about the same amount of calories as cane sugar and the same amount of sweetness. That’s where the similarities end. Chemically speaking, the structure of coconut sugar is about 70-80% sucrose plus 3-9% glucose, 3-9% fructose, residual fiber, and nutrients. [What’s with the ranges? There are lots of factors that affect the sweetness of coconut palm tree sap: location, harvest time, and even the age of the tree.] The chemical structure of coconut sugar is different from cane sugar’s structure. This (plus a small amount of residual fiber) explains coconut sugar’s lower glycemic index (GI). Refined cane has a high glycemic index in the 80-90 range. Coconut sugar is considered a low glycemic food with a GI of 35. Read More→