Okay… One thing I need to say whenever you are looking for sugar substitute… It should not raise blood sugar neither insulin…So I am giving it to you from the beginning and before continuing reading, maple syrup does raise blood sugar and insulin. As consequence, it is NOT A SUGAR SUBTITIUTE.
I will admit that I used to be one of the people that used the syrup a LOT thinking that it will do no harm to me and it is good for health. I put it over my French toasts, chia pudding, fresh juices…. until I watched a video criticizing the over use of honey as it is a good substitute of sugar… And it made me think… well I am doing the same with maple syrup!!!
Honey, syrups (including maple), dates, fruits are all raise blood sugar and insulin level (SAME AS SUGAR) … SO CAREFUL with the quantities. They are better choices for sure but in different perspectives 😉 This post will focus on maple syrup …
Keep checking the website, as I will definitely write about honey and fruits and why it is bad to have our blood sugar and insulin raised J… It is such an important topic especially with our lifestyles.
1. What is maple syrup
Maple syrup is a natural sweetener that comes from maple trees. What I mean by natural is that maple does have natural origin and it is the trees. However, it isn’t necessarily pure and raw and does not have added sugar…
To extract syrup a hole is drilled in a maple tree so that its sap pours into a container. This liquid is then boiled till water evaporates leaving the sugary syrup behind. The final product can be used to sweeten many dishes.
There used to be grading for maple syrup. However, now They are all grade A, but each has a different color and taste profile. The darker the syrup is the more intense the flavor will be and more nutrients as it is harvested later in the season unlike the light golden maple syrup that is harvested early of the season with light flavor.
Even though maple syrup is natural sweetener, it is added sugar as well. You can’t find a food that naturally have the syrup in. What I mean is that fruits, as example, naturally have a type of sugar and it is fructose. Same goes with milk that has lactose. Maple syrup is natural but you have a choice to include it in your recipes. When you have a choice to have it in your plate or not then it is considered added sugar. Similar to table sugar 😉
2. Nutritional value
In 100 g of the syrup (of course no one takes this much, but as example J), it gives 320 calories and 67% is carbohydrates, obviously mostly sugar… specifically sucrose. Which is the same as table sugar. I already mentioned it from the beginning, our body uses maple syrup as sugar. As you eat it, it breaks down to glucose which is then get absorbed increasing your blood sugar and insulin levels. Insulin is a hormone that moves sugar in our blood to cells that convert it to energy. Our body is smart enough to deal with this rise and make everything back to stable state and normal. However, with the current lifestyle that most of us follow, it is better to be careful with anything that raises blood sugar. Prolonged high blood sugar can cause insulin resistance, and other consequences that affects body functions and overall health.
3. How it is better than sugar?
I don’t want to cause any misunderstanding nor mislead you by saying that maple syrup is better than sugar. Yet it over-stands sugar in parts like its inclusion of some significant nutrients like manganese. That have promising impact on health. Moreover, there are moderate amounts of other minerals like Calcium, Potassium, Iron and Zinc.
QUICK REMINDER… there are still a LOT of sugar in there J and you still can take these nutrients in other food choices without worrying about the raise of sugar in your blood neither the insulin level. We are already including plenty of sugar and carbohydrates in our diet and “the fact that maple syrup contains some minerals is a VERY POOR reason to eat it”.
Comparing it to sugar, maple syrup has lower glycemic index. (which is a measure to see how much a specific food raises you blood sugar level). It is high if the GI is more than 70. Maple syrup glycemic index is 54 (moderate) and table sugar has 65.
Another point that makes maple syrup out-stands sugar is the antioxidant profile. Antioxidants are compounds that fight against diseases and anything that have a potential damage to your cells. It was estimated that the amount of antioxidants when taking maple syrup is similar to one serving of nuts and berries…
I will prefer taking it from berries and nuts 😉
The bottom line is this: Don’t let the NATURAL word confuse you. Whatever, is natural doesn’t always means it’s good for me. Almost all food has a natural origin, including sugar 😉 But always careful with usage because all been through long processing. And what been through processing isn’t natural anymore. Despite the fact that maple syrup is less processed than other added sugars, it is still sugar. Yes, it has more antioxidants and minerals than table sugar. So, does that mean I should rely on my antioxidants and mineral intake by adding maple syrup to my diet? Absolutely NO.
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