Throw in an extra teaspoon of sugar – it might do you good!

That is, if it’s the latest sugar to hit cafés - coconut sugar - which by the way doesn’t come from the coconut but rather from the coconut flower before it forms the nut. Climbers are sent up the coconut tree twice a day to collect the nectar that drains from the stem of the flower; it is dehydrated and forms crystals, which resemble raw sugar. But that’s where the similarity stops.

While regular sugar can spike your insulin levels, mess with your cholesterol and lead to diabetes, it is not so with coconut sugar.

The difference is in the G.I index: basically there is a very high burn for regular sugar (70+) but a very low burn for coconut sugar (35). This means that coconut sugar is useful to our bodies for a longer period, without spiking our blood sugar.

In fact, of all the different sugars, it is coconut sugar that has been found to be the best at leaving our blood sugar at more normal levels.

And the benefits don’t stop there. With coconut sugar, there’s not one empty calorie in sight. Like its cousin, coconut water, coconut sugar is loaded with goodies - vitamins, minerals and at least 16 Amino acids, including high levels of Glutamine which supports healing, and the feel-good Vitamin B8 Inositol which effects mood.

Even without the Inositol, the taste of coconut sugar alone is enough to make you feel good (think raw sugar with a hint of caramel or toffee); it’s delicious enough to make anyone wonder ‘can this stuff really be good for us’? According to the research, apparently so.

It may also be a good addition to the athlete’s water bottle, as coconut sugar contains high levels of potassium and other minerals that are necessary for muscle recovery after exercise.

So next time you’re at a café with your mates after your Sunday morning 100k bike ride, ask for a sugar stick that contains coconut sugar - they are being distributed throughout NZ cafes during December by Matakana SuperFoods.

Bulk 1kg coconut sugar can also be purchased for Xmas baking (used in the same 1:1 ratio as regular sugar – but without the guilt!)

ENDS

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