The newest, grooviest low glycemic sweetener to hit the grocery shelves comes from coconuts!! I place it into the therapeutic category because it is low glycemic, which assists diabetics and those with metabolic syndrome in managing blood sugars. However, there is a warning with any carbohydrate containing "low glycemic" natural sweetener. Here's the rub... overdose on it, and it will, in fact, spike your blood sugars.
Glycemic Index indicates the speed at which carbohydrate containing foods and beverages enter your bloodstream. Since honey has a higher glycemic index than coconut sugar or agave (cactus), honey will spike your blood sugar the fastest of these three choices. The herb, stevia, contains zero carbohydrates. Therefore, stevia has a Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load of ZERO. In other words, no matter how much stevia you eat, it will not affect your blood sugars...EVER. These days, there are issues of how it is processed, as to how safe it is. The less processed the stevia, the more therapeutic. I've covered this topic in other blog posts, which I will repost in the near future.
Glycemic Load is the actual grams of carbohydrates you consume at the meal or snack. The more carbohydrate you take in, the greater the glycemic load will be.... which means, you are overdoing it ...no matter how low-glycemic. If you eat a pound of apples, they WILL SPIKE your blood sugars but, it will be a difficult task to achieve!!! The point is, a low glycemic food or beverage contains carbohydrates. Eat enough of them and you will raise your blood sugars, eventually. As with agave, xylitol and other carbohydrate containing natural sweeteners.... YOU MUST WATCH THE DOSE!!!
I've been attending the Natural Products Expo for over 20 years, and have never seen this particular coconut palm low glycemic sweetener I found the other day, at "fresh & easy" Neighborhood Market. "SWEET TREE Sustainable Sweeteners" ~ ORGANIC UNREFINED HIGH NUTRIENT BLONDE COCONUT PALM SUGAR ...which is exactly what it says on the label... in capitol letters!!! At roughly $4.50 for a 16 ounce package, it is not cheap but comparable to what you might pay for a small jar of agave or a really small package or container of stevia. The package also states coconut sugar is a "LOW GLYCEMIC INDEX SWEETENER" ...again... all in CAPS. "100% Pure Granulated Coconut Nectar ...from the Coco Nucifera Plant or Coconut Palm.
The packaging claims the coconut palm sugar is nutrient-rich, but does not mention any specific nutrients it is rich in... so, I've got some homework to do. So far, the only thing I've found on it's nutrient density, is the enzymes in coconut palm sugar are retained due to the low-heat processing methods. Although this particular coconut palm sugar claims to kettle boil the nectar from the coconut palm blossoms. You'd think they might burn up a few enzymes... if not all of them.
So, apparently, coconut palm sugar also contains amino acids which may help to manage the absorption of carbohydrates, making it low-glycemic. Nevertheless, I'm still searching for specific nutrients, micro-nutrients and minerals I can share with you... and as soon as I do, I'll edit this article to include that information. All I know, is this particular coconut palm sugar is produced in Southeast Asia. The package says this product is from Indonesia.
SweetTree is a registered trademark of Big Tree Farms and works to provide solutions for small palm sugar farmers through education, "microfinance" and transparent market access. Tropical palms are an ecologically beneficial tree crop that grow in diverse, wild-life supportive agro-ecosystems, restore damaged soils and require little water. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has reported that palm sugars are the single most sustainable sweetener in the world. So, I feel pretty good about this product.... just remember: MORE IS NOT BETTER
