Is Coconut Sugar A Healthy Sugar Substitute?
Coconut sugar vs regular sugar
On today’s episode of Live Lean TV, I’m comparing coconut sugar vs regular sugar, and answering: is coconut sugar a healthy sugar substitute?
This is another post from our #TBT Q&A series.
These are questions from our #LLTV Q&A series, that we filmed for our Live Lean TV YouTube channel back in 2012.
So first, I’m going to share my answer to this question from 2012.
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Then I’ll answer the same question again today, with more specific details.
Here is today’s viewer question:
Today’s question is from greeeeeen1021 on YouTube: Hey Brad, what are your opinions on coconut palm sugar?
I actually just posted an episode of Food Wars on healthy natural sweeteners, but I didn’t talk about coconut palm sugar.
I recently bought some since I read it is lower on the glycemic index.
However, at the end of the day, coconut palm sugar is still sugar, so it will raise your blood sugar levels.
Even if it is better than refined sugar and artificial sweeteners, it’s still important to focus on minimizing the usage of the sugar.
In other words, make sure you don’t get the wrong idea and think it’s healthy to add coconut sugar to every single meal, or eat a lot of it every single day.
Now here’s my answer 7 years later.
What is coconut sugar and how is it made?
If you’re wondering what coconut sugar is and how it is made, it comes from the sap of a coconut palm tree.
This is why it’s often referred to as coconut palm sugar.
Once the sap is removed from the tree, it’s heated to remove the water, and produces a smaller granulated sugar that is brown.
Is coconut sugar a healthy sugar substitute?
And as I mentioned 7 years ago, just because the word “coconut” is used in front of sugar, coconut sugar is still comprised of 80% sucrose.
This means it is sugar.
Don’t get me wrong, I love pretty much all coconut products.
But with the popularity of coconut based foods such as coconut oil, coconut butter, and coconut water, the hype has even spread to coconut sugar.
Even though coconut sugar is lower on the glycemic index, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s healthy.
However, when compared to the empty calories found in refined white regular sugar and high fructose corn syrup, coconut sugar is more nutrient rich in minerals.
Coconut sugar vs regular sugar: glycemic index
The glycemic index essentially ranks how fast certain foods raise blood sugar levels.
When compared to regular sugar, coconut sugar has a slightly lower glycemic index ranking:
- Regular sugar glycemic index ranking: 60
- Coconut sugar glycemic index ranking: 54
Although it’s not significant, it’s still something to take into consideration.
Bottom line on is coconut sugar a healthy sugar substitute?
Again, coconut sugar is still sugar.
Plus it’s higher in fructose, which in excess, can lead to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
Even though it does contain more minerals than regular sugar, it’s still higher in calories than a zero calorie, natural sweetener like stevia.
Plus there are healthier foods that will supply you with more of those minerals, without the negative effects of sugar.
So the negative effects of high consumptions of coconut sugar far outweigh the benefits from the small mineral consumption.
If you have to choose between coconut sugar vs regular sugar…
Go with coconut sugar.
But make sure you use coconut sugar in moderation.
However, if you want the best healthy sugar substitute, go with stevia.
We use stevia in pretty much all of our baking and snack recipes over at our TeamLiveLean.com membership site.
If you’ve been on the fence of joining, the price will be going up in the coming weeks.
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So lets lock you in at the price of $0.32 a day.
Yeah it’s only $10 to join our monthly coaching program.
Question For You:
- Have you tried coconut sugar?
- What is your favorite sweetener to use?
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Question For You:
- Have you tried coconut sugar?
- What is your favorite sweetener to use?
Be sure to share your answers in the comment section below.
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Brad Gouthro is the founder of Live Lean TV, a media company focused on helping men and women “Live Lean” 365 days a year. Brad’s programs and content have helped millions of people all over the world learn how to get in shape, and more importantly, sustain it for life.
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