Coconut sugar by definition is of course sweet tasting, but should it be part of your diet?
There can be no doubt that whole fruits offer you the best source of health promoting sugars than any other food. But what about other wannabe health foods that taste nice and sweet, like coconut sugar?
Coconut sugar also known as coconut palm sugar is a sugar produced from the sap of cut flower buds from the coconut palm and is popular with many people, including some raw/high raw vegans.
The big question though is coconut sugar actually healthy to consume?
Many people are aware that table sugar is a refined product and as such empty calories or junk calories, which, when metabolized by the human body, produces an acidic effect, stealing your body’s own alkaline reserves.
Table sugar also contains no vitamins, minerals or in fact any other nutrients. In stark contrast, whole, fresh, ripe and raw fruits are packed full of nutrients.
The modern western diet is full of foods that offer this same calorie dense, yet void of nutrients scenario. On the one hand, and in the case of table sugar and refined sugar from processed foods, they give your body fuel (carbohydrates) so you can work and play all day long. However, unknown to many people, inside your body these refined sugars are wreaking havoc and damaging your health.
So, what’s the deal with coconut sugar or coconut palm sugar by its other name? Is it just another refined sugar, health destroying and something to be left well alone?
Well, according to The Philippine Food and Nutrition Research Institute this type of sugar does contain nutrients, including vitamins and minerals and so is different than normal refined sugars.
Yet there is very little nutritional data that has been published on this type of sugar and those that have done so already it has to be said do appear to have a vested interest in actively promoting it as a health food.
So what actually is it?
Let’s look at some of the facts:
- In terms of calories, it is the same as normal table sugar.
- According to some sources, it does contain nutrients, though the availability of supporting data is very sparse.
So, the question is: why would you want to use this processed food anyway?
Whole foods, such as fruits, always offer you the healthiest solution for your body’s sugar needs.
This is why getting your sugar from whole fruits always works as you can only eat so much before becoming full (satiated) due to the sheer volume of food, which is nature’s cleverly design stop eating mechanism, allowing your body to eat only the amount of calories it requires.
So, if you ever feel the need to sweeten up something, for example a fruit smoothie, then the humble date or some raisins are a great way to do just that.
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From my experience, any type of sugar should be completely avoided especially people who suffer from candida and eczema like I do. For months I wasn’t eating any sugar and all my symptoms were gone on a high carb low fat vegan diet, high raw. I felt encouraged to add a little coconut sugar in some of my cooked dinners to make them sweeter and tastier and after a while candida and eczema came back. Now I’m paying a huge price. I had to go 100% raw, I’m not getting enough calories because there’s so little quantity and variety of quality, satiating fruit to choose from. Although coconut sugar might be healthier than refined table sugar, it’s still concentrated sugar and not a whole food. In my case it probably triggered my old health issues despite it’s ‘low GI’.
Thank you for commenting, Karmen. True, choosing processed food over whole fruits and veggies can never take your health forward. Have you tried adding a few dates for calories? You can soak them in water to rehydrate them and have them together with your smoothies, however not on their own due to your Candida situation (they are higher in sugar). Sending healing wishes your way!
First of all, thank you for your nice wishes! 🙂
Yes, I’ve been adding some dates to my smoothies to get by but they can’t really cover my need for variety/quantity of fresh fruit. I’ll also try with dried apricots, plums, figs for the variety’s sake.
Is it ok for me to drink orange juice? Oranges are only good for juicing at the moment but some people say it’s best to avoid it if you have candida due to the higher sugar content. What is your opinion on that matter?
Also, thank you for the awesome work you’re doing by spreading the raw messagge. Your videos and posts have been very helpfull in my own raw journey.