Maple Syrup: Fun for Your Sweet Tooth, Joyous for Your Health

by feedme on July 14, 2009

Do you love eating sweets? Sure, sugar can quickly energize you, but it doesn’t last for long. Actually, excessive intake of sugar can harm your health. Processed white sugar causes tooth decay, cholesterol buildup, and decrease of B-vitamin levels in the body. Sugar doesn’t contain fiber or nutrients to keep the body functioning well. It is rich in calories, which are stored as fats when they’re not used by the body.

There’s a healthier alternative that’s just as sweet as sugar: maple syrup. Include maple syrup in your diet, and you get the best of both worlds—sweet flavor plus healthy body. You can find many uses for maple syrup in your daily life including maple candy and maple cookies ideas. An amber liquid with viscous consistency made from maple tree sap, maple syrup provides a lot of health benefits. Although it’s rich in sugar, maple syrup is a healthier sweetener than sugar. It has more minerals and fewer calories than sugar and honey. A ¼ cup of maple syrup contains more calcium than milk and more potassium than a banana. Maple syrup also contains B vitamins, iron, and phosphorous—nutrients that are crucial to your bodily functions. What’s more, you have lower risk of diseases when you use maple syrup instead of sugar.

Maple syrup can boost antioxidant defenses and production of energy, thanks to its manganese content. Aside from being an antioxidant, manganese also facilitates healing and reduces inflammations. About 22 percent of the recommended manganese content in the body can be supplied by daily intake of an ounce of maple syrup. The manganese content of maple syrup is good for the immune system. Further enhancing the body’s response against infections is the zinc content of maple syrup. Zinc is also good for the heart. Zinc is known as an essential trace mineral that can lower the risk of atherosclerosis (accumulation of cholesterol and other substances in the arteries), heart attack, and stroke. Maple syrup can help prevent prostate cancer that usually occurs in men because of its zinc content. On the other hand, manganese in maple syrup contributes to sex hormone production in men.

Unlike refined white sugar, maple syrup won’t harm your health in any way. In fact, it has a very low sodium content (2 mg. per 50 mL. serving). Low sodium content means maple syrup won’t pose a threat to people with high blood pressure, kidney ailment, or diabetes. Maple syrup is free from substances such as oxalates, goitrogens, and purines that can get in the way of proper bodily functions. It doesn’t cause allergies in most people, too.

When you use maple sugar as an alternative to sugar, you get to enjoy both its sweetness and health benefits. So cut your sugar intake and don’t forget to include maple syrup in your to-buy list the next time you shop at the grocery. Making sure that you have maple syrup can mean the difference between an unhealthy and a healthy you.

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