Coconut Sugar: Good Guy or More of the Same?

Coconut sugar is richer in nutrients than conventional sugar, but it should be consumed in moderation.

coconut sugar

Coconut sugar is a natural sugar made from the sap of the coconut tree, the coconut tree. It is often confused with palm sugar, which is similar but made from a different type of palm. Lately, coconut sugar has been gaining ground in the diet of those seeking healthier alternatives to refined sugar, considered harmful to health, as you can see in the article: "Sugar: the newest villain in health".

Coconut sugar is rich in nutrients and has a lower glycemic index compared to refined sugar. But does this trait make him a savior of the homeland or is he more of the same? Understand:

How is coconut sugar made

Coconut sugar is made from a natural process that involves two steps:
  1. A cut is made in the coconut tree to harvest its sap;
  2. The sap is placed under heat until most of the water has evaporated.

The final product is brown and grainy. Its color is similar to raw sugar, but the grain size is smaller and more variable.

Nutrients

Regular refined sugar does not contain any nutrients that can be used by the body, thus providing empty calories.

On the other hand, coconut sugar is very beneficial in this regard, as it retains part of the nutrients present in the coconut.

Most notable are the minerals iron, zinc, calcium and potassium, in addition to some fatty acids such as polyphenols and antioxidants. Coconut sugar also contains a fiber called inulin, which helps to slow down the absorption of glucose, which gives coconut sugar a lower glycemic index than that found in regular refined sugar (see study about it here).

the fructose issue

Refined sugar is unhealthy because it causes a significant increase in blood sugar levels. Besides being low in nutrients and having virtually no vitamins or minerals. But that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Another possible reason why refined sugar is harmful is its high fructose content.

While not all scientists are convinced that fructose is a serious problem for healthy people, most agree that too much fructose can cause metabolic syndrome - a set of conditions that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes - in obese individuals (see studies about it: 1, 2).

Regular refined sugar is made up of 50% fructose and 50% glucose, while corn syrup makes up approximately 55% fructose and 45% glucose. Although coconut sugar has been considered free from fructose, it is composed of 80% sucrose, whose composition is 50% fructose. For this reason, coconut sugar provides almost the same amount of fructose as regular sugar.

So, although coconut sugar has a slightly better nutritional profile than regular refined sugar, its health effects should be quite similar.

Therefore, use coconut sugar sparingly as you would refined sugar.

Is the extraction sustainable?

When the sap is harvested from the coconut tree, its flower buds will hardly produce coconut. In practice, this means that the production of other coconut derivatives, such as coconut oil and even coconut itself, is impaired when the sap is extracted to produce coconut sugar. According to one study, coconut trees that alternated between coconut production and sap extraction had a 50% lower fruit yield.

But does that mean consuming coconut sugar is unsustainable? Before reaching this conclusion, it is necessary to reflect on what sustainability is.

According to Ignacy Sachs, sustainability refers to the sustaining capacity of ecosystems - which is nothing more than the capacity for absorption and recomposition. According to the specialist on the subject, "sustainability can be achieved by intensifying the use of potential resources for socially valid purposes; limiting the consumption of fossil fuels and other easily exhaustible or environmentally harmful resources and products, replacing them by renewable and/or abundant and environmentally harmless resources or products; reduction of the volume of waste and pollution; and intensification of research into clean technologies".

Thus, it can be inferred that, in order to conclude that the consumption of coconut sugar is sustainable or not, studies are needed to prove the capacity of ecosystem restoration and the renewability of coconut cultures. Axes that would serve as guidelines for this more detailed analysis would be agroecology and food sovereignty and security.

  • what is agroecology

In this context, it is worth remembering that one of the factors that most contribute to the unsustainability of the planet is the consumption of animals and their derivatives, and coconut sugar is not an animal derivative. Learn more about this topic in the articles:

  • Intensive animal husbandry for meat consumption impacts the environment and consumer health
  • The dangers and cruelty of animal confinement
  • Far beyond animal exploitation: cattle raising promotes consumption of natural resources and environmental damage on a stratospheric scale
  • Documentary "Cowspiracy" denounces the impacts of the agricultural beef industry
  • Reducing red meat consumption is more effective against greenhouse gases than stopping driving, experts say
  • Publication links meat consumption to poverty and climate change
  • Thus, the sustainability of coconut sugar extraction must be analyzed in a way that takes into account the political, economic and environmental situation of the modes of production and consumption, and not only its technical aspects, such as the reduction of coconut production.



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