You may have noticed in several of my recipes that I use coconut sugar as an added sweetener – whether it’s my cinnamon apples, strawberry shortcake, or peanut butter protein cookies <– Yum, BTW.
One of the most common questions I get asked about sugar and clean eating is, “Is coconut sugar healthy?
If you’ve never heard of coconut sugar or you’ve never tried it, coconut sugar is actually made from the sap from the coconut palm which is heated, evaporated, and then reduced to granules.
Why is coconut sugar a good option for a healthy and clean lifestyle? Well, coconut sugar is actually a nutritious ingredient. It has a low score on the glycemic index (which essentially means it doesn’t tax your body and make you crash after giving you a sugar rush). Coconut sugar also contains zinc, iron, and calcium, plus antioxidants and probiotics.
For these reasons, along with the fact that it is unrefined and a great replacement for brown sugar or granulated sugar, are why coconut sugar is one of my favorite clean sweeteners to use.
If you’re looking to try out coconut sugar, you can find it in the baking aisle next to all the sugar or you can buy it in bulk. Buying coconut sugar in bulk tends to be a lot cheaper, if you’re into that sorta thing…which I totes am, too 😉
Here are some tasty recipes that use coconut sugar:
- Gluten-Free Strawberry Shortcakes
- Candied Pecans
- Peanut Butter Protein Cookies
- Cinnamon Apples
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Roasted Acorn Squash
To use coconut sugar, all you need to know is it can be used just like any sugar in a 1:1 ratio. That being said, please try to keep in mind that coconut sugar is still an added sweetener. That means, even though it’s definitely healthier that white or brown sugar, it’s still not a good idea to go overboard on any sweets or sugars.
So, I recommend that you try it as a replacement for your regular sugar – it works great in coffee, baking, and all the rest. Then, once you determine if it’s a good fir for you, try to then start reducing the amount you use to cut out even more and more added sugar from your foods. To learn more about quitting refined sugar for good, check out my post on How To Quit Sugar.
To get more tips and tricks on how to start eating clean and loving your healthy lifestyle and food, click here to download my free Beginner’s Guide To Clean Eating!
The sweet nectar comes not from the coconut itself, however, but is harvested by hand twice a day directly from the flower.Coconut sugar has its own quality so many use coconut sugar to made drinking juice or recipes.