I’m not a big sugar eater. I’d much rather have something salty. But when I do eat sugar, I try to make sure it’s natural and healthy, like honey. Some people prefer molasses.
But I have to admit, there’s one indulgence that I love. Few people consider it healthy but it’s every bit as good for you as these other sweets. In fact, it might even be better for you.
What is it? It’s maple syrup!
Yep, that wonderful goodness you enjoy with your waffles can be quite good for you.
But What About All That Sugar?
Yes, maple syrup has sugar. But guess what? It has 30% less sugar, 21% fewer carbohydrates, and 19% fewer calories than honey.
So eating a tablespoon of maple syrup will have a lower impact on your blood sugar than a tablespoon of honey.
What’s more, maple syrup is actually a better energy source than honey or molasses. Why? That’s because these have more fructose than maple syrup. Your body’s cells can’t use fructose as an energy source (they prefer sucrose and glucose).
Plus, too much fructose is actually bad for your body, as it stimulates fat storage around your liver.
And the amount of fructose in honey might surprise you:
• Honey is about 40% fructose
• Molasses is about 13% fructose
• Maple syrup is less than 4% fructose
In fact, maple syrup is about 50-75% sucrose and less than 10% glucose. So it’s a fantastic energy source (molasses is the only one that comes close). And its sucrose content is important for another reason.
Sucrose is a disaccharide. That means it has a slightly more complex structure than fructose, which is a monosaccharide. That slight difference causes your body to take longer to break it down and absorb. So you won’t have as big of a blood sugar spike with maple syrup as you will with honey.
Maple syrup won’t cause fat to develop around your liver; in fact, one study from the University of Tokyo found that it can reverse this build-up of fat. And your cells can actually use the sucrose as an energy source.
There’s More
There’s also evidence that dark maple syrup has as many polyphenols as honey does. Polyphenols have a lot of health benefits for your heart, brain, bones, and skin. But the polyphenols in maple syrup have additional benefits. They stimulate insulin release through pancreatic cells, which helps balance your blood sugar levels.
Maple syrup’s polyphenols also enhance liver function, repairs muscle and cell damage, and reduces stomach bloating. And one study found that maple syrup actually makes bacteria vulnerable to antibiotics. So it can help with antibiotic resistance.
What to Do
As you can see, maple syrup shouldn’t be the villain of the natural sweeteners. It’s lower on the glycemic index than honey, agave, or molasses. And you can eat more of it than you can the others without ruining your blood sugar (as long as you don’t go overboard).
Enjoying a little dark maple syrup every now and then isn’t going to cause you to gain weight. In recipes, you can use maple syrup as a 1:1 substitute for honey. The consistency is similar. The dessert won’t be as sweet (you can add a little liquid Stevia if you want it sweeter) and it will taste a little different.
Whether you use maple syrup in recipes or on waffles and pancakes, make sure you use pure maple syrup, not the cheap imitations. The label should say “Pure Maple Syrup.” And make sure it doesn’t contain any high fructose corn syrup.
Final Tip: To get the healthiest maple syrup, look for the darkest variety you can find. The darker it is, the more polyphenols it has in it. It will also have more minerals, including zinc, calcium, and manganese.