The Superfoods Guide

Do you love eating sweets? Sure, sugar can quickly energize you, but it doesn’t last for long. In fact, too much sugar is bad for your health. Processed white sugar causes tooth decay, cholesterol buildup, and decrease of B-vitamin levels in the body. The body needs nutrients and fiber for better functioning, and sugar doesn’t have any of them. Instead, it has a high calorie content that are converted to fats if not used up 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 cookie recipe ideas. This thick amber liquid, which is made from the sap of maple trees, offers a host of health benefits besides enhancing the flavor of any food. 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 quarter cup of maple syrup has more potassium than a banana and more calcium than milk. Maple syrup is a rich source of phosphorous, iron, and B vitamins, which are very essential to your health. 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 immune system also benefits from the manganese found in maple syrup. Maple syrup is also an excellent source of zinc, a mineral that can boost immune defenses. Zinc is also good for the heart. An essential trace mineral, zinc can minimize the likelihood of heart problems such as stroke, heart attack, and atherosclerosis or the buildup of cholesterol in the arteries. When it comes to reproductive health, men benefit a lot from maple syrup since its zinc content reduces the risk of prostate cancer. Male reproductive health also gets a boost from maple syrup that increases the production of sex hormones.

Maple syrup is not dangerous to health compared to processed white sugar. This nutritious product contains very small amount of sodium at about 2 mg. per 50 mL. Thus, maple syrup is safe for people suffering from diabetes, kidney disease, or hypertension. Also, maple syrup doesn’t contain substances that interfere with the various functions of the body such as purines, oxalates, and goitrogens. And it doesn’t trigger any allergic reaction.

Sweet taste and good health can go hand in hand when you use maple syrup as a substitute to unhealthy sugar. Thus, it pays to lessen your intake of sugar and make sure that you buy your own supply of maple syrup on your next visit at the local supermarket. Making sure that you have maple syrup supplies can mean the difference between an unhealthy and a healthy you.