Palm Sugar: A Low Glycemic Sweetener To Use in Moderation

You probably know that guarding your health means sugar and artificial sweeteners are out. But thanks to safe, all-natural sweeteners – including erythritol, stevia, and luo han guo you can satisfy your sweet tooth without sabotaging your health.

And today, I have another one for you to try.

Palm Sugar: A Tropical Sweetener with a Low Glycemic Index

Made from the evaporated sap of the coconut flower, palm sugar (also called coconut sugar) tastes much like brown sugar. But unlike sugar’s 60-65 score on the glycemic index, coconut sugar ranks a low 35. And in clinical studies, coconut sugar was found to maintain blood sugar levels.

What’s more, palm sugar is denser in minerals, including potassium and magnesium.

Creating Delicious Low Sugar Desserts with Palm Sugar

Because palm sugar does, in fact, contain “sugars,” the best way to use it is in combination with erythritol or stevia. It produces a wonderful caramel-like flavor that you can add to healthy home-baked goodies.

A good rule of thumb is to add 1-2 Tbsp. of palm sugar per cup of erythritol. This provides a nice, round brown sugar flavor without adding much in the way of calories or sugars to the finished dessert.

Another great way to extend the benefits of palm sugar is to powder it. By pulverizing the granules, more surfacce area is exposed. This makes it easier to dissolve the sweetener and also boosts the sweetness level… without increasing overall sugar content.

Here are a few of my favorite recipe using palm sugar, in moderation, of course:

• Gingerbread Fudge
• Apple Crisp
• Coconut Cream Frosting