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Maple Syrup: Joyous for Your Mouth, Exilerating for Your Health

13th July, 2009 - Posted by health news - No Comments

Got a sweet tooth? Sure, sugar can quickly energize you, but it doesn’t last for long. Actually, excessive intake of sugar can harm 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. An amber liquid with viscous consistency made from maple tree sap, maple syrup provides a lot of health benefits. 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 also contains B vitamins, iron, and phosphorous—nutrients that are crucial to your bodily functions. What’s more, you have lower risk of diseases when you use maple syrup instead of sugar.

Because it contains manganese, maple syrup can help improve your energy production and antioxidant defenses. Manganese also helps in faster healing and lessening 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 manganese content of maple syrup is good for the immune system. Further enhancing the body’s response against infections is the zinc content of maple syrup. And because maple syrup contains zinc, it can also keep your heart healthy. 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. On the other hand, manganese in maple syrup contributes to sex hormone production in men.

Maple syrup is not dangerous to health compared to processed white sugar. In fact, it has a very low sodium content (2 mg. per 50 mL. serving). Low sodium content means maple syrup won’t pose a threat to people with high blood pressure, kidney ailment, or diabetes. Maple syrup is free from substances such as oxalates, goitrogens, and purines that can get in the way of proper bodily functions. And it doesn’t trigger any allergic reaction.

When you use maple sugar as an alternative to sugar, you get to enjoy both its sweetness and health benefits. So cut your sugar intake and don’t forget to include maple syrup in your to-buy list the next time you shop at the grocery. Making sure that you have maple syrup can mean the difference between an unhealthy and a healthy you.