Maple Syrup: Good for Your Sweet Tooth, Great for Your Health
Got a sweet tooth? Yes, sugar can give you an energy boost, but that’s only temporary. 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. Sugar doesn’t contain fiber or nutrients to keep the body functioning well. It is rich in calories, which are stored as fats when they’re not used by the body.
Maple syrup, which is sweet as sugar, is a more nutritious substitute. 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 sugar candy and maple syrup 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 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. In fact, it has a very low sodium content (2 mg. per 50 mL. serving). Thus, maple syrup is safe for people suffering from diabetes, kidney disease, or hypertension. Maple syrup is free from substances such as oxalates, goitrogens, and purines that can get in the way of proper bodily functions. It doesn’t cause allergies in most people, too.
When you use maple sugar as an alternative to sugar, you get to enjoy both its sweetness and health benefits. 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 can mean the difference between an unhealthy and a healthy you.
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