Have you ever wondering which is the best natural sweetener? Maybe you start thinking about Honey, Stevia, Dates Syrup, and maybe Coconut Sugar. Well, let dig down about this four popular natural sweetener.
Coconut Sugar VS Honey
Coconut sugar is one of the most popular natural sweeteners in the world. Although the name is coconut sugar, this sweetener is not made from coconut fruit, but from the sap of the coconut tree. the coconut sugar production process is not too complicated. first the farmers will climb onto the coconut tree, then they will make a small incision on the coconut tree trunk. from the small incision will come out drops of coconut sap, the sap will later be collected and cooked. The coconut sap cooking process is quite laborious, because we need to keep stirring the sap that we heat on the stove. This process continues until the water content in the sap evaporates and leaves only sugar crystals. Meanwhile, if you want to make coconut syrup, you can only cook it half cooked!
While you must be very familiar with honey, honey is a natural sweetener that has a liquid form and a thick texture. The viscous liquid is flower nectar taken by honey bees which will later be stored in their hives for further processing. According to Live Science that we quoted from Kompas.com, the flower nectar taken by the honey bee before being stored in the hive, the flower nectar will be stored in the bee's stomach, and the process that occurs in the bee's stomach is an adjustment of the acidity or pH in the bee's stomach. The unique fact is, the first country that produces honey is Greece. Honey is very well consumed by adults and children, honey also has many benefits if consumed regularly. Although there are many types of honey, almost all types of honey have the same benefits when consumed.
Source : Kompas.com
In the end, we will surely think, which is better, honey or coconut sugar? maybe before you judge one of those 2 products, you need to look at the following details
Coconut Sugar Glycemic Index VS Honey Glycemic Index
Coconut sugar is popular in the world because this product offers several benefits, the most famous of which is a low glycemic index. The glycemic index of coconut sugar is at 35, which is quite low compared to the glycemic index of honey, which is at 58. The taste of coconut sugar is also quite unique compared to other natural sweeteners.
Coconut Sugar Taste Vs Honey Taste
Honey has a very distinctive taste as a natural sweetener. The taste of honey will eventually make people really like the taste of honey and really dislike the taste of honey, so it can be said that they will be divided into 2 teams, a team that really likes and a team that doesn't like it very much. Unlike coconut sugar, coconut sugar has a distinctive taste that can still be tolerated for those who don't really like the taste of natural sweeteners. Coconut sugar has a distinctive taste such as a very thick caramel flavor compared to cane sugar in general. So usually coconut sugar can be used as a sweetener as premium caramel popcorn or high quality caramel sweetener.
Vitamin and Minerals In Coconut Sugar And Honey
Coconut sugar and honey both contain vitamins and minerals that are needed by our bodies. In general, the vitamins and minerals in honey are riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Thiamin, Niacin, Amino Acids, Pantothenic Acid, Calcium, Sodium, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Manganese and Zinc.
Meanwhile, coconut sugar also contains vitamins and minerals that are as good as honey, here are the vitamins and minerals contained in coconut sugar; Vitamin C, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, phosphorus, phytonutrients, flavonoids, polyphenols, and anthocyanins
Conclusion Which Best Natural Sweetener Is The Best?
After looking at some of the considerations and benefits of these 2 products, namely coconut sugar and honey, both are very good products for long-term consumption, besides that we can't judge which is better, because both have their own benefits. However, if you don't like the taste of honey that is too "Authentic" you might be able to try coconut sugar as an alternative sweetener. Then what do you think?
