Hidden Treasures in Maple Syrup

When it comes to sweetening our homebaked goods, it is often difficult to convey the importance of choosing natural sweeteners over refined white sugar. After all, you can get a bag of white sugar for a few dollars, whereas a bottle of good maple syrup will run you well over $10. How do you justify the expense? A sugar gram is a sugar gram, right? Not exactly.

Natural sweeteners are not only the option for the posh with money to spare in the grocery budget. The health benefits they offer far outweigh the cost difference – and the cost could be a great factor encouraging us to reduce that total number of sugar grams so that it fits into a more ideal part of our well balanced diet.

For example, researchers found 13 brand new compounds in maple syrup this year, not to mention the 20 antioxidants they found. These compounds provide antibacterial, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and even anti-diabetic benefits. Yes, anti-diabetic. So, while refined white sugar can lead to diabetes, natural maple syrup has compounds that can help prevent diabetes, adjusting for the sugar content. In other words, by consuming the food the way God created it, the risks associated with sugar consumption are addressed by the protective compounds that are included within the syrup.

Maple syrup is also a source of natural minerals such as calcium, zinc, potassium, magnesium and B complex vitamins.

For our Vintage Remedies School of Natural Health students – most of these compounds are flavonoids and phenols. It is believed that the phenolic acids are secreted as a result of the stress caused by the tapping of the tree to remove the sap.