Maple syrup is a might food. It’s sweet, versatile, and offers more health benefits than most give it credit for. That’s why you”ll find these eight [science backed + glorious] reasons to eat maple syrup all that much more satisfying.
Maple packs a ton of health benefits into every drop of the golden syrup. The most important thing about selecting a maple syrup or other maple product is to be sure it is 100% pure maple. With so many deceptive marketing practices and confusing labels, Natural syrup, maple flavored syrup, or labels with ingredient listing maple syrup and…[insert cane, corn, or another sweetener] are not PURE maple syrups.
Discover new ways to cook with maple syrup because maple is more than a breakfast staple! Find recipes for maple syrup here.
Real maple syrup is also indicated by a grade. You might be more familiar with seeing food grades on beef such as ‘USDA Grade A’. All pure maple is considered Grade A, however the four variations of Grade A maple syrup are based on color and taste. Light color indicates the most delicate of flavor moving through the golden hues to the deepest of color and most robust flavor.
Now let’s find out why you should eat maple syrup!
8 Reasons to Eat Maple Syrup
Maple sap is loaded with antioxidants.
Sap [later converted to syrup] from maple trees is packed full of antioxidants! There are 65 total antioxidants found in maple products.
It’s easy on your tummy.
The syrup is packed with essential nutrients.
100% of your daily value of manganese is found in just a 1/4 cup of maple syrup; manganese helps your body produce energy and protects your cells from damage. Maple syrup contains a significant amount of riboflavin which assists your metabolism. Zinc, crucial for supporting your body’s immune system, is also a key nutrient found in maple. This all natural syrup also contains magnesium, potassium, and calcium.
Maple is slow to spike blood sugar.
The glycemic index helps us understand the correlation between carbs and their ability to raise blood sugar. According to the scale, carbohydrates falling at or below 55 are considered low or slow to raise blood sugar. Maple syrup is listed as 54 making it slower to increase blood sugar than honey (58), dates (62), and table sugar (63).
Pure maple syrup is as natural as it gets for a sweetener.
Sap water is gathered from maple trees in winter then boiled down until the sugar levels reach the perfect point. Pure maple syrup is natural and unprocessed. Even when barrel-aged, maple syrup is not adulterated during the time spent in barrels; no ingredients are added to the syrup. It’s also important to note, the maple trees are not harmed or cut down during the sap collection process.
It’s a powerful sweetener.
We aren’t just talking about the great amount of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals here, maple syrup is strong in taste requiring less to add sweetness in any dish.
Maple syrup is a functional food.
Scientists recently made the discovery of inulin in maple syrup. As a complex carb, inulin acts as a prebiotic and helps encourage the growth of good bacterial that are beneficial for gut health. A healthy gut leads to a healthy immune system.
Compounds in maple syrup can reduce inflammation.
Within the last decade, researchers have proven maple contains a polyphenolic molecule, much like green tea and red wine, that can reduce and prevent inflammation.
More Maple Syrup Facts
A few more facts about maple syrup:
While we don’t support high sugar consumption, we do believe a balanced eating approach and using maple syrup as a sweetener in moderation provides more health benefits than using other sugars.
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Thanks for pointing out that we have to make sure that the syrup is made from 100% maple to get its health benefits well. I have been craving for coffee-infused Vermont maple syrup to try on my pancakes, and I think it will be a great flavor to spice up my meal. So I hope to buy one this weekend so that I can cook them on a Sunday morning and eat them with my family for breakfast.
Coffee maple syrup is a dream! Have you tried candied bacon with this one yet? https://callingtennesseehome.com/recipes/dinner/coffee-maple-candied-bacon/