There is alot of controversy about sweetners - artificial or not.  I've used agave nectar in the past and also turbinado sugar.

I recently read about coconut sugar being all natural and certified organic.  I purchased a bag from WF (very pricey indeed) and was curious if it had any "coconutty" aftertaste.  

It is said to have a low glycemic index (good for diabetics).  Since I use one teaspoon of sugar in my coffee in the AM and also a little bit on cereal I wanted to give it a try.

I have used honey also but find I can only use it on certain foods.  

Realistically, I should wean myself off all sugar but I find I'm having a hard time doing that.

Joy

not rated food items consider neutral unless you were susceptible

The most recent rating of a food can be found using typebase:

http://www.dadamo.com/typebase4/typeindexer.htm
Read about the non secretor issue
http://www.dadamo.com/knowbase/newbie/a.htm

The bottom line is that sweeteners are unhealthy except in very small portions. If you're having two  teaspoons of sugar per day, and you don't have diabetes or yeast overgrowth, then you're probably doing fine. If you find yourself having several tablespoons of sugar a day, then you really need to cut  back.

Coconut sugar isnt' rated. If you get coconut milk/meat as neutral or better, then I'd be comfortable saying that coconut sugar is definitely fine for you. If coconut meat is an avoid or black dot, you need to be more cautious- the sugar itself may not be a problem even if whole coconut is, or it may still be bad for you personally. See how you feel when you consume it.

Just wanted to point out that coconut sugar is made from the sap/nectar found in coconut flowers.  It is not derived from coconuts.

Ah, so in that case, I amend my advice.

Whether or not coconut is good on your food list, consider this to be an unrated food, and tread carefully. Start with a small amount and see how it makes you feel. If you do well on it, keep using it. If you don't feel good, stop using it.

Thanks, C-Sharp for the clarification about coconut sugar.  I read about it on another site but it didn't specify where it came from.

This just might work out fine as a sweetner.


Joy

Quoted Text

was curious if it had any "coconutty" aftertaste.  

Well, does it?

GR,

C Sharp clued me in that coconut sugar is derived from the nectar of the coconut flower.  

And to answer your question - no, it does not at all have the flavor of coconut.  It's less sugary tasting to me than say turbinado sugar.

Joy

If it doesn't taste like coconut I don't think I'd bother, what is the point when we are trying to move sugar out of the picture anyway? I try to keep sugars down to <15g per day.

I buy "Palm Sugar" for my husband to replace the brown sugar he used to add to his coffee. He has a couple of tsp every day and it doesn't seem to bother him   This palm sugar comes from the sap of palm trees grown in Indonesia (but not coconut, I believe). It also has a low G.I. I figure this would be better than cane sugar anyway (assuming it's neutral), since sugar is rated an avoid for non-secretors.

Balletomane,

Palm sugar is new to me but so is coconut sugar.  At least its not made in a laboratory!


Joy

Quoted from Joy

Balletomane,

Palm sugar is new to me but so is coconut sugar.  At least its not made in a laboratory!


Joy

I thought that coconut sugar and palm sugar were the same thing, but I just found this:

Quoted Text

Although the names are used interchangeably, palm sugar and coconut sugar are not the same. One comes from the palmyra or sugar palm and the other from coconut palm, but both are produced from the sweet, watery sap that drips from cut flower buds. The sap is collected each morning and boiled in huge woks on the plantations until a sticky sugar remains. This is whipped and dropped in lumps on cellophane, or filled into containers. Because it is not highly processed like brown sugar, the color, consistency, flavor and level of sweetness can vary from batch to batch, even within the same brand.

I learn something new everytime I check in.    

Good info to know. Thanks everyone!  

Dr. Oz had a segment on his show awhile back using coconut sugar...He claimed it's a perfect replacement for sugar and doesn't raise blood sugar....I find it almost impossible to believe it doesn't impact blood sugar at all given its sweetness.....I bought a bag of coconut sugar and baked muffins and cookies with it...tastes exactly like sugar, not coconut-y whatsoever and my final result was excellent....but we still don't know if those who can have coconut oil can have coconut sugar.  And we can't be sure if it's going to be perceived by the body as a sugar or something else.

http://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/blogs/dr-oz-recommends-coconut-sugar

http://www.sugarcoconut.com/faqs.html

I was also wondering the same thing, I just posted a question about it. Sometimes I like to bake things and crystalized sugar works better than agave, so I thought coconut sugar would be good. So is everyone saying that it is okay depending on how you feel after? It's gotta be better than white sugar I would think, right?

Quoted from C_sharp

Just wanted to point out that coconut sugar is made from the sap/nectar found in coconut flowers.  It is not derived from coconuts.

Thanks for pointing this out; I had no idea!

Quoted from badabing

I was also wondering the same thing, I just posted a question about it. Sometimes I like to bake things and crystalized sugar works better than agave, so I thought coconut sugar would be good. So is everyone saying that it is okay depending on how you feel after? It's gotta be better than white sugar I would think, right?

I bake with date sugar, and often just soaked dates. I've been off of sugar for long enough that I don't need my foods to be that sweet to feel satisfied.

Dates are an "avoid" for me. I've eaten them occasionally anyway, and they spike my blood sugar just as badly as refined white sugar!

Today I baked apples using vegetable glycerin and the result was very good....just drizzled a little
VG into the hole of the apple which I filled with water, seasoned with ginger, cinnamon, allspice and added a little water on the bottom of the pan.  Covered the pan and baked for about 40 minutes.

I often take some dried fruit like apricots, prunes, apples, cranberries, blueberries and put them in  a pot with water....When fruit has absorbed liquid and all fruit is soft, I put it into a food processor to make a puree, then refrigerate...Lasts a long while in the 'fridge. Works especially well to replace all sweeteners when baking muffins.  Works in dense cookies like oatmeal...Works great on top of hot cooked cereal.  Is awesome when combining with a package of silken tofu in a blender or food processor...Makes a yummy pudding.  

Real sugar tastes horribly sweet to me. I'd rather eat pureed fruit.

I often eat a fair bit of dark chocolate with no ill effects, but since Easter started, I have been eating some chocolate made from organic raw cacao which I was given, that contains coconut sugar & have had a killer backache most of the weekend Wondering if it is the coconut sugar, as I haven't eaten much else different! I have been taking plenty of magnesium (& actually more than usual, since raw cacao has a high amount) We also sleep on a magnetic underlay & I haven't had any backache for ages?!

Very interesting thread! Thanks for all the info. Sorry about your back, Possum! No idea what that could be.  

Thanks for your comment & concern Debra... I am thinking it is now the sulphites in some tapioca starch that is more likely the culprit tbh & added to another thread re this... Sure makes me now appreciate how much my back *had* improved/been pain free for the last year