Eating salads every day starts off with good intentions, but at some point, you need something sweet. If you are trying to eat less processed foods, but need a little sweetener in your life, try switching out white sugar with pure maple syrup.
Maple syrup is high in antioxidants and less processed than white sugar. You can put maple syrup in your coffee, smoothies, and sauces. You can also bake with maple syrup.
Now let’s learn about the benefits of maple syrup and where it comes from.
How Maple Syrup is Made
Over 50 percent of maple syrup in the United States comes from Vermont. The other leading supplier of maple syrup is Canada. There is no significant difference between Canadian or American maple syrup. Both adhere to high purity standards.
To extract maple syrup, a hole is drilled into the maple tree, and a tap is inserted. A maple tree must be at least 40 years old to tap. The sap drained from the tree is mostly water and two percent sugar. After the sap is drained, it is run through a reverse osmosis machine to remove the water. The sap is then boiled and filtered to produce the final product.
Benefits of Maple Syrup
Maple syrup contains high levels of minerals and antioxidants. There are approximately 24 different antioxidants found in maple syrup. The most notable being polyphenol. Polyphenols have many benefits that help prevent or reverse damage to your cells. Maple syrup has a glycemic index of 54, and white sugar has a glycemic index of 65.
One tablespoon of maple syrup contains 33 percent daily value of manganese. Manganese is a trace mineral vital to the human body and healthy bones. Maple syrup has 15 mg of calcium and 45 mg of potassium per tablespoon.
Grade A Dark
When shopping for maple syrup, keep in mind that most syrups found in the grocery store aren’t maple syrup at all. They are made up of cornstarch and sugar. Make sure you read the label. The only ingredient listed should be pure maple syrup. The maple syrup highest in antioxidants is Grade A Dark. Maple syrup has a year’s shelf life and should be stored in the refrigerator.
Baking with Maple Syrup
To substitute sugar for maple syrup, use 3/4 cup of maple syrup to one cup of sugar. Maple syrup is slightly sweeter than table sugar, so use less. Because maple syrup contains more moisture than sugar, you will want to use less liquid when making baked goods. Use 1/4 cup less liquid for every cup of maple syrup used.
Now you know where maple syrup comes from and which type to buy—try it in your favorite sauces! I like to use half-part tamari with half-part maple syrup to make a delicious and simple teriyaki sauce.