Which is Healthier: Palm Sugar, Rock or Stevia?
Sugar is an ingredient that is often used in our daily life, from drinks to cooking. Of the many types of sugar, there are natural sweeteners that can be substituted, namely rock sugar, palm sugar, and stevia. Of the three, which sugar is healthier?
Health benefits of using sugar
Usually sugar is used to sweeten drinks, cook, and make cakes. Here are two benefits of using a healthier type of sugar.
Control your weight
Quoting from the Cleveland Clinic, natural sweeteners that are low in or free of calories can help you lose or maintain your weight.
The FDA recommends low-calorie natural sweeteners with little or no calories, namely those from plants, such as stevia.
If you want to prevent weight gain, you should replace your sugar with natural sweeteners, adopt a diet with balanced nutrition, exercise regularly, and get enough rest.
Sweet alternative for type 2 diabetes.
Another benefit of natural sweeteners is as an alternative to sweetness for type 2 diabetes .
However, you need to consult a doctor first about blood sugar and the category of natural sweetener that replaces sugar to be used.
Because not all types of alternative natural sweeteners are safe for diabetes, so you need to adjust to your health conditions.
Then, which sugar is healthier?
There are several types of sugar that are usually used as an alternative to sweetness. However, only one is good for diabetes.
In order to get maximum benefits, you need to know which types of sugar are healthier for the body.
Rock sugar
Rock sugar is one type of sugar that is commonly used in Indonesia, which is usually served with teapots.
This type of rock sugar is generally made of granulated sugar and is in the form of clear crystals with a white or brownish yellow color.
This sugar is made from a saturated sugar solution that undergoes a slow crystallization process. In taste, rock sugar is not as sweet as granulated sugar because of the water in the crystals.
The level of sweetness is low compared to granulated sugar, making rock sugar often considered healthier and suitable for diabetes.
Although rock sugar has a lower sweetness than granulated sugar, the calories per teaspoon are actually higher than granulated sugar.
This is certainly important to note so as not to cause daily calorie intake to increase.
Rock sugar is also generally made from granulated sugar so it has the same chemical composition as granulated sugar.
Palm Sugar
Research from the Journal of Wetlands Environmental Management shows that palm sugar is made from the palm sap plant, also known as nipah.
Palm sugar has a distinctive aroma and color so it is widely liked and is commonly used in traditional foods and snacks.
Palm sugar has a high content of sucrose (a type of sugar compound in granulated sugar).
A research in Lampung showed that granulated palm sugar contains 75-88% sucrose.
In addition, the caloric content of palm sugar is also relatively high and almost equivalent to the caloric content of granulated sugar.
The high content of sucrose and calories in palm sugar, you and diabetics still need to be aware and limit their consumption.
Stevia sugar
One of the healthier, easier to obtain, and safe sugar substitutes for the body is stevia . Stevia sugar is a sweetener derived from the Stevia rebaudiana plant.
Stevia leaves contain compounds that have a very sweet taste with a sweetness level of about 200-300 times compared to granulated sugar.
These advantages make stevia sugar suitable and can be beneficial for diabetics, obesity, and those who are on a calorie-controlled diet or diet.
Although of course, stevia sugar can be consumed by everyone.
As a sweetener, stevia sugar has been declared safe and is widely used in various countries including Japan, Korea, China, Southeast Asia, and South America.
Its use also varies in various products ranging from beverages, candies, pickled vegetables, to seafood products.
If you want to find a natural sweetener to replace sugar, use Tropicana Slim Stevia which is a natural zero-calorie sugar from stevia leaves. The advantages of stevia leaves are:
- sugar free and zero calories,
- natural zero calorie sugar from stevia leaves, and
- suitable for diabetes as well as diet.
In addition, natural sweeteners substitute for sugar from stevia can also help maintain daily sugar intake which is useful for maintaining and controlling weight to reduce the risk of diabetes .
So, from now on, you don’t need to be confused anymore to determine the right natural sweetener to replace sugar.
You can use natural sweetener stevia leaves from Tropicana Slim which is zero calories.
