Instead of sugar

Maple syrup, agave syrup, and coconut nectar were the standard sweeteners used by vegans.At this "Natural Products Expo West 2019", we focused on 100% dates syrup!The dried fruit "Dates", which has been popular in Japan for the past few years, is the fruit of dates.Rich in nutrients such as iron, potassium, magnesium and dietary fiber.It is characterized by its sticky texture and natural sweetness that is rich like brown sugar.

Low GI

The great thing about Dates Syrup is that it has a LOW GLYCEMIC INDEX (low GI).Rich in minerals compared to white sugar, which is highly refined and contains almost no minerals.And although it is very sweet, the point is that the GI value is low.Since it also contains dietary fiber, it is attracting attention as a healthy alternative sweetener because it does not cause a rapid rise in blood sugar level after meals.

* What is the GI value?
The GI value is an abbreviation for Glycemic Index, which is an index showing the degree of increase in postprandial blood glucose level. If you eat foods with a high GI value, your blood sugar level will rise sharply, and if you eat foods with a low GI value, your blood sugar level will rise slowly.

Also for making sweets

Dates are often used in low sweets recipes.Bliss balls, which are made by finely chopping dried fruits and nuts into balls, are typical.It is also used in bars based on dried fruits.

Loa sweets are basically unheated, and materials processed at a low temperature of 48 ° C or less are used.For this reason, the sweetness of the ingredients themselves, such as dried fruits, has been used, and as a liquid sweetener, RAW and VEGAN agave syrup has been the mainstream until now.

Except for the artificial ones that are often found in modern foods, eating natural ingredients is partly due to the influence of the PALEO diet boom, and instead of refined sugar, sweeteners made from natural ingredients are used. It is getting more and more attention.In addition to date syrup, there are also pomegranate syrup, sweet potato, yacon syrup, etc., and the choices are increasing.

An alternative sweetener with new ingredients coming out one after another. Look out for dates syrup in 2019!

> Person who wrote this article

Chef Fumio Yonezawa

Aki Sato, Editor-in-Chief of Organic Press

In 2002, when the Internet was rapidly spreading to the world, he changed from the organic industry, which he had been living for many years, to the EC industry.Experience the transition and development of the IT era from the real store era, and have a unique on-site perspective. In 2010, the industry's pioneering "organic information site" was born. "Organic Press" aggregates and accumulates information selected with its certain eyes.We continue to provide highly reliable content.

> original text: ORGANIC PRESS

This article is a re-edited version of the "ORGANIC PRESS" article published on March 2019, 3.

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