Glycemic Index of Coconut Sugar for Human Body
For people who care about their health, they must be familiar with the term glycemic index. The glycemic index is often used as a reference in diet to control high blood sugar (glucose) levels.
Understanding the glycemic index of a food will make it easier for you to control the diabetes you have. The definition of the glycemic index (GI) is a number (on a scale of 1-100) which indicates how quickly carbohydrate foods are processed into glucose in the body.
The higher the GI value of a food, the faster the carbohydrates in the food are processed into glucose. This means, the faster your blood sugar increases. One of the ingredients that include low GI is coconut sugar.
From the results of checking, coconut sugar has a glycemic index of 51, lower than the glycemic index of white sugar which is 100.
Coconut sugar is made from the liquid found in coconut trees, in contrast to palm sugar.
How To Process?
The manufacturing process includes two stages. First, we have to cutting the flowers from the tree so that the liquid can be collected in containers. Then, the liquid is heated until most of the liquid content evaporates.
The end result is a brownish liquid with a grainy texture. The color is very similar to regular sugar but the particle size is smaller. Considering the natural process, coconut sugar still contains nutrients.
Among them are minerals such as iron, zinc, calcium, and potassium. There are also short chain fatty acids such as polyphenols and antioxidants.
There is also a fiber substance called inulin. This fiber can slow down glucose absorption, as well as answer why the glycemic index of coconut sugar is lower when compared to regular sugar.
You also need to know that the glycemic index does not stand alone in affecting blood sugar levels. There are several factors that can affect the increase in blood sugar levels, such as individual conditions, food ingredients, how food is served, other food mixtures, and the speed of the digestive process.
Also pay attention to daily carbohydrate intake because carbohydrates can be converted into glucose. So because coconut sugar also contains carbohydrates, you should consume it in the right size. Consult a doctor or nutritionist to find out the limits of your ideal sugar intake.
