The Low Down onCoconut Sugar plusour Coconut Lemon

Loaf

http://www.nourishinghub.com.au

By: Simone Denny

As most of you are aware, the humble coconut is very much in vogue these days. Thereseems to be a never-ending list of coconut products on the market – from freeze driedcoconut water to coconut vinegar - there is something for everyone!

I love to use coconut products in my own cooking and raw food, not only for the flavorbut also due to the growing list of health benefits attributed to coconut products. Thebook The Coconut Miracle is great read to understand the benefits of this popularsuper food.

One ingredient I have been using in my cooking lately is Coconut Palm Sugar; it is hasa delicious caramel taste and plenty of health benefits too. In saying that, it is still aform of sugar and has similar sucrose levels to that of normal sugar – so should beused sparingly. However it is the lesser of two evils, as I will explain.

Where does Coconut Sugar come from?

Contrary to popular belief coconut sugar and palm sugar is not the same thing. PalmSugar, which you often see in Thai recipes, comes from the sap of the palmya palm,the date palm or sugar date palm. Coconut sugar on the other hand is made from thesap of cut flower buds from the coconut palm. Most of the world’s coconuts come fromthe Philippines and Indonesia.

What are the Health Benefits of Coconut Sugar?

One of greatest attributes of coconut sugar is its low GI rating – at only 35 it is muchlower than white sugar (60). GI or Glycemic Index refers to the ranking ofcarbohydrates on a scale of 0 – 100, based on the extent to which they raise bloodsugar levels after eating. It is beneficial to eat low GI foods (of which coconut sugar isclassified) as it produces gradual rises in blood sugar and insulin. People with diabetescan benefit from eating low GI foods.

Coconut sugar has a high mineral content; it is a rich source of potassium,magnesium, zinc and iron. In addition, it contains Vitamin B1, B2, B3 and B6. Whencompared to brown sugar, Coconut Sugar has twice the iron, four times themagnesium and over 10 times the amount of zinc. Coconut Sugar is unfiltered,unbleached and preservative free (note this nutritional information is from LovingEarth’s Coconut Sugar nutritional analysis)

This is useful table comparing nutritional values of different sugars

A Sugar is still a Sugar

As with all sweeteners – honey, agave, maple syrup – coconut sugar is still a sugar. Asmentioned it has a sucrose level similar to sugar (70 – 79%) and therefore, like allsugar, it should be kept to a minimum. On the up side it does have the low GI and highmineral content and it is also considered the single most sustainable sweetener in theworld by The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the World Bank.

Our favorite coconut sugars available Nourishing Hub are Loving Earth’s CoconutSugar and Power Super Foods Organic Coconut Sugar.

Below is my Lemon Coconut Loaf - a great gluten free option that makes the most of arange of coconut products....

Check out our full range of yummy coconut products. Visit http://www.nourishinghub.com.au

Lemon Coconut Loaf – Gluten Free

3/4 cup brown rice flour or coconut flour (or flour of your choice)

3/4 cup almond flour

½ cup desiccated coconut

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt

1 cup organic Greek yogurt (or natural yogurt)

1/2 cup Coconut sugar

2 large eggs + 2 egg whites

1 – 2 Tablespoons grated lemon zest

2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 teaspoons coconut essence (or vanilla essence)

1/4 cup Coconut oil

2 Tablespoons of Agave syrup (I love Carwari Agave Syrup)

Glaze:

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 2 lemons)

1/4 cup Coconut sugar

1 Tablespoon Coconut oil, melted

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and flour an 8 by 5 inch loaf pan.

Add flour, almond flour, coconut, baking powder, and salt into a mixing bowl.

In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, coconut sugar, eggs, lemon juice, lemonzest, and essence. Slowly whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Heat coconut oil and agave till melted. With a rubber spatula, fold the coconut oil andagave syrup into the batter. Mix until it forms a smooth batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 50 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Gently heat the glaze ingredients in a small pot (just to a low simmer).

When the cake is done, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes then carefully placeon a baking rack. While the cake is still warm, pour the glaze mixture over the cakeand allow it to soak in. Cool before slicing. I used Organic Ceres Coconut Chips -sprinkled on the top.

Enjoy!