Coffee using palm sugar is currently being trendy sold by various local coffee shops. Well, curious about you, what is the healthier way to drink coffee: use plain white sugar or use palm sugar? Find out the answer below.
Comparison of the nutritional content between white sugar and palm sugar
Comparison of the nutritional content between white sugar and palm sugar
Many people now prefer to mix coffee using palm sugar instead of ordinary sugar. The reason is, because the people say palm sugar is healthier. Why is palm sugar considered superior to white sugar?
White sugar is made from sugar cane, while palm sugar is made from nira (liquid coming out of the palm tree trunk). White sugar is a food source that is only high in calories but the nutrition is minimal, even almost zero, while palm sugar is enriched by some minerals needed by the body.
The study found that palm sugar contains potassium, phosphorus, zinc, iron, manganese, copper, to small doses of antioxidants, such as polyphenols, flavonoids, and anthocyanidins. Palm sugar is also rich in vitamin B8 (inositol), folic acid, vitamin B1 (thiamine), and vitamin B2 (riboflavin) which functions to form healthy cells.
The glycemic value of palm sugar is lower than ordinary white sugar
In addition to its nutritional content, palm sugar also far outperforms white sugar in terms of glycemic value. From the score range 0-100, the glycemic index value of white sugar is 100 while palm sugar has a glycemic value of around 35. The higher the glycemic value, the faster the food increases blood sugar.
Palm sugar is one of the alternative sweeteners with a low glycemic index also thanks to the fiber content of the food in it called inulin. Inulin fiber is known to keep blood sugar levels normal.
Can you drink coffee using palm sugar is healthier?
From various aspects, palm sugar is indeed far superior to ordinary white sugar. But after all, palm sugar is still sugar.
Palm sugar is still sugar which can increase the amount of calorie intake. Excessive calorie intake is related to the risk of weight gain, to chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. That's why we must still limit the amount of sugar intake in food and drinks everyday to prevent unwanted risks.
Whatever the type of sugar, the recommended limit for the portion of sugar for Indonesians in a day is 50 grams of sugar, equivalent to 5-9 teaspoons. This limit has been determined by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia.
The portion of coffee drink also needs to be limited
Regardless of drinking coffee using palm sugar or white sugar, how much you drink coffee actually needs to be noticed. Even if you use a little sugar, if you drink coffee too much, sugar intake will certainly increase, right?
Not only is the sugar content a problem. Coffee contains a lot of caffeine which also needs to be limited. Per day you are allowed to drink only 2-3 cups of coffee, or about 400 to 600 mg of caffeine.
To reduce caffeine intake, you should choose decaf coffee, which is coffee freely or with a small amount of caffeine.
In order for your coffee drinking habits to stay healthy, don't forget to rearrange your coffee time. Do not be too early in the stomach condition is still empty because it can make you stomach ache. Not even in the afternoon or night that can make you sleepless.
