Over the last couple of years, there’s been a mass exodus away from agave nectar for a search for more natural sweeteners that are both low on the glycemic index and high in nutrient density.  Several candidates have emerged, but the one that has risen to the top of the list is coconut sugar, which is really more like a coconut caramel sap.

This healthy sweetener is fast becoming extremely popular among the health conscious, raw foodies, vegans and vegetarians. Many have switched from agave nectar to coconut sugar for all the reasons I'm covering here.

The coconut sugar (sap) is a 100% pure organic crystallized coconut sap from Thailand.  It's harvested from the sap of unopened coconut blossoms, and then boiled under controlled heat to drive off the water and condense the liquid to a dark brown sap.

There are no additives used, no bleaching, and absolutely no stripping of minerals or other nutrients. It's not a raw food. Cooking the sap is a necessary part of concentrating it, just like with maple syrup, which is really a concentration of the watery maple sap.

The result is a thick, liquid "caramel" sap that's brown in color and extremely sweet.  It tastes almost like fudge.  Some folks even eat it like fudge.   Use it in smoothies, where it offers the most full-spectrum sweetness taste from any natural sweetener you’ll probably ever try.  Agave nectar was great, but coconut sugar is so much better – some folks claim it reminds them of the richness of raw cane sugar juice they used to drink in South America.

Works in smoothies, recipes and hot beverages!

This caramelized coconut sugar is also very handy in its sap format: It melts easily in hot beverages, it mixes easily in recipes, and it blends easily in smoothies. Amazingly, it's only 12% sugar, and it's high in potassium, magnesium, zinc and iron.  

It's also high in several key B vitamins, so eating it is not just delicious; it's also healthy!  The presence of certain trace minerals enhances the sweetness and richness of the flavor without needing high sugar content like you'll find in refined sugar.

The claimed glycemic index (GI) of this food is 35 — which is extraordinarily low for a sweetener. Use it regularly and you’ll have had no blood sugar issues at all – even for hypoglycemics and borderline diabetics who are extremely sensitive to blood sugar fluctuations.

This is the new healthy sweetener of choice: Thai coconut sugar: