Thoughts on molasses and maple syrup? - PaleoHacks.com

Thoughts on molasses and maple syrup?

2010-04-18T19:03:30Z

I've seen the questions about honey and agave. I know we've discussed stevia and truvia. So what about blackstrap molasses and maple syrup? Are they better or worse than honey?

Here's some info about blackstrap molasses:

The third boiling of the sugar syrup makes blackstrap molasses. The majority of sucrose from the original juice has been crystallized, but blackstrap molasses is still mostly sugar by calories. However, unlike refined sugars, it contains significant amounts of vitamins and minerals. Blackstrap molasses is a source of calcium, magnesium, potassium, and iron; one tablespoon provides up to 20% of the daily value of each of those nutrients.

Here's some info about maple syrup:

[Maple syrup] is low in fructose compared to other popular sweeteners...

So are blackstrap molasses and/or maple syrup viable options for a sweet cheat? Is honey better?

Answer by Mama J for Thoughts on molasses and maple syrup?

2010-04-19T01:39:34Z

I, personally, go with blackstrap molasses when looking for a sweetener. I do know that it's nutrient profile is superior to almost any other. I base most of my food decisions on my taste buds and cravings (which is incredibly reliable when my system is clean of junk) and molasses is the one sweet thing that I occasionally crave, usually about 1x/month.

Obviously this is totally anecdotal, but that's all I got! ;)

Answer by Ed for Thoughts on molasses and maple syrup?

2010-04-19T01:43:39Z

From a fructose perspective, honey, maple syrup and molasses are all about 50% fructose. The monosaccharide form of fructose, which is found in corn syrup, is supposed to be the most harmful. Surprisingly, the honey has about 42gm of monosaccharide fructose per 100gm serving, while molasses has about 13gm and maple syrup has about 4gm ( http://www.reducetriglycerides.com/reader_triglycerides_low_fructose_fruit.htm ). So with regard to monosaccharide fructose, maple syrup would appear to be the least toxic.

However, in the previous thread on honey ( http://paleohacks.com/questions/3473/does-honey-sugar ) studies are cited which show that honey does not have the same harmful effects as other sweeteners, and may even be beneficial. This is probably because honey is a whole food whose ingredients have complex interactions that somehow mitigate some of the possible harm from the fructose. While maple syrup and molasses were not included in those studies, they are not whole foods. Extensive boiling probably destroys the nutritional integrity of maple syrup and molasses. For that reason, I would favor the honey despite its high monosaccharide fructose content.

Answer by Fearsclave for Thoughts on molasses and maple syrup?

2010-04-21T03:13:09Z

I lean towards re-enactment rather than nutritionism, and as I'm diabetic I steer pretty clear of sweeteners, so YMMV. That being said, there's plenty of evidence for hunter/gatherers eating honey, although I suspect that it was a very rare treat. Bees have been around since the Cretaceous and are widely distributed, so honey would have been available throughout our evolutionary history. I'm inclined to think it's probably pretty safe in moderation on that account.

Molasses is definitely neolithic.

Various Northeastern First Nations groups are known to have made maple syrup before contact; how recent a development it is is anybody's guess. Sugar maples being North American, though, we only would have had access to it very recently.

Answer by Mary Cariello for Thoughts on molasses and maple syrup?

2012-05-22T11:36:35Z

I was all for blackstrap until I read a thread from raw foods that has me totally confused. Blackstrap, according to the thread, is nothing more than charred syrup, considered by raw food ppl as "poison". the nutritional value in the molasses is completely void because of the boiling process. B vitamins cannot tolerate high heat and the raw food gang commented that the "char" in the molasses makes it an "enemy" of humans.....So, where are all the nutritional gurus out there that can make sense of the debate??

Answer by lowkster for Thoughts on molasses and maple syrup?

2012-12-05T02:11:49Z

I am basing this just on feel, this morning when I had molasses roasted pumpkins, the famous 'fog' descended on my brain. Is it because of our unique make up biologically that all of us react differently and while a food might not be paleo to you it might be paleo to me ?

Answer by Knarf for Thoughts on molasses and maple syrup?

2012-12-27T08:59:36Z

The rank of "okayness" is moot when we're consuming say, a tablespoon of the stuff. Make it a high percentage of your calories, such as 50% or higher, and the ranking of nutrient density becomes far more important.

By the time you've reached that stage though, there are definitely larger issues to deal with than the nutrient profile of different types of sugar.

Answer by Tal for Thoughts on molasses and maple syrup?

2012-12-27T13:18:28Z

use RAW honey..

and keep in mind its health properties and very much dependant the nectar source..

Manuka honey and Sidr honey for example bieng highly medicinal..

Answer by paleocurious for Thoughts on molasses and maple syrup?

2012-12-29T22:24:33Z

I don't consider molasses a good thing in that it's a lot of sugar, but I use it with my eyes wide open about what it is. It did help me add more nutrients to recover from pregnancies even before I was gluten-free.

Right now, I'm using it to transition into eating squash without needing brown sugar. It allows me to add a little of that flavor without as much sweetness until I can get used to squash without that flavor.

Answer by joanna for Thoughts on molasses and maple syrup?

2013-03-17T02:10:40Z

i am going to try molasses for my anemia. i know it's not paleo but i don't even care at this point.