Today we are going to talk about Demerara sugar from Guyana. In the USA, Demerara sugar is often known as Turbinado sugar. The benefits of Demerara sugar are wonderful. Many people think Demerara sugar helps to reduce fat and lose weight. We will try to find whether Demerara sugar is a good alternative to refined sugar or not.
Refined Sugar
Are you one of those with mouth water just to smell the candy? So you may be an addict to refined sugar. It is being used for more than 500 years in our cooking. Sugar has been widely criticized by doctors and experts for making the population addict to it.
Being quickly absorbed by the body, it has the power to act as a tranquilizer by turning into serotonin in the brain, a hormone responsible for giving the sensation of pleasure and well-being, thus justifying our addiction to sweets. However, refined sugar is very dangerous, since its excessive consumption can lead to the development of diseases such as diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular problems, and obesity, that’s why many women try to eliminate it off from diet to lose weight.
Demerara Sugar What is it
So what do you do to sweeten your food without harming your health? The recommendation is to opt for other types of sugars more beneficial to the body, as is the case of Demerara sugar, which you will know in our article today.
Even being extracted from sugar cane, it is rich in essential nutrients to health, being ideal to replace refined sugar in food. Want to know more about this powerful ingredient? So, keep an eye on this post and know the benefits of Demerara sugar to the body.
Demerara sugar is an ingredient that can be used in the kitchen to replace refined sugar without causing the same health damage. Even if it is also obtained from sugarcane, what sets it apart from ordinary sugar is its production process.
Demerara Sugar Nutrition
Unlike refined sugar, demerara does not go through refinement or clarification, better conserving the nutrients present in sugarcane by protecting a film of honey around the crystals, such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, copper, and vitamins B1, B2 and B6. In addition, no chemical additives are used in its production, which makes it even more beneficial to health.
Due to its differentiated production process, its grains are larger, well granulated, and their coloration varies between yellow and light brown, which is why the ingredient is confused with brown sugar.
However, although it has practically the same properties as this, Demerara sugar has lighter pellets, which dilute more easily in contact with liquids, and do not leave as much taste of sugarcane in food.
Benefits of Demerara Sugar
Rich in essential health nutrients, which are found in large amounts in crystals compared to refined sugar, Demerara sugar can bring great benefits to the body.
To get an idea, in 100 grams of the ingredient, there are 29 milligrams of magnesium, 85 milligrams of calcium, 346 milligrams of potassium, and 22 milligrams of phosphorus, plus a good amount of vitamins B1, B2, and B6. Meanwhile, in 100 grams of refined sugar, only 2 milligrams of each of these nutrients are found.
Here are the main benefits of Demerara sugar in the body:
- Helps maintain muscle tone of the digestive tract wall;
- Improves the health of the nervous system;
- Strengthens the skin, nails, and hair;
- It does well for eye health;
- Prevents oral problems;
- Improves liver function;
- It does well for pregnant women;
- Accelerates the healing of lesions;
- Prevents and treats Anemia;
- Helps in the production of Hemoglobin;
- It is less fattening than other sugars since it has only 376 calories in 100 grams of food.
The glycemic index
It is a measurement that indicates the speed at which the sugar present in the food takes to reach the bloodstream. The glycemic index of demerara sugar (as well as a good part of the other types of sugar) is 65.
This puts the ingredient in the category of foods with a mean glycemic index that is between 56 and 69. It is important to know that the higher the glycemic index of a food, the faster it raises blood sugar levels. Rapid elevation of glucose rates, in so-called peaks, is associated with increased appetite.
However, we need to take into account the fact that one will certainly not eat pure demerara sugar. So, to know what their impact in relation to the increase of blood sugar levels and appetite, whose control influences the weight gain, it is necessary to take into account the other ingredients that accompany the product.
Does Demerara Sugar help you lose weight?
Not really. Although it contains more nutrients than refined sugar, demerara does not help you lose weight. That’s because it contains just a few calories less than the refined sugar. Demerara sugar has 376 calories in 100 grams while 387 calories are present in refined sugar – which may not be as significantly considered less when it comes to losing weight.
If you are on a diet, you can think of inserting it into your diet instead of the refined version because of its high nutritional value. About weight loss, this is not quite one of its strong characteristics.
Demerara Sugar Nutritional Information
Now look at the nutrients in demerara sugar for every 100 grams of food:
Vitamin B1: 0.01mg
Vitamin B2: 0.01mg
Vitamin B6: 0.03mg
Calcium: 85mg
Magnesium: 29mg
Copper: 0.3mg
Phosphorus: 22mg
Potassium: 346mg
Calories: 376 lime
Carbohydrate: 97.33g
Demerara Sugar Where to Buy
Turbinado sugar is becoming more popular, you may be able to buy it at some hypermarkets and supermarkets, including the internet.
Demerara Sugar Price
This type of sugar, which is darker and does not go through the process of refinement or addition of chemicals, is usually much more expensive compared to refined sugar. The average price in Brazil is $4.80 a package with 500 grams.