All right, let's say that another way: Coconut sugar is not equal to palm sugar.

Consumers have found it confusing. They now know there's Coco Palm Sugar but all they often see are "Palm Sugars" in the market. So, what's the difference and how can you tell them apart.

The good news is that I'm happy that people have discovered about coco palm sugars. Now, the bad news is how to tell them apart from the generic "palm sugar" moniker.

You may have heard of sugar palm trees. They're actually a reference for a group of palm trees from which sugars or syrups are derived, and not a particular kind of palm tree.

The palm sugar trees are:

The sucrose concentration in fresh coconut sap is about 12% (ave.) by weight, although
this varies from tree to tree, tree variety, and may range from 10% to over 14%.

Namnam Coco Palm Sugar is made by boiling the sap until it becomes
increasingly more concentrated and sweeter right up to the point where

Wholesome carbohydrates are the best choices for fueling your muscles and promoting good health. Unfortunately, confusion about carbohydrates as to what they are and how much of it to eat, keeps people from properly balancing their diet. Most people specially while trying to loose weight view carbohydrates as one of the biggest enemies that get into the way of their success. Foods containing carbohydrate cannot be simply lumped together and denounced as bad for us based on the fact that they raise our blood glucose and insulin levels.

(with sincere apologies to Douglas Adams.)

This question is asked often enough and definitely deserves a page of its own.

A practical, hands-on experience is never the same as theoretical information, but this, I hope, would be helpful for those who want to know how it's done.

A table showing the sugar components of coco palm sugar. Unlike cane sugar, coco palm sugar also contains fructose and glucose in it. Fructose and glucose are known together as invert sugar. These two are said to be a factor that gives coco palm sugar its complex sweet  taste.

Invert sugars are produced by the splitting of sucrose, commonly by the action of microorganisms and naturally occurring acids. Some of the sucrose in sap is converted to invert sugar as a result of microbial fermentation during handling and processing.

The latest discovery is that coconut sap sugar has been clinically tested as the best sugar substitute for diabetics and health buffs, as it is without side effects, says the Philippine Coconut Authority (Philcoa).

Erlene C. Concibido-Manohar, Philcoa project development officer, said that the brown-colored coconut sap sugar is derived not from the nut but from the toddy or sweet sap from which the locally made wine tuba is also made.

It is also suited for those who are meticulously managing their weights. Moreover, it gives slower increase in blood sugar response when consumed because of the fructose content.

Now dubbed as “health food,” coconut sap sugar (CSS) has been developed and improved through research done by the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Coconut Authority (DA-PCA). And the good news is that it is ready for commercialization.

A broadside for the war against artificial sweeteners from one of my favorite foodie blogger:

End of love affair with Splenda

There is nothing natural about Splenda. It is as artificial as Equal,
NutraSweet and all the other sugar substitutes out there. The “made with sugar” tagline has proved misleading to many people but that’s really the intention. When did truth and advertising ever go together? Most times, it is the wrong impression that makes a product such a hit.