July 10th 2009 Maple Syrup: Fun for Your Taste Buds, Good for Your Health

Do you love eating sweets? Sure, sugar can quickly energize you, but it doesn’t last for long. Actually, excessive intake of sugar can harm your health. Processed white sugar causes tooth decay, cholesterol buildup, and decrease of B-vitamin levels in the body. Sugar doesn’t contain fiber or nutrients to keep the body functioning well. It is rich in calories, which are stored as fats when they’re not used by the body.

There’s a healthier alternative that’s just as sweet as sugar: maple syrup. You can still satisfy your craving for sweet foods while keeping your body healthy by making maple syrup a part of your daily diet. You can find many uses for maple syrup in your daily life including maple sugar candy and maple syrup recipe ideas. This thick amber liquid, which is made from the sap of maple trees, offers a host of health benefits besides enhancing the flavor of any food. Maple syrup is a more nutritious sweetener than sugar, even if it has a high sugar content. It has more minerals and fewer calories than sugar and honey. A ? cup of maple syrup contains more calcium than milk and more potassium than a banana. Maple syrup is a rich source of phosphorous, iron, and B vitamins, which are very essential to your health. What’s more, you have lower risk of diseases when you use maple syrup instead of sugar.

Because it contains manganese, maple syrup can help improve your energy production and antioxidant defenses. Aside from being an antioxidant, manganese also facilitates healing and reduces inflammations. Just one ounce of maple syrup a day can provide 22 percent of the recommended amount of manganese in the body. The manganese content of maple syrup is good for the immune system. Further enhancing the body’s response against infections is the zinc content of maple syrup. Zinc is also good for the heart. An essential trace mineral, zinc can minimize the likelihood of heart problems such as stroke, heart attack, and atherosclerosis or the buildup of cholesterol in the arteries. When it comes to reproductive health, men benefit a lot from maple syrup since its zinc content reduces the risk of prostate cancer. On the other hand, manganese in maple syrup contributes to sex hormone production in men.

Maple syrup is not dangerous to health compared to processed white sugar. This nutritious product contains very small amount of sodium at about 2 mg. per 50 mL. Low sodium content means maple syrup won’t pose a threat to people with high blood pressure, kidney ailment, or diabetes. Also, maple syrup doesn’t contain substances that interfere with the various functions of the body such as purines, oxalates, and goitrogens. It doesn’t cause allergies in most people, too.

When you use maple sugar as an alternative to sugar, you get to enjoy both its sweetness and health benefits. Thus, it pays to lessen your intake of sugar and make sure that you buy your own supply of maple syrup on your next visit at the local supermarket. Making sure that you have maple syrup equipment can mean the difference between an unhealthy and a healthy you.

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July 10th 2009 How to Get Maple Syrup for Cooking in Your Kitchen

If you wish to make maple syrup at home, the first thing you must accomplish is to collect some fresh sap from a maple tree.You can do this by finding one or more maple trees. Sugar Maple is the type of maple tree with the highest amount of sugar. Nevertheless, the other types such as Ash-leafed Maple, Silver Maple and Red Maple can also be used, although you will not be getting sap as sweet as that of the Sugar Maple tree. The Sugar Maple is the best to use for making maple sugar candy or maple cookie recipe. Furthermore, you need to be certain that the trees you pick have at least a diameter of ten inches and a height of four and a half feet.
The next thing you should do is to drill a hole in the trunk of the tree.This hole must be 2-3 inches deep and 7/16 inch wide. Clean the hole if there are any loose wood present. Once you have done this, use a hammer and lightly tap a spout into the hole. A spout is available in hardware shops, feed stores and farm supply stores.
Get a clean bucket and hang it onto the spout to catch the maple sap as it drips out. This bucket should be non-corrosive. Furthermore, a container with a lid is recommended because this will prevent any matter such as wood, insects and rainwater from falling into the sap.
Once you have collected enough sap, put it in containers and have it refrigerated until you are prepared to proceed to the boiling process and turn it into syrup. Note that if you want to make a lot of maple syrup, you also need to collect more than a lot of sap. This is because only one gallon of maple syrup can be made from 40 gallons of sap!
The boiling is needed because fresh sap is about 98% water and only 2% sugar. Therefore, in order for much water to evaporate, you need to boil it. Use a pot or pan that is made of stainless steel for boiling. It is better to boil the sap outdoors because there will surely be intense steam.
The sap with better quality is the sap that boils faster. When the sap first begins to boil, determine its temperature and take note of it. Later on, you will need again this initial temperature. Go back indoors and complete the boiling there once the sap starts to become thick. Measure the temperature of the sap from time to time. You will know that it is ready when its temperature is already hotter than the initial temperature by 7 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once the syrup is ready, use a food-approved filter, strainer, or clean cheesecloth and strain the syrup so that any trace of debris and crystallized sugars can be removed. And that is it; you have now created your very own maple syrup at home! You can even make different organic grade b maple syrup.

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July 8th 2009 Maple Syrup: Great for Your Mouth, Great for Your Health

Got a sweet tooth? Sure, sugar can quickly energize you, but it doesn’t last for long. In fact, too much sugar is bad for your health. Processed white sugar causes tooth decay, cholesterol buildup, and decrease of B-vitamin levels in the body. Sugar doesn’t contain fiber or nutrients to keep the body functioning well. It is rich in calories, which are stored as fats when they’re not used by the body.

Maple syrup, which is sweet as sugar, is a more nutritious substitute. You can still satisfy your craving for sweet foods while keeping your body healthy by making maple syrup a part of your daily diet. You can find many uses for maple syrup in your daily life including maple sugar candy and maple syrup recipe ideas. This thick amber liquid, which is made from the sap of maple trees, offers a host of health benefits besides enhancing the flavor of any food. Maple syrup is a more nutritious sweetener than sugar, even if it has a high sugar content. Compared to honey and sugar, maple syrup has fewer calories and more minerals. A quarter cup of maple syrup has more potassium than a banana and more calcium than milk. Maple syrup is a rich source of phosphorous, iron, and B vitamins, which are very essential to your health. What’s more, you have lower risk of diseases when you use maple syrup instead of sugar.

Maple syrup can boost antioxidant defenses and production of energy, thanks to its manganese content. Aside from being an antioxidant, manganese also facilitates healing and reduces inflammations. About 22 percent of the recommended manganese content in the body can be supplied by daily intake of an ounce of maple syrup. The manganese content of maple syrup is good for the immune system. Further enhancing the body’s response against infections is the zinc content of maple syrup. Zinc is also good for the heart. Zinc is known as an essential trace mineral that can lower the risk of atherosclerosis (accumulation of cholesterol and other substances in the arteries), heart attack, and stroke. When it comes to reproductive health, men benefit a lot from maple syrup since its zinc content reduces the risk of prostate cancer. On the other hand, manganese in maple syrup contributes to sex hormone production in men.

Unlike refined white sugar, maple syrup won’t harm your health in any way. This nutritious product contains very small amount of sodium at about 2 mg. per 50 mL. Low sodium content means maple syrup won’t pose a threat to people with high blood pressure, kidney ailment, or diabetes. Maple syrup is free from substances such as oxalates, goitrogens, and purines that can get in the way of proper bodily functions. It doesn’t cause allergies in most people, too.

Sweet taste and good health can go hand in hand when you use maple syrup as a substitute to unhealthy sugar. Thus, it pays to lessen your intake of sugar and make sure that you buy your own supply of maple syrup on your next visit at the local supermarket. Making sure that you have maple syrup can mean the difference between an unhealthy and a healthy you.

Filed under Food