Maple Syrup – The Precious Caramel Liquid in the Kitchen Cabinet

Maple syrup – which gained popularity through sensational weight loss diets, known as the weight loss method of Beyoncé and a host of other Hollywood celebrities, is actually an extremely tempting natural sweetener with many valuable qualities for the body.

Maple syrup is obtained from the sugar maple, which grows only in North America. It is the vital sap of the sugar maple, which distributes the necessary nutrients throughout the tree.

Indeed, in its history, maple syrup has been used mainly as a natural sweetener; in recent years, it has become sensationally famous primarily as a means of instant weight loss.

We will pay more attention to the nutritional composition of maple syrup and its benefits for our body. Of course, we will also look at the popular cleansing/weight loss regimes. 

Maple syrup is very often contrasted with honey. Regardless of whose comments are more favorable, the truth is that both products are a natural treasure with their own advantages. Quite different in origin, Bulgarian honey and Canadian maple syrup rightly have a place next to each other on the kitchen shelf.

Besides being an extremely tempting natural sweetener, with a caramel color, taste, and aroma that vary in intensity, its nutritional qualities are by no means to be underestimated. An interesting advantage as a natural sweetener is that it can replace sugar in all areas of its application, regardless of the cooking temperature of the given food. The truth is that maple syrup is low in vitamins (with the exception of B vitamins) and rich in minerals, which are not so susceptible to heat treatment.

One of the main advantages highlighted for maple syrup is that it has a pronounced sweet taste, but actually contains natural "tree" glucose instead of sucrose.

However, maple syrup also contains over 20 antioxidants, which makes it a wonderful tasty helper for the body's cleansing processes. Its sweet taste has a mild laxative effect, and in combination with minerals (among which zinc is perhaps first), it stimulates digestion.

And last but not least, maple syrup is an extremely good source of minerals, some of them in truly enviable quantities. This nutritional composition makes it so valuable for bone, hair, nail, and skin health. At the same time, it is significantly lower in calories than honey, sugar, and other natural sweeteners.

The mineral manganese is distinguished by its high content – in 100g of maple syrup, it reaches over 100% of the recommended daily dose.

contributes to normal metabolism and energy production;

contributes to the maintenance of normal bone condition;

contributes to the normal formation of connective tissue;

contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress.

And here is the vitamin, most significantly represented quantitatively – Riboflavin (B2) – about 40% of the recommended daily dose:

• contributes to normal metabolism and energy production;


• contributes to the normal functioning of the nervous system;


• contributes to the maintenance of the normal condition of mucous membranes;


• contributes to the maintenance of the normal condition of red blood cells;


• contributes to the maintenance of normal skin condition;


• contributes to the maintenance of normal vision;


• contributes to the normal metabolism of iron;


• contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress;


• contributes to the reduction of feelings of fatigue and tiredness. 

The indicated percentages vary according to each "harvest" of maple syrup. The maple syrup that reaches the market is actually concentrated natural tree sap. It is obtained by literally piercing the bark of the tree; after a processing step, it thickens and thereby naturally concentrates its nutrients.

However, different grades (Grade A; Grade C) do NOT mean different quality from the production process. Different grades actually indicate the period of the year when the maple syrup was obtained. The tree sap itself has different nutritional characteristics depending on the season – accordingly, more or less rich in nutrients. The truth is that syrup with a higher concentration of minerals is also sweeter in taste, with a more intense aroma and a richer color.

The regime with maple syrup, lemon juice, and ginger is considered a healthy alternative for quick weight loss. Is that so? In principle, when excess weight is accumulated, more serious measures to reduce it will inevitably cause stress to the body, but on the other hand, there are all the benefits – easing the work of all organs and systems, expelling accumulated waste products and toxins.

for the body – this is a type of fasting, i.e., all the energy needed for digestive processes is redirected to break down accumulated unnecessary fats and expel unnecessary substances and stored waste products;

at the same time, however, it supplies the body with minerals – one of the main problems of regimes based on liquid cleansing;

lemon juice is extremely alkaline for the body, which is important especially during an intensive cleansing and toxin expulsion process;

ginger – keeps the metabolism "awake" – quite literally – a magical root with countless beneficial properties, but here mainly to keep the metabolism in shape. Extremely useful for digestion, a powerful antioxidant with antibacterial properties. Ginger is an essential part of the regime, with enormous significance for the cleansing process.

However, we cannot fail to note that any weight loss and/or body cleansing regime must be combined with physical activity. In this way, internal organs are naturally stimulated, which is very important in a state of active cleansing. Last but not least, physical activity maintains muscles and prevents muscle mass breakdown at the expense of fat.

You can very easily include this "concocted" healthy cocktail in your daily life – drink it on an empty stomach, replace one of your meals, or spend a whole day on this liquid, for example, on a full moon ;-).

You won't regret it if you haven't tried maple syrup yet – do it – it's also very suitable for pancakes, yogurt, oatmeal, and a host of other uses.