Most people used refined white sugar as their food and drink sweetener. Nowadays, consuming white sugar is considered unhealthy by many experts and may cause blood sugar spike which in turn cause some diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity, cancer, etc.
This is, of course, only occur if the intake is too much or the person is diabetic. Based on this phenomenon, many producer provide man-made sweetener that said to be much safer than refined sugar. But, many nutritionist said they are even riskier to be consumed. The only solution if you really like sweet foods is to try any variety of raw sugars.
Studies have been shown raw sugar to be healthier and more natural, being minimally processed and still contains high level of nutrients and dietary fiber. It is the closest form a sugar cane can be processed. Raw sugar often called natural brown sugar or whole cane sugar. There are multiple varieties of raw sugar though, depend on sugar cane hybrid and species, how it is made, and where the sugar is produced.
Types of Demerara Sugar
There are two types of raw sugar, one is a natural brown sugar that still retains original amount of molasses from when it’s still unprocessed sugar cane juice, and the other is natural brown sugar that has been centrifuged to remove all the molasses. The brown sugars that are not centrifuged are called by various names according to their country, e.g. panela, muscovado, jaggery, rapadura, piloncilo, etc. The other ones that contain almost no molasses from their original liquor are called Turbinado, Demerara, and raw sugars. These kinds of “raw” sugars are sold world wide in market, or shipped to refinery to produce white sugar. (See also : Health Benefits of White Tea and Pomegranate)
One of centrifuged natural brown sugar is Demerara. Demerara sugar is originally founded and produced in Guyana (formerly Demerara). But these days, most productions are performed in Mauritius. Demerara sugar’ crystals are large and gold in colour. Experts say that it is healthier than refined white sugar, because it still retains vitamins and minerals present innately in sugar cane.
This means Demerara sugar is very likely to have health benefits. Indeed, the fact Demerara sugar has long been used as folk medicine to cure a wide-range of diseases. It has been a subject on significant amount of researches. A scientific paper also mentioned Demerara sugar to be effective on anemia subject. (Also read : Benefits of Guava for Anemia)
So, what are those health benefits of Demerara sugar? Continue reading if you want to find out.
NUTRITIONAL VALUE OF DEMERARA SUGAR
Every 100 g of Demerara sugar contains chemical substances, constituents, nutrients, vitamins, and minerals as listed below :
- 1.576 kJ (377 kcal) Energy
- 97.33 g Carbohydrates
- 96.21 g Sugars
- 0 g Dietary fiber
- 0 g Fat
- 0 g Protein
- 0.008 mg (1%) Thiamine (B1)
- 0.007 mg (1%) Riboflavin (B2)
- 0.082 mg (1%) Niacin (B3)
- 0.026 mg (2%) Vitamin B6
- 1 μg (0%) Folate (B9)
- 85 mg (9%) Calcium
- 1.91 mg (15%) Iron
- 29 mg (8%) Magnesium
- 22 mg (3%) Phosphorus
- 133 mg (3%) Potassium
- 39 mg (3%) Sodium
- 0.18 mg (2%) Zinc
- 1.77 g Water
These are the nutritional values of Demerara sugar. Now, to fulfill your curiosity, here are the health benefits of Demerara sugar (Also read : Health Benefits of Youthberry Tea):
1. It removes the dead cells on the surface of your skin
When you use regular salt to lift the dead cells and exfoliate, it can cause micro tears in the skin. You can use Demerara sugar as substitute for the salt because it is softer and it helps to keep your skin hydrated by maintaining moisture, instead drying it out. This raw sugar will softly remove the dead cells’ traces on your skin, thereby revealing a beautiful, soft, and bright skin.
2. It moisturizes your skin
Because of its humectant properties, Demerara sugar can be used as an alternative skin moisturizer. It encourages the hydration of your skin, and maintain the moisture. You can also use Demerara sugar as facial moisturizer and treatment, as it will retain moisture of the skin, so your skin will look healthy and elastic (not stiff). (You may want to read : Health Benefits of White Gourd)
3. It nourishes your skin and makes it look young and healthy
Unlike synthetic skin care which can damage and irritate sensitive skin, Glycolic acid, a type of alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) found in Demerara sugar have healthier and positive effects and is important for accelerating and assisting the process of skin regeneration.
This, in turn, will provides healthier, bright, and softer skin. Because Demerara sugar is a natural source of glycolic acid (AHA), you can gain this benefit without having to worry about side effects. Some coffee scrubs products also use Demerara sugar as their ingredient due to its benefits for health especially for skin treatment. If you want to have a softer, healthier, and nice-looking skin, consider buying one of these coffee scrubs with Demerara sugar, and use them at least once a week, or more for better results.
4. It helps to prevent Vitamin B depletion and interruption of minerals metabolism
Unlike refined white sugar that contains almost no chemical compounds and only cause the blood sugar level in your body to go up, Demerara sugar still retains most of the vitamins, minerals (especially potassium), and other constituents from the mother liquor.
By that means, it has “positive side effect”. With this nutritionally superior sugar than the refined ones, you can prevent the deficiency of Vitamin B (which can cause various diseases and skin problems such as beriberi, epilepsy, acne, paresthesia, etc) and the interruption of minerals metabolism (which also can cause calcium metabolism disorders e.g. Hypocalcemia, and hypercalcemia and medical conditions that affect the bones such as osteoporosis). (You may interested in : Health Benefits of Egg White on Face)
Other health benefits of Demerara sugar (according to various researches) are :
- Boost immune system
- Reduce the inflammation in the body
- Perform the antithrombotic activity
CAUTIONS IN USING DEMERARA SUGAR
Well, although this raw sugar has superior nutritional values compared to its refined counterpart, it is not by any means, a health food, and should not used for medical purposes. It has been suspected that, if consumed in the same amount as white sugar, Demerara would still has the same effects. For that reason, Demerara sugar should not included in high amount in our diet, primarily for diabetic person.