There are several more ways to incorporate coconut products into your dietary regimen. The first two are sugars, so if you are giving up sugar, you may not want to use these particular products. However, if you just want a “healthy” sugar, these may do it!

Coconut sugar

Coconut sugar is derived from tapping the sap of the coconut palm tree and boiling until it solidifies. This form of sugar still has about the same calories as cane sugar, but it’s not as high in fructose (the “evil” form of sugar 😉 ). Coconut sugar is 70 to 79% sucrose and only three percent to nine percent each of fructose and glucose which is a good advantage over the cane sugars. You can use coconut sugar in your recipes without having to change any measurements. It’s a 1:1 ratio.

Coconut nectar

The nectar is made similarly to the coconut sugar, but its form is more like honey. Again, it’s still sugar, but it could be labeled, “Better for you”.

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There were a few things I missed having when starting this whole journey. Soy sauce was one of them, since I was not allowed any form of soy. Then I found out about Coconut Aminos. First of all, amino acids are super important for your health. They are typically called, “the building blocks of proteins”. Protein is essential to our good health, so it’s a good idea to have more amino acids in our diets. Here are some of the products from the website.

Coconut Aminos- Soy Free Seasoning Sauce

Although it’s not quite the same flavor as regular soy sauce, it’s a good substitute. You’ve gotta love the ingredients: Organic coconut sap aged and blended with Sun-Dried, Mineral-Rich Sea Salt. That’s it! Ever read the label on a bottle of regular soy sauce??? Don’t have one handy? Well, here’s one from my cupboard:

Don’t know about you, but if I can’t picture an ingredient in my head, I avoid it! Who knows what “Hydrolyzed Soy Protein” or “Dextrose” look like? “Caramel color”, I can picture, but it sounds unnatural to me.

Coconut vinegar

What?!?! That’s gotta be weird, right? Actually, it works! There have been studies that compare coconut vinegar with apple cider vinegar. According to these, coconut vinegar is BETTER FOR YOU than apple cider vinegar! And we all know that people are raving about the benefits of apple cider vinegar. You might want to try it sometime. Just think how healthy your vinaigrette would be!

Shredded coconut

Finally, no discussion of coconut products should leave out our favorite, shredded coconut! Yum!

Most of you may pick up a bag of shredded coconut and not think twice. Were you aware that most include sugar? I’d never thought of it before, but yep, there’s sugar in our favorite blue bag of shredded coconut. Now, a lot of companies are getting “with it”, and coming out with Unsweetened Coconut. Sure, it’s not as sweet, but coconut meat is fairly sweet on its own, and since you are usually cooking/baking with it, you can always add more of your favorite sweetener. Believe me, my Coconut Macaroons are PLENTY sweet! Here’s the recipe:

Coconut Macaroons

6 egg whites
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp. unsweetened vanilla (You can check out this blog to find where to get it cheaply)
2 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut

Directions: Beat egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in the honey, vanilla, and the coconut. Line muffin pan with paper cupcake liners, filling each cup 3/4 full. Bake at 300F for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.

My Las Vegas friends could probably bake these in their cars during the summer! 😉 hehe Hope you all enjoy!