In Canada, no ski hill is complete without a “sugar shack”, which consists of incorporating the cold of the snow with delicious maple syrup. It may sound like yet another way to indulge the sweet tooth, but scientists at the University of Tokyo‘s Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences are publishing a study saying that there are benefits to this sugar syrup over other types: it improves liver functioning in rats.
It’s been well documented that white sugar is the worst kind you can put into your body: natural sweeteners are much better for you, and honey and agave nectar have been touted as some good alternatives. However, maple syrup improving liver function is nothing to scoff at, so this is another one we can add onto the health-foods list and keep around as a pancake partner.
But there’s more to this natural sweetener thing that just health: the benefit of natural sweeteners over artificial is quite well established, and this study was funded by producers of maple syrup in Canada — however, that shouldn’t make the results any less true; perhaps they simply wanted to get this subject onto researchers’ radars. The real benefit behind news like this is much bigger than one’s choice of breakfast syrup.
Choosing natural sweeteners like honey and maple syrup provides a great opportunity for people to get to know their local artisans and farmers. Given the decline of the bee population, local honey production may be a great way to learn more about this very valuable insect while at the same time supporting a local farmer. Although Canada may have the majority of the maple syrup market cornered, those of us in the States may still be able to support small producers by opting for the real stuff — tough economic times cross borders, you know. And as we learn about the benefits of natural food, we should make an effort to expand our horizons — or, rather, look no further than our own local neighborhood. You may not have a honey producer or a maple syrup artisan in your neighborhood, or even state; you may even live in a food desert — but someone, somewhere around you, is making a living with a local business. Today (or the whole week), skip the big corporations and support them instead.
Follow the Utopianist on Twitter and Facebook.
Featured image: whitneyinchicago/Flickr, cc via UPI
