Hi Healthy People!

Did you know the sugar in boba tea? Many people think the sugar in boba tea is palm sugar. That is NOT palm sugar but brown sugar.

So, what is the difference between palm sugar and brown sugar? The main difference between palm sugar and brown sugar is the main ingredient. Palm sugar is the product of palm tree flower sap. The sap is the main ingredient for the palm sugar. On the other hand, brown sugar is the product of sugar cane and molasses.

Which one is better, palm sugar or brown sugar? In general, brown sugar is sweeter than the brown sugar. However, palm sugar has more health benefits than brown sugar. So, palm sugar could be a healthy substitute sweetener for your food.

What exactly are the health benefits of palm sugar? According to the research at Universitas Muhammadiyah Metro, the glycemic index of palm sugar is slightly lower than white sugar by 35 points.

The glycemic index is a way of classifying food based on how quickly consumption of its carbohydrates increases blood sugar levels. Values range from 1 (the slowest) to 100 (the fastest, the index of pure glucose). However, how quickly the level actually increases also depends on what other foods are ingested at the same time and other factors.

Furthermore, palm sugar is a low-calorie sweetener compared to other sugar such as white sugar. Palm sugar also contains food fiber which is good for digestion and lowering cholesterol.

So what will you choose? Palm sugar or Brown sugar?

Reference: Sonya, N. T., & Lydia, S. H. R. (2021). Analisis kandungan gula reduksi pada gula semut dari nira aren yang dipengaruhi pH dan kadar air. BIOEDUKASI (Jurnal Pendidikan Biologi), 12(1), 101-108.