What Is Yacon Syrup?
Yacon is a sweetened honey made from the nectar of the bee Apis mellifera. Honey bees are native to North America, but they have been disappearing due to colony collapse disorder (CCD). Bees are vital for pollinating many crops including fruits, vegetables and nuts. They also play an essential role in keeping our food supply fresh and safe.
The decline of honeybee colonies is not just a problem for humans; it’s affecting other animals too. For example, wildflower blooms have decreased dramatically because bees are dying off at an alarming rate. Other insects such as butterflies and moths have suffered greatly, and some species may go extinct altogether.
In addition to being beneficial to us, honeybees also provide a valuable service: pollination. Without them, most plants would die out. Pollinators like bees are called “keystone” organisms because without their services, many of the ecosystem functions that depend on them break down.
Honeybees make up only one type of keystone organism. There are others, such as ants and wasps, which help maintain the balance between plant growth and animal life in general. These other insects are known collectively as “numerous”.
The Earth is experiencing a drop in biodiversity, as species after species are wiped out from the face of the planet. In some places the rainforests are shrinking so rapidly they may soon be gone completely. At this pace, it won’t be long before animal life becomes nothing more than a dim memory, much like the dinosaurs that roamed the Earth millions of years ago.
If we continue destroying our environment at this rate, we may be next on this list of extinct creatures.
What is Yacon Syrup?
Yacon is a type of Peruvian ground apple that is packed with a natural sugar called fructooligosaccharides (FOS). These organic compounds are not broken down by the human digestive system, and instead they pass through the body undigested. They also do not stimulate insulin and are safe for diabetics.
The FOS works as a slow-release energy source and can help dieters feel full. Last but not least, yacón syrup is high in nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc and copper.
In Peru, the syrup from this plant has been used for many centuries by the native people for digestive health. It contains inulin, a natural sugar that provides lasting energy and also has important health benefits.
Traditionally, the syrup has been used to effectively treat diabetes and obesity, and in more recent times it has been used by endurance athletes as an energy source.
The fructooligosaccharides (FOS) content acts as a prebiotic, feeding the good bacteria in your digestive system. It can also help with weight loss by making you feel fuller with smaller portion sizes and decreasing your appetite.
In fact, it’s the same type of fiber that’s found in vegetables and whole grains. It isn’t broken down or absorbed into the bloodstream, so it has a negligible caloric value. The benefit is that it adds bulk to your stool and may help with intestinal regularity and constipation.
Yacon is also low in fructose, which means it has a low glycemic index (GI). The GI measures how quickly a carbohydrate is broken down and turned into glucose, which is then absorbed into your bloodstream.
High-GI foods cause spikes in blood sugar levels, leading to an energy spike followed by a dramatic drop. Low-GI foods provide a slow and steady source of energy.
Yacon syrup has a GI of 10, which is much lower than ordinary table sugar (60) or honey (55). It’s even lower than the GI of many whole grains such as wheat (75) and oats (72).
It’s important to note that while a low-GI food isn’t necessarily a “healthy” food, it can help you feel more full and satisfied after a meal. This is because foods with a low GI don’t cause dramatic spikes in blood sugar levels. Instead of rushing into your bloodstream, the sugars from low-GI foods are absorbed more slowly.
For people who have trouble regulating their blood sugar, low-GI foods can help ease the ups and downs.
FOS is the magic ingredient in yacon syrup that makes it so satisfying. It is a soluble fiber and makes you feel full after eating it. This means that you will feel more satisfied even if you’ve eaten a small portion size because the yacon syrup takes up space in your stomach.
The full feeling that you get can last for several hours. It’s ideal for dieters since it gives them a feeling of control and lessens the urge to snack between meals, which is what often causes people to gain weight.
If you’re on a low-calorie diet, yacon syrup might be ideal for you since it can help restrict your food intake.
Sources & references used in this article:
Yacon syrup: Principles and proccessingento by I Manrique – 2005 – books.google.com
Yacon syrup reduces postprandial glycemic response to breakfast: a randomized, crossover, double-blind clinical trial by LS Adriano, AP Dionísio, FAP de Abreu… – Food Research …, 2019 – Elsevier
Acute postprandial effect of yacon syrup ingestion on appetite: A double blind randomized crossover clinical trial by LS Adriano, AP Dionísio, FAP de Abreu… – Food Research …, 2020 – Elsevier
Sensory acceptance and characterization of yoghurt supplemented with yacon syrup and cashew apple extract as a source of bioactive compounds by AHL Mendes, AP Dionísio, CFH Mouta… – Brazilian Journal of …, 2019 – SciELO Brasil
Yacon syrup reduces postprandial glycemic response to breakfast. by LS Adriano, AP Dionísio… – … Tropical-Artigo em …, 2019 – alice.cnptia.embrapa.br
Yacon diet (Smallanthus sonchifolius, Asteraceae) improves hepatic insulin resistance via reducing Trb3 expression in Zucker fa/fa rats by H Satoh, MTA Nguyen, A Kudoh, T Watanabe – Nutrition & diabetes, 2013 – nature.com
