Happy New Year, and welcome back to our blog! We hope you had a wonderful holiday filled with yummy food, great company, and of course, lots of sweet maple syrup. If you're like most, you're probably making a list of New Year's resolutions to start the year off healthy and happy. Your list probably includes things like working out more and eating better to improve your health, but one thing that may be missing from your list is your goal to eat more pure maple syrup. In part one of our short blog series, we'll explore some of the health benefits you may gain from adding more maple syrup products into your diet. Please continue reading below to learn more.
Packed with Antioxidants
One thing people may not know about pure maple syrup is that it's packed with nutrients and about 24 different antioxidants, including potassium and zinc. Antioxidants are vitamins and minerals that help fight off free radicals that cause a swath of diseases that affect the immune system, heart, and other vital organs and systems in the body. According to one study from the National Center for Biotechnology (NCBI), maple syrup is one of three sweetener options with higher antioxidant levels, especially when compared to that of refined sugars. In fact, this report suggests that substituting alternative sweeteners like white sugar with maple syrup may increase your daily average antioxidant intake similarly to eating a half a cup of nuts and berries. So go ahead, sweeten that cup of coffee with a spoonful of Ben's Pure Maple Syrup and boost your daily dose of antioxidants.
Fights Inflammation
Inflammation is an incredibly common health condition that can affect your joints, muscles, tissues, and organs. It is a biological response to skin irritations, allergens, pathogens, overuse and repetitive motions, and damaged cells. The antioxidants found in pure maple syrup can ease the symptoms associated with such common inflammatory conditions caused by injury, arthritis, and irritable bowel syndrome. Eating foods with high fructose corn syrup or foods that contain refined sugars can increase the symptoms associated with these conditions, which makes maple syrup a healthy and tasty alternative.
Can Improve Your Skin
Along with easing inflammation, eating maple syrup products can also help improve your skin's texture and appearance. The natural antioxidants in maple syrup make it the perfect ingredient for an all-natural facial mask. Try blending maple syrup with plain yogurt and rolled oats and apply this healthy mask to your face (avoiding the eyes, of course) to reduce redness and inflammation, while rehydrating the skin to combat dryness and flaking. Use this maple syrup face mask once a week. You can also use this blend as a body mask that can improve the smoothness and radiance of the skin on your arms, legs, and other regions of the body where you experience dry skin, inflammation, and redness.
Order Yours Today
These are just a few of the health benefits you may gain from eating maple syrup regularly. Join us next time as we continue looking at healthy uses for maple syrup, which can help you stick to your New Year's resolutions to improve and manage your health. Shop Ben's Sugar Shack and get stocked with pure maple syrup products for your 2018 health and wellness routine.