Coconut Secret Raw Coconut Nectar 354ml - What we've found so far



Image borrowed from http://www.vivapure.co.uk/



We bought ours from vivapure for £7.95 + p&p, and with our U.S. readers in mind I found that whole foods stock it. The coconut secret site also has a list of stockists for anyone interested!

Today we're looking at a lovely and natural low GI sweetener. I might have mentioned before that one of us has type 2 diabetes, and that is Em. The most frustrating thing about the diagnosis is that L and I have known her for years and she is a savoury person; she only ever ate cake on birthdays and barely touched any of the sweets at christmas or Easter. So it's fair to say that she was shocked and then hugely frustrated by the diagnosis.

Being the house that we are, L and I have given up sugar so Em doesn't feel like she's all alone. She manages her diabetes through diet and we have wised up to all of the possibilities out there. But we are also very careful about introducing new foods and have a strict vetting process. It is always best to research and check with your doctor before trying any new foods if you have a medical condition.

Coconut nectar is made from the sap of coconut palm tree blossoms, rates 35 on the GI scale and has high levels of Frucctooligosaccharide (that's FOS to you and me) which is a prebiotic inulin that promotes digestive health and supports a healthy digestive system. FOS is  And, for all raw foodies out there, it is completely raw.

It tastes like a cross between maple syrup and caramelised sugar, and has a lovely thick consistency which isn't as heavy or sticky as golden syrup. It's not quite the same as agave nectar, which has a lower GI (between 11 and 19) but has much higher levels of fructose, in that you don't need to use as much when cooking/uncooking. Coconut nectar also needs to be warmed up in a bain marie and mixed with coconut oil or vanilla extract to get a smooth consistency ready for chocolate making...or pouring over waffles and pancakes. So far we've made cakes, chocolate bars and Em's breakfast cereal with coconut nectar and they've all come out beautifully.

After the Lavera mascara mishap we're going to postpone rating. We've still got a bit more testing to do...