Maple Syrup

[SHAMALICIOUS]

How unhealthy is maple syrup? Im quite addicted at the moment, i have about 3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup in a glass of milk every day! lol I wanted to know whether i should cut down, n if i can expect for my clothes to be getting tighter!

 

[Alix]

How unhealthy is maple syrup? Im quite addicted at the moment, i have about 3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup in a glass of milk every day! lol I wanted to know whether i should cut down, n if i can expect for my clothes to be getting tighter!

I think 3 tbsps a day is fine (unless you are diabetic) the stuff is basically just sugar. Mmmmmmmmmmm, I LOVE maple syrup.

 

[Loprraine]

I've never thought about it, but I probably only have it once a month. Love the stuff!!!

 

[FryBoy]

I doubt it's a problem unless you have diabetes or are trying to lose weight -- maple syrup is loaded with sugar and calories.

A quarter cup (4 tablespoons) of pure maple syrup (60mL) has 53 grams of carbs, which are all sugars, and 200 calories. That translates to 13.25 grams of sugar and 50 calories per tablespoon, or about 40 grams of sugar carbs and 150 calories in your daily dose of 3 tablespoons.

That may not sound like a lot, but 150 extra calories per day will add one pound of fat to your body every three weeks, or about 16 pounds per year, assuming you don't cut back on your intake of other foods.

BTW, I've been a big fan of Trader Joe's since about 1970. One of my favorite things from TJ's is their Canadian Maple Syrup, about $4 for a 12.5 ounce bottle of Grade A. Beats the heck out of those gawdawful "artificial maple flavor" pancake syrups sold in the supermarket.

 

[The Z]

...I've been a big fan of Trader Joe's since about 1970. One of my favorite things from TJ's is their Canadian Maple Syrup, about $4 for a 12.5 ounce bottle of Grade A. Beats the heck out of those gawdawful "artificial maple flavor" pancake syrups sold in the supermarket.

There are a few different flavors of 'Grade A'. I prefer the Grade A Dark Amber for its richer Maple flavor... Grade B is good for that, too.

Z

 

[ChefJune]

Oh My! I love Maple syrup and maple flavored desserts (think pound cake, and mousse!) For years I've refused to order pancakes in any restaurant that doesn't serve real maple syrup because I can't abide that flavored corn syrup.

 

[Chef_Jen]

MMmm mapleeeee syyyrrrupp its the canadian in me what can i say!

But make sure its REAL maple syurp NOT Pancake syrup or Aunt Jemima..

 

[SHAMALICIOUS]

Thanks for your replies everyone

Alix - If the stuff is basically sugar, it cannot be too good for the waistline, lol. .

Fryboy - I think i shall have to cut down either the amount of tablespoons, or the amount of times i have it! Its going to be difficult, to say the least lol

 

[Alix]

Three tbsps is easy to wear off though. Run up and down some stairs, do a couple loads of laundry...TA DA!!

 

[mudbug]

shamalicious, would using some maple extract and one tablespoon of Splenda help at all?

 

[FryBoy]

Three tbsps is easy to wear off though. Run up and down some stairs, do a couple loads of laundry...TA DA!!

Unfortunately, Alix, running up and down the stairs a few times ain't quite enough.

A 154-pound person burns only about 100 calories for every mile he or she walks or runs. Thus to burn off the 150 calories in three tablespoons of maple syrup consumed daily, a 154-pound person would have to walk 1.5 miles, or about 30 minutes at a decent pace of 3 miles per hour, each day.

The number of calories burned by walking or running varies with a person's weight; a larger person burns more, and a smaller person burns fewer calories, when he or she walks or runs a mile.

Here's a link to the USDA's calorie and exercise chart: http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/calories_used_table.html

Know thine enemy!

 

[Alix]

FryBoy, I was being facetious. Sorry that didn't come across. Dang its tough sometimes to make a joke on here! Need more smileys!

I'm well aware of how much exercise is required to wear off those calories. (And we Canadians use the Canada Food Guide as our nutrition bible.)

Sorry, also just noticed the 50 calories/tbsp...YIKES!

We could also get technical and talk about it being easier to burn off simple sugars vs complex ones and do the whole glycemic index thing, but really Shamalicious, a couple tbsps of maple syrup a day isn't going to kill you as long as you don't overdo with everything else in your diet.

 

[FryBoy]

FryBoy, I was being facetious. Sorry that didn't come across. Dang its tough sometimes to make a joke on here! Need more smileys!

It is hard to tell sometimes, especially when the joke is about something that so many people don't understand, or chose to ignore.

 

[FryBoy]

a couple tbsps of maple syrup a day isn't going to kill you as long as you don't overdo with everything else in your diet.

It isn't a question of not overdoing it with everything else in one's diet, it's the need to eliminate something from that diet to offset the 150 calories per day from the maple syrup.

If you require 2000 calories a day to maintain your weight, and you add 150 on top of that, you'll gain nearly 1.5 pounds per month!

Life is about choices. If you chose the daily dose of syrup, you have two options: forego something else or grow a butt the size of the Canadian Province of Alberta.

 

[Andy M.]

...grow a butt the size of Alberta.

My sister Alberta takes exception to that comment.

 

[FryBoy]

My sister Alberta takes exception to that comment.

Horrors! Lest I offend your beloved sister, I have edited the comment to read "Canadian Province of Alberta." Which I think is bigger than Texas (not your sister, the state).

 

[Andy M.]

Horrors! Lest I offend your beloved sister, I have edited the comment to read "Canadian Province of Alberta." Which I think is bigger than Texas (not your sister, the state).

 

[mudbug]

I don't think you are off the hook yet, FryBioy. Alix lives in Edmonton, which if I am not mistaken is located in the province of Alberta.

 

[daisy]

Well, it's not exactly good for the waist-line, but it has its good points. So for those of us who are addicted to it, and by way of pointing out that there's always an upside as well as a downside. So we can feel virtuous if you use it!!

Maple: Spring sap syrup is taken as a liver tonic, a kidney cleanser and a cough syrup. A tea of the inner bark is taken for coughs or diarrhoea and is diuretic, expectorant and a blood purifier. A compound infusion of the bark has been used as drops in treating blindness. The sap has been used for treating sore eyes. Maple syrup is used in cough syrups and is also said to be a liver tonic and kidney cleanser.

 

[Constance]

Sorry, also just noticed the 50 calories/tbsp...YIKES!

YIKES is right!.....Butter is, I believe, 60 calories/tbsp. I usually put a pat or two on top of my 2 pancake stack BEFORE I start pouring on the syrup.
I don't eat pancakes very often, but thanks to dear friend Kadesma, my husband has learned how to make fantastic French toast.