De-mystifying maple syrup

I got a few questions about last week’s Reality Health Check “A spoonful of sugar.” A few readers wanted to know why I included maple syrup on my list of sugars. They’d been under the impression that maple syrup didn’t contain any sugar.

Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, maple syrup is almost ALL sugar.

And yes, this is true even for “pure” maple syrup.

The basic ingredient in maple syrup is sap from maple trees. Sap consists of two things: sugar and water. To make maple syrup, you boil the sap until the water all but evaporates and the sugar thickens to syrup consistency.

So it may not directly say “sugar” on the label. But make no mistake, maple syrup IS a form of sugar.

My advice? Top my ultimate blueberry pancakes with a pat of creamy butter and a big dollop of freshly whipped cream sweetened with a little stevia. You’ll never miss the syrup. Guaranteed.