I just tried organic coconut sugar for the first time and love its advertised “light caramelized flavor” in coffee. After researching coconut sugar online, I found that even though it contains just about the same calorie count as white sugar, 15-16 calories per teaspoon, coconut sugar, derived from the coconut blossom sap, has the following benefits:

• it contains vitamins, minerals (potassium, magnesium, zinc and iron) and amino acids (white sugar has no mineral content)
• it has a relatively low Glycemic Index (GI) of 35, which means it takes about twice as long as white sugar (GI of 60-80) for the body to absorb
• it is rated as a highly sustainable food (produced mostly in the Philippines and Indonesia)

Despite its benefits, though, coconut sugar is still sugar, which is great in moderation as a flavor enhancer but poor overall as a sound nutritional source.

For more information, check out these links:

• wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_sugar
• The Healthy Home Economist http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/coconut-sugar-a-healthy-and-sustainable-sweetener/
• Livestrong http://www.livestrong.com/article/367337-what-are-the-benefits-of-coconut-sugar/