Is Maple Water Paleo?
I tried Maple water in Vancouver earlier this year. I saw it in a supermarket and thought why not give it a try. And now, I get to share with you what maple water is, what I thought of it, and whether maple water is paleo or not.
What is Maple Water?
It’s the pure maple sap that runs from maple trees. At the beginning of spring, you can insert a tap into the maple tree, and maple sap will flow out. If you want to know more, then Lauren from Paleo Raccoon has written a bit more about the process.
How is Maple Water Different From Maple Syrup?
To make maple syrup, you take the maple water (or maple sap) and boil it down until it forms a syrup (basically by evaporating the water). It takes around 40 gallons of the water to get 1 gallon of maple syrup! That just shows you how little sugar is in maple water.
Is Maple Water Good For You?
Well, it’s 98% water and 2% sugar, so it’s decently good for you, unless you have blood sugar issues in which case it might be good to avoid drinking too much of it. There’s around 25-35 calories per cup (240ml) of maple water.
There’s not much science on this – it’s been drunk by people for a long time. And the companies coming out with maple water emphasize its low sugar content (as compared with coconut water) as well as its high mineral content. In particular, 1 cup of maple water contains 40% of your daily value of manganese. Maple water also supposedly contains some antioxidant polyphenols.
Maple water is pasteurized, but the companies like maple. claim that their pasteurization process doesn’t destroy the nutrients.
What Does Maple Water Taste Like?
To me, it was like flavored water (I tried the brand SEVA). It was very very mildly sweet and had a hint of maple flavor. I also thought it tasted a bit earthy or like wood. Personally, I prefer coconut water more! And this blogger preferred tap water more!
Maple Water in Recipes?
Yep, it seems to be getting popular enough that people are devising recipes using them! Here’s a Maple Mango Carrot Smoothie recipe that uses maple water.
Where Can You Buy Maple Water?
Various brands are sold in a ton of different stores in Canada already. In the US, Sprouts Farmers Market is carrying some and Whole Foods Market carries some too.
Approximate Cost: A 32 oz container costs around $4.99 to buy.
So, is Maple Water Paleo?
Short answer: Yes, but it’s only marginally better than water!
According to maple., “the indigenous people of North America were drinking maple water as a tonic long before it became common practice to boil the sap down to syrup.” And since it’s mostly just water, there’s not much that’s bad with it. Just note that there is still sugar in maple water, so don’t drink too much.
Is Maple Water the New Coconut Water?
Personally, I don’t think so – it just doesn’t taste all that great to me. But then I never thought Facebook was a good idea when it first came out either. Sigh.
Have you Tried Maple Water?
If so, let us know in the comments below what you thought of it!
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