Maple Syrup
Where maple syrup sits on the inflammation scale
Maple syrup is not anti-inflammatory, but it is not plain sugar either. It starts as tree sap that is almost all water, and forty litres of sap boil down to one litre of syrup. Everything in the pan gets concentrated, and most of what is left is sugar.
Sugar is about two thirds of the bottle, and your body handles that part the way it handles any sugar. The rest is a short list: more manganese than almost any other food, some zinc, and plant compounds that only form while the sap cooks. Those compounds are why maple syrup lands in the middle of the inflammation scale rather than near the top, where refined sugar sits.
Colour is a useful guide. The darker bottles come from sap tapped later in the season, and they carry more of those plant compounds and a stronger flavour. The bigger catch sits beside them on the shelf. Most bottles sold as pancake syrup are corn syrup with colour and maple flavour added, so they bring none of the minerals and none of the plant compounds. Look for a bottle that says pure maple syrup and nothing else.
None of that changes the dose. Two tablespoons over pancakes is about 24 grams of sugar, most of the added sugar an adult should have in a day. Swap it in for the sugar you already use and it is a small step up. Pour it on top of what you already eat and the sugar wins.
Maple Syrup on the AIP diet
Maple syrup is allowed on the Autoimmune Protocol and stays on the list right through the elimination phase, which only a handful of sweeteners do. The catch is how much. A spoonful now and then is the idea, because sugar in any form works against what the protocol is trying to do. Buy pure maple syrup, since pancake syrup is corn syrup and does not qualify.
Benefits
- More manganese than almost any other food, plus a useful amount of zinc
- Plant compounds that form while the sap boils and that refined sugar has none of
- Darker bottles come from later in the season and carry more of those compounds
- Swapped in for refined sugar, it is a small step in the right direction
Watch out for
- About two thirds sugar, and your body treats that part like any other sugar
- Two tablespoons is most of the added sugar an adult should have in a day
- Most bottles labelled pancake syrup are corn syrup with maple flavour added
- The minerals arrive in doses too small to do much on their own
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Frequently asked
Is maple syrup anti-inflammatory?
No. It carries minerals and plant compounds that refined sugar does not have, and that keeps it out of the worst part of the inflammation scale. But two thirds of the bottle is sugar, and the sugar pushes the other way.
Is maple syrup better than sugar?
A little. Swapping it in for the refined sugar you already use is a small step in the right direction. Adding it on top of what you already eat is not.
Which maple syrup should I buy?
One that lists pure maple syrup and nothing else. Darker bottles come from sap tapped later in the season and carry more of the plant compounds, so go dark if you have the choice.
Is maple syrup allowed on the AIP diet?
Yes, in small amounts. It is one of the few sweeteners that survives the elimination phase, but the protocol treats it as an occasional spoonful rather than a daily habit.
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