If you read my blogs regularly or follow me on social media, you probably know that I am not a sugar fan and am super skeptical when it comes to other sweeteners. Sugar causes a person to gain weight, leaches calcium from the body, and destroys collagen. It increases stress and impairs the adrenal glands’ functioning ability. Sugar is addictive, toxic, and is snuck into almost everything we eat. But most alternative sweeteners are not much better than sugar for our bodies.
Many of the most popular alternative sweeteners these days are loaded with aspartame or have other forms of unhealthy sugars inside them. What may be even more surprising is that even natural sweeteners are not always ideal. Even though they are nature-made, they can still be extremely high in sugar. However, there is one natural sweetener that I fully stand behind and have been using regularly lately. It is called lucuma and it is made from a Peruvian fruit.
The lucuma fruit looks like an avocado on the outside and on the inside it has a soft orange flesh. Lucuma has a uniquely sweet, fragrant and subtly maple-like taste that I am absolutely obsessed with. The perfectly sweet flavor reminds me of dessert, so I am always looking forward to drinking it up in a smoothie. Plus, this naturally occurring sweetener actually has healing properties; lucuma is an excellent source of carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It boasts of plentiful concentrations of beta-carotene, which makes lucuma a powerful immune system booster, and it is rich in iron, B2 and B1.
Lucuma also has a low glycemic index and high levels of calcium. In fact, lucuma has as much calcium as a glass of milk! So it is ideal for anyone following a vegan diet and might be looking for healthy ways to get in some extra calcium. Its low sugar content makes it a healthy alternative to refined sugar for people who have diabetes and it is a great sweetener for women who are breastfeeding. Even other natural sweeteners like stevia and agave do not match lucuma in nutritional value. Lucuma has such a great taste that its flavor is sometimes preferred to vanilla or chocolate when used in ice cream – honestly.
Since lucuma is still in the early stages of taking off as a trend, not many companies have added it as a sugar replacement to their products yet. PlantFusion is the first, and only, plant-based protein powder to use lucuma as a sweetener! Most protein powders are loaded with questionable ingredients and are often high in heavy metals. But PlantFusion’s ingredients are high quality and the company is meticulous about sourcing ingredients. On top of that, all of their products are vegan, non-GMO and are free from some of the main allergens like gluten, dairy, soy and eggs.
PlantFusion’s powders contain no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. The lucuma powder makes Plant Fusion’s protein taste way more delicious and natural than most of the artificial-tasting protein powders that I have had in the past. The addition of lucuma makes PlantFusion’s protein powders so enjoyable that I often just whip up a protein shake by mixing the powder solely with almond milk and ice. I would never be able to do that with another protein powder!
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