The Amazing Health Benefits of Yacon Syrup

We live in a pretty cool time for health and wellness. We can head to the grocery store and stock our pantries with all sorts of superfoods and medicinal roots that have only recently been discovered in different cultures around the world. We have so many yummy options for eating exactly what our bodies need, it’s nuts! When it comes to sweet superfoods, one of our personal favorites is yacon syrup. Yacon syrup benefits the body in many different ways, let’s take a look at them all!

What Is The Yacon Root?

The yacon root is a root vegetable that’s scientific name is smallanthus sonchifolius. Yacon is native to South America and is prized for its abundant health benefits. The plant itself is mostly made up of insoluble fibers--sugars that the body can’t digest. The fact that they can’t be digested gives the root vegetable its super yacon health benefits.

While the root itself sort of looks like a sweet potato, yacon syrup is extracted from the vegetable and resembles a molasses-like syrup. The dark brown syrup is sweet like caramelized sugar and is used as a gut-healthy alternative to agave syrup and other natural and processed sweeteners. Unlike artificial alternatives like aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose which have a bad reputation for damaging gut health, yacon benefits the body and improves the digestive system. Yacon syrup nutrition feeds the good-guy bacteria in your gut the food it needs to keep your gut healthy and happy.

One teaspoon of the healthy, low-calorie sweetener contains only 7 calories, 3.7 grams of carbs, and 2.3 grams of sugars. Pretty sweet, huh?

A Little Yacon Science For You

Although yacon syrup is refined sugar-free, yacon syrup carbs are “good” carbohydrates called fructooligosaccharides (we call it FOS). Fructooligosaccharides are found in many fruits and vegetables such as bananas, garlic, onions, leeks, chicory root, asparagus, jicama, and, of course, the yacon plant.

Fructooligosaccharides are insoluble fibers or sugars that your body can’t digest. This is a good thing and gives the yacon plant its health benefits! FOS is a form of prebiotics, the food for all those probiotics inside your gut. The prebiotics pass through the GI tract undigested until they make it to the gut where they meet their probiotic friends. When prebiotics and probiotics meet each other, the probiotics use the prebiotics for food, giving them the energy they need to fight off bad bacteria, aid in digestion, and keep the belly happy.

Together, prebiotics and probiotics help you cleanse your system and boost your immunity during the digestion process. All the good bacteria in your intestines LOVE the prebiotic elements of FOS. Plus, yacon is a natural mild laxative, preventing constipation and the dreaded bloat belly.

That’s Not All … Here’s 6 More Yacon Root Benefits

Yacon is a true wonder food! Not only does it promote good gut health, yacon benefits many other areas of the body as well. Let’s check out all these super-cool superfood health benefits that you can enjoy just by eating yacon syrup:

It lowers blood pressure.

Yacon has loads of potassium. Potassium is a vasodilator which means it relaxes blood vessels and helps your heart pump with ease. When blood flow is increased to parts of the body that need it most, there’s a reduced chance of heart attacks, strokes, and other heart-related problems.  

It boosts liver health.

Because our bodies don’t absorb the simple sugars in the yacon root, there’s less glucose production in the liver. Since the liver is where most of our glucose is made, eating yacon syrup regularly can keep your liver from getting fatty and unhealthy.

It keeps “bad” cholesterol down.

FOS is beneficial in lowering your lipid levels, especially in those who need to control their cholesterol. One of the many benefits of prebiotics, the FOS in yacon prevents the build-up of “bad” cholesterol and maintains healthy cholesterol.

It prevents diabetes and regulates blood sugar.

Yacon has super anti-hyperglycemic effects, meaning the body won’t absorb its simple sugars. In this case, the body won’t produce as much glucose in the liver lowering fasting glucose rates, something that is crucial for those suffering from diabetes.

Can yacon syrup help you lose weight?

Heck yes it can! Using yacon syrup for weight loss is a healthy, natural way to prevent and treat obesity as well as improve the body’s resistance to insulin. The root vegetable increases metabolism, isn’t composed of any starch, and is low in calories while still being sweet. There’s even a slight laxative effect to the yacon root because of its high fiber content which can also aid in weight loss.

It improves bone health.

Because of its high amounts of FOS, yacon root not only increases calcium absorption in the body but also concentrates the body’s calcium and magnesium to the bones. These healthy minerals improve bone mass and overall bone health.

Rowdy: Low Glycemic Index Snack Bars Made With Yacon Syrup

Because Yacon syrup is a sweetener, you can use it to sweeten pretty much anything. In fact, organic yacon syrup benefits the taste of our Rowdy Bars by being the super sweetener in each of our flavors. Plus, it gives our bars their famous prebiotic punch.

Together, the organic ingredients we use in Rowdy Bars make these delicious low glycemic index bars. Why are low glycemic index snack bars so important for our health? A low glycemic diet decreases the impact of our body’s blood sugar levels, which keeps us feeling energized, keeps our mind sharp, and maximizes our athletic performance.

Yacon syrup might be the shining star of Rowdy, but it’s just part of our tasty, ultra-nutritious, anytime snack. Here’s a look at some of the other health-friendly, energizing ingredients you’ll find in our flavors:

• Organic Egg White Protein
• Organic Yacon Syrup
• Cashews
• Almonds
• Organic Sunflower Butter
• Organic Coconut Oil
• Organic Coconut
• Organic Tapioca Syrup
• Organic Dark Chocolate (Organic Cocoa Mass, Organic Coconut Blossom Sugar, Organic Cocoa Butter)
• Organic Flax Meal

Learn more about all the yummy nutrients in Rowdy Bars or give our crowd favorite a try: Chocolate Coconut Cashew.