Peruvian Naturals Organic Yacon Syrup - Natural Sweetener with Prebiotic FOS for Gut Health - Low Glycemic Sugar Substitute for Pancakes Coffee & Tea - Non-GMO, Vegan - 17.6oz (500g)

Great alternative to coffee sweeteners. It has a Glycemic index of 1 so great for health / anyone watching their sugar intake. It has a maple caramel combo flavor and darker (closer to molasses than honey). This packages is great for pricing.

LOVED this brand of yacon syrup, Peruvian Naturals, at first taste! The BEST I've tried of 4 different organic brands. The syrup is thick and a deep brown color with a rich molasses-maple-caramel like flavor. Yacon is a tuberous root plant found in the Andes Mountains of South America, high in a beneficial fiber known as FOS or fructooligosaccarides, which is a "prebiotic" fiber that helps nourish healthy gut bacteria which helps the body absorb more nutrients and maintain better health. Although it is sweet, the syrup is at a lower glycemic index of around 30 - 50% of the sweetness of regular white table sugar and not the same as the average high sugar-high glycemic index maple syrups you'd typically put on your waffles and pancakes. I love that this product is organic and helps nourish a healthy microbiome that's actually good for the intestinal tract and immune system. I like adding this to my shakes to give them a nice sweetness and depth of flavor. Low on the glycemic index especially for sweetener, this form of sugar does not get metabolized like common simple sugars do so it won't spike your blood sugar and drive up your insulin levels as it doesn't get metabolized but instead passes through the body virtually undigested. Allow your body to get used to it by not using too much initially or you may experience gastric upset, (gas, bloating, loose stools) if you take too much when you first start using it.

I've tried a few brands of yacon and so far I like this one the best. It seems to be "less processed" to me, in the sense that it is less sweet and has fuller flavor. Some people may want sweeter and less flavorful to come closer to being just a pure sugar, but to me the highly concentrated sweetness makes me question the health benefits. To me this is more of a "food" that has some sweetness rather than a pure sweetener like most of us are used to. Many of the popular brands I've tried were thinner and sweeter. My best guess would be that this brand is closer to how it was processed and consumed prior to it becoming popular, whereas those other companies are processing it differently (refining it longer?) to make it appeal to a wider audience. Note that in general yacon is not a true sugar substitute since it has a slight molasses-like flavor (though to me it is much less bitter and burnt-flavored than molasses, and I have strong bitter receptors so I cannot tolerate a lot of bitterness, e.g. I can't really eat/drink stevia unless it is very dilute). Although I would think that yacon might work well in certain flavors of baked goods (I don't bake with it), it is generally not a sugar substitute. I think some people who don't like yacon are expecting a flavorless sweetener (that is also miraculously healthy for them). Also be careful when reading the nutritional info on the various brands because many use significantly different serving sizes so you have to do the math, you cannot just directly compare the quantities of nutrients.

It’s expensive for what you get so I’m hesitant to repurchase. I bought it to replace honey in my morning tea and reduce my carb intake. But yacon isn’t a good substitute for honey in my opinion. Yacon has a unique fruity flavor but not much sweetness. It changes the flavor of my tea but doesn’t sweeten it. But I bought it as a sweetener so it doesn’t work for that purpose. HOWEVER yacon *does* have other positive effects. It helps your digestive system. This helps me “go” in the morning, usually within a few hours. It also has a noticeable appetite suppressing effect, which would be very helpful while I’m intermittent fasting. I unfortunately ran out of the syrup before starting I.F. A small jar lasted me almost a month, using 1 teaspoon a day. I’m still on the hunt for a sugar/honey substitute that doesn’t taste like chemical blech (Splenda and stevia, I’m looking at you). I’m disappointed that yacon just isn’t it.