Do You Use Sugar In Your Kava?

The above is a question we get quite often, so I thought I’d make a post about it!

In short, IF we use sugar at all, we only use organic ECJ (Evaporated Cane Juice) – very different from the commercial white sugar. While both are the same sucrose molecule, the difference in composition between the two is that Evaporated Cane Juice has far less processing and contains many more nutrients in it. Our own brand of evaporated cane juice (ECJ) even has slightly more vitamin A, C, copper, potassium and calcium (in a 100 gram sample) than even regular ECJ because the small farm in Uruguay where it comes from, the farmers actually enrich the soil with naturally mineral rich humus, banana peels, charcoal, etc.

Evaporated cane juice is juice extracted from the sugar cane plant and then crystallized through evaporation. Most refineries use animal charcoal filters. Table sugar is usually processed with phosphoric acid, formic acid, sulphur dioxide, preservatives, flocculants, surfactants (lard is frequently used as a de-foamer), bleaching agents, and viscosity modifiers. Yuk.

Sugars are vital to survival. Sucrose – or table sugar – breaks up in our body to glucose and fructose – ‘monosaccharides’ that are essential to the organs. The brain uses ONLY glucose. It’s one of the few molecules allowed to pass through the protective barrier that separates the brain from the bloodstream.

However all forms of sugar and grain products consumed in excessive amounts are immunosuppressive (they suppress the immune system), including (but not limited to) fruits, grains, starchy vegetables, as well as all forms of wild, raw, or unfiltered honey and cane sugar. Eaten in moderation and in whole, unrefined form, though; they’re perfectly harmless. And that is why we are as fussy as we are with the ingredients we use to make our products here at Kona Kava Farm.

And, this Evaporated Cane Juice is available in 10 ounce jars from our website. This is the exact product we use in any of the sweetened Kava and chocolate products we offer.

Other sweeteners we use:

1. Agave (rich in fructose, glucose, and minerals)
2. Natural Honey – again rich in fructose and minerals.
3. Stevia – 300 times sweeter than sugar with benefits!

Products containing sweeteners in Kava product line:

1. Kava Instant Drinks: ECJ – less than 8% by weight
2. Kava concentrates: Honey – less than 15% by weight.
3. Kava elixirs: Agave – less than 3% by weight
4. Chocolate: ECJ – less than 10% by weight.
5. Vegan Chocolate: ECJ – less than 5% by weight + Stevia.

None of the products contain any dairy, nuts or wheat.

Hope this helps! – Aloha no, Makaira

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