“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day”. This is something we have heard over and over again. One of the best things about traveling is to enjoy the different types of breakfasts that hotels usually offer. However, we often go in a hurry in our daily routine and we barely have time for a coffee before leaving home. To be able to enjoy a good breakfast and start off with the right foot, we suggest you to include palm honey in it; a typical product of La Gomera.
Palm honey is a gastronomic product with a sweet and intense flavor. Its name derives from the Canary palm tree from which it is extracted the sap to produce this syrup. It is currently considered a delicious delicatessen by some chefs. It has nothing to do with palm oil, which does not have any nutritional value, In fact, several studies have shown that palm honey have greater benefits than those provided by conventional honey. A toast with palm honey contains a significant amount of minerals (such as iron, phosphorus, potassium, sodium or zinc) that helps to regulate the functioning of our body. Including palm honey in our breakfast is good for our health and it will also add a touch of sweetness to our morning.
Furthermore, palm honey is better for the environment: forests are not destroyed to obtain it and the environment is not threatened by its production. The "guaraperos", the professionals that extract the sap -or guarapo- of the Canarian palm tree, use sustainable techniques that do not affect the plant negatively, allowing it to go through a recovery period later on. The Canarian palm tree has a thick and robust trunk that easily withstands the cold and it is also an endemic species; so it is a source of natural resources. The Canarian palm tree is important for the ecosystem of the islands and therefore, we must take care of it.
Just as conventional honey or any other sweet syrup, palm honey contains a remarkable amount of sugars. Although the World Health Organization recommends limiting the consumption of free sugars in our daily diet, sugars from palm honey are entirely natural and coexist with other highly recommended nutrients in diets for children and athletes.
Although the excessive consumption of this product is not advisable, some experts claim it is more advisable to consume palm honey than conventional honey due to the sap that is used to produce it. Consequently, moderate consumption can be beneficial for our body because of all the nutrients it contains.
We may occasionally want to treat our palate. However, before going for snacks such as chips or other industrial products that contain palm oil and other saturated fats, it is better to spread a biscuit or a piece of wholemeal bread with palm honey. This way, our body will receive the energy boost that comes from the sugar and, at the same time, we will satisfy our cravings with a healthy diet.