“Maple syrup is amazing,” says Kim L’Ecuyer, a Godmanchester-based holistic nutritionist.
She touts the benefits and versatility of maple syrup as a natural sweetener compared with refined sugars and artificial sweeteners. But this comes with a disclaimer, she warns. “I see it a lot in my line of work, where there is that ‘all or nothing’ mentality. ‘People think maple syrup is good; I can guzzle the stuff’,” she says, with a laugh. “It is still a sugar. It still has that blood sugar impact. It is still going to mess with insulin levels. It is just a more nourishing type of sweetener,” she explains.
As a holistic nutritionist, L’Ecuyer advocates for consuming foods that are as close to their natural state as possible, without eliminating any food options. “Whether it is gluten or red meat or dairy or any of those beautiful foods, it is about selecting them carefully,” she says. “Sweeteners are a part of life that we love. Nobody wants to take that out of their diet. So, maple syrup definitely fits the bill,” she adds.
L’Ecuyer’s clients are often happy to learn about healthier alternatives like maple syrup, especially when they are presented in a way that maintains deliciousness. “The uses for syrup include anywhere that you would use a sweetener, and there are conversion tables,” she says, before suggesting it’s actually quite easy to integrate syrup into meals beyond slathering it on pancakes. For example, syrup can be used in salad dressings, marinades, and – as many in the Valley have already discovered – in coffee.
A core philosophy for L’Ecuyer is to “make healthy delicious” so that healthy habits are sustainable and enjoyable over the long term. She believes strongly in improving traditional recipes by incorporating better ingredients. “It is a much more nutrient-dense sweetening option, and the flavour is so complex that it just brings more depth,” she says.
“It’s just good stuff.”