Is Organic Brown Rice Syrup Healthy?

Between ingredient lists, nutrition facts, and the variety of nutrition advice available, navigating clean protein bar options can be a bit confusing, especially when it comes to sweeteners. Is one better than another? Does it matter which ingredient is listed first? Should you only worry about the total sugar content?

While we'd love to tell you there's one magical ingredient or nutrition fact that holds the key, the truth is slightly more nuanced.

At GoMacro®, we're passionate about spreading the power of a balanced, plant-based lifestyle, which is why we use clean, organic ingredients like whole grains, nuts, and plant-based protein. It’s also why we’ve carefully and thoughtfully selected organic brown rice syrup to give our MacroBars® a delicious touch of sweetness while still allowing our other ingredients to maintain their authentic taste.

A Closer Look at Food Labels

Before diving into the "why" behind brown rice syrup, it's important to understand how ingredients are listed on food labels. Many of us have heard that ingredients are listed in order of quantity, but this can be misleading - particularly when food manufacturers deceptively use this notion to their advantage.

By law, ingredients on a food label are listed in order of weight - not volume. Brown rice syrup is very dense, and it weighs more than most of the other ingredients that we use. For example, 1/2 cup of brown rice syrup weighs the same as 2 cups of oats. Despite there being more oats by volume, brown rice syrup must be listed first due to its weight.

Although brown rice syrup appears first on the ingredient list for many of our flavors, you'll find that MacroBars aren't as sweet as many other bars on the market and tend to have lower sugar content.

So, why aren't sweeteners the first ingredient on other bar ingredient lists? Many other bar brands use smaller amounts of multiple different sweeteners to ensure sugar isn't the first ingredient. However, if you were to combine all of the sweeteners, this mix would likely come first in their ingredient list, as well. Therefore, it's essential to read the entire ingredient list and compare the total sugar contents by gram to get the full picture.

Why We Chose Organic Brown Rice Syrup

The recipe for the first MacroBar was created during our founders' transition to a plant-based, macrobiotic diet. We remain committed to making delicious bars without sacrificing the quality of our ingredients. There's no shortage of sweetener options and sugar substitutes available today, but our decision to use organic brown rice syrup is one we take pride in. Brown rice is an important staple in a macrobiotic diet, which led us to explore brown rice syrup as the binder and sweetener for MacroBars. Here's why:

It's Not an Artificial Sweetener

Plant-based and sustainably sourced, our organic brown rice syrup is made by breaking down the starch in rice using enzymes, turning it into an easily digestible sugar. We don't use any artificial ingredients in our MacroBars - and that includes artificial sweeteners. While artificial sweeteners can lower the total sugar content of foods, many also have potential adverse health effects. Brown rice syrup, on the other hand, comes straight from natural, nutrient-dense brown rice.

Organically Grown & Tested for Heavy Metals

Certified Organic is a great way to ensure food is grown on soil that's free from synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and other prohibited substances. However, even when a crop is grown organically, there may still be traces of toxins in the soil and water which can end up in the food source. Because rice is the only grain that literally grows in water, it generally absorbs more arsenic from the water than other grains.

Here at GoMacro, we only use brown rice syrup made from organically grown brown rice that is also tested for heavy metals to ensure we're using the safest, highest quality ingredients. The organic brown rice syrup we use is put through rigorous safety validation processes that remove heavy metals, including arsenic, lead, and mercury, to levels undetectable by conventional methods - all without affecting the other nutrients. Our brown rice syrup is verified to contain less than 10 parts per billion (ppb) of arsenic and lead, which is far lower than current FDA standards for certain rice products.

No Fructose

Two molecules underlie most forms of sugar: glucose and fructose. Fructose can only be broken down by your liver, which can eventually put strain on the organ, whereas glucose can be broken down and used in other parts of your body. It also happens to be the body's preferred carbohydrate source of energy. Most conventional sweeteners contain high amounts of fructose (hence the name "high fructose corn syrup") combined with glucose.

Brown rice syrup, on the other hand, does not contain fructose, meaning it's unlikely to have the same adverse effects on liver function and metabolic health as other fructose-containing sweeteners. Brown rice syrup is instead made up of three sugars — maltotriose (52%), maltose (45%), and glucose (3%). Don't let those big names intimidate you, though! Maltose is made up of two glucose molecules, while maltotriose is three glucose molecules. Therefore, your body breaks down brown rice syrup the same way it processes simple glucose.

Binding & Sweetening

Organic brown rice syrup is not only used to sweeten our bars, but it also helps bind the other ingredients together, giving our bars their shape. The stickiness of the organic brown rice syrup keeps MacroBars intact, which means we don't have to bake them, allowing us to keep all the nutrients in our nuts, fruits, and berries fresh.

Are you on a Low-Glycemic Diet?

Here at GoMacro, we believe that the foundation of any wholesome lifestyle is a balanced diet. We're dedicated to using only organic, plant-based, high-quality, certified ingredients from the very best sources, and take care to ensure our MacroBars are delicious and clean options wherever you go.

Questions about our organic brown rice syrup or another ingredient? Contact us, and we'll provide the answers for you!