Is Honey Preferable Than Sugar? A Dietician Explains Why She Enjoys Its Health Benefits
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As a nutritionist, I'm frequently asked if honey is better for you than other sugars and sweeteners.
What is the solution? Honey and sugar are both carbohydrates that contain two types of sugar: glucose and fructose. Both of these sugars are quickly broken down by the body and can cause blood sugar spikes.
Overeating additional sugars, such as honey, can cause a variety of health problems. Obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, and cognitive difficulties including dementia and Alzheimer's have all been related to sugar consumption.
However, the advantage of using honey as your sweetener of choice, in my opinion, is that it contains some health benefits, Other sugars lack these qualities. According to USDA and HHS guidelines, added sugars should account for no more than 10% of total daily calories.
Benefits of honey
Honey has a lower GI value than sugar, meaning that it doesn't raise blood sugar levels as quickly. It's also sweeter than sugar, so you may need less of it, but it does have slightly more calories per teaspoon, so I always keep a close eye on portion sizes.
According to a 2018 study, honey can contain trace amounts of essential vitamins and minerals, like potassium, calcium, zinc and vitamins C, B1, B2, B3, B5 and B6.
Most recently, a 2021 review found that when honey was given for upper respiratory infections, certain symptoms — including cough frequency and cough severity — improved compared to usual care.
Using honey can also help to heal wounds, burns, and other topical conditions, according to the peer-reviewed book, "Honey Analysis: New Advances and Challenges."
How to Go Honey Shopping
You can buy honey in three different varieties:
1. Regular honey can be found in most grocery stores, sometimes packaged in a bear-shaped bottle. It has been pasteurized, ensuring a long shelf life and preventing crystallization.
2. Raw honey is unpasteurized and comes straight from the hive. The beneficial chemicals in honey are kept in the final product since it is not pasteurized. Raw honey may not be available in every grocery store, so if you're buying it online or at a farmer's market, do your homework and make sure you're getting it from a reliable source.
3. Manuka honey is made from the flowers of the Manuka tree, which are native to New Zealand. which is a New Zealand native. It includes comparable chemicals to raw honey, but what sets it apart is that it has a high concentration of antibacterial qualities.
Honey in ingenious ways
Here are four of my favorite ways to integrate modest amounts of honey into my diet, regardless of the sort of honey you choose:
1. Replace the sugar with honey. Honey is 25% sweeter than table sugar, allowing you to use less in your recipes. If your recipe calls for one cup of sugar, a decent rule of thumb is to use a third of a cup of honey.
2. Serve it with your favorite cocktail. Honey goes well with a variety of beverages. A drizzle of honey in tea, coffee, smoothies, or cocktails is a quick and easy method to sweeten your beverage without using sugar.
3. Make a pot of hot honey. For a quick fix, warm some honey on the stovetop over low-medium heat, Add your favorite spice, such as red pepper flakes or chili powder, and cook for a few minutes. Allow for a minute or so for the flavors to meld, then take it off the fire and give it a good swirl. Once it has cooled, place it in a jar and use it as desired. For a sweet and spicy kick, I like to sprinkle hot honey on top of pizza. It's also a great alternative to sweet jellies or jams on charcuterie boards.
4. Make cough medicine. To produce a tasty, homemade cough drop, combine ginger tea, lemon, and honey in this simple recipe.
Lauren Armstrong is a nutritionist and dietitian. She also worked for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program as a nutritionist. Lauren graduated from Western Michigan University with a bachelor's degree in dietetics and has contributed to various publications, including Livestrong and HealthDay.