Yes, honey is better than sugar.
Okay okay. Even though we literally make raw unfiltered honey, and we love it, we must admit - we are not health freaks. We absolutely love honey, but is it truly the better alternative to sugar?
Let's put it to the test.
Honey vs Sugar
Sugar is something we consume everyday in our food. But many people want to find better options and honey is becoming very popular.
Both honey and sugar make food sweet but they are very different in what they are made of and how they affect our health.
Composition
The main difference between honey and sugar is what they are made of. Regular sugar that comes from sugarcane or sugar beets is just sucrose which is glucose and fructose together. It has lots of calories but no good nutrients, so it's just empty calories that don't help your body! Most people know this.
I mean, think about it. You have probably heard, 'too much sugar is bad for you!' But have you ever heard, 'honey is bad for you?' Don't think so.
Honey is natural and bees make it from flower nectar. It has glucose and fructose like sugar but also has water, enzymes, amino acids, vitamins like B and C, and minerals like calcium, potassium and magnesium.
These good nutrients are not in regular sugar which makes honey better! Also honey has antioxidants especially phenolic compounds that help fight bad things in your body.
Calories
Honey has more calories than sugar - about 64 calories in one spoon compared to sugar's 49. But because honey is more sweet than sugar you need less of it to make food taste sweet, so you might not use as many calories!
On top of that, honey is a liquid. Sugar is a powder. If you put too much honey into something, the honey will take over. You can put endless sugar in something and it will just get sweeter. Think about those lattes you get from Starbucks. 1000 calories of liter sugar cane. It's nuts!
How They Affect Blood Sugar
Another important thing about honey and sugar is how fast they make blood sugar go up, which is called glycemic index (GI). Regular sugar has higher GI (about 65) which means it makes blood sugar go up very fast. When blood sugar goes up and down quickly it can make you tired and over time might cause problems with insulin and type 2 diabetes!
Honey has lower GI between 45 and 55 depending on what kind it is. It affects blood sugar more slowly because it has fructose that takes longer to digest. Also the good nutrients and antioxidants in honey might help control blood sugar better.
For people who need to watch their blood sugar like diabetics, honey might be little better than sugar. But both should be used carefully because too much of either one can make blood sugar go up! As always, consult a doctor first.
Health Benefits of Honey
Honey is has more health benefits than sugar that are used for many different purposes. In ancient times, honey was used as medicine and now it has become very popular sweetener. In modern times, honey can do most of the work. For example a good quality honey, like honey propolis tincture, can help in boosting your immune system.
Please, don't go putting straight honey onto your wounds. We are simply stating that with proper application, honey can have some medicinal benefits. Sugar does not. You can get various benefits like antioxidants properties, antimicrobial effects, and also support gut health of your body.
Honey is a natural sweetener that has more health benefits than regular sugar that we use in our daily life. In ancient times honey was used as medicine and now also it has many different-different properties like antioxidants, flavonoids and phenolic acids which help to reduce inflammation in our body. These properties are very useful and help to prevent many diseases like heart problems and cancer!
The problem with sugar is that it can't really do any of this. We aren't saying avoid sugar, we are just saying it's empty calories. All calories are used for energy but sugar has no added vitamins or minerals like honey.
Drawbacks
Sugar and honey both have some problems even though honey is better than sugar. Too much sugar can cause many health issues like obesity diabetes and heart problems. Sugar does not have good nutrients which makes it not good for health conscious people.
Honey is better but still it has sugar so you should not eat too much of it because it can make you gain weight and increase blood sugar. Also not all honey is good quality because some companies process it too much which removes good nutrients from it.
Environment and Other Things to Think About
Honey production needs bee keeping which is very important for plants and nature. When we buy good quality honey we help environment also. But sugar production causes many problems like cutting trees and making soil bad and polluting water. So honey is better choice for health and environment both.
Concluding Thoughts On Honey Vs Sugar
Honey is better than sugar because it has more nutrients and good properties for health. It has antioxidants and helps fight germs and makes stomach healthy. But remember honey still has sugar so don't eat too much.
If you want to manage blood sugar or want more nutrients honey is better choice than sugar. But both should be eaten in small amounts as part of good diet. Honey is natural and tasty and good for health and environment too.
So, end of the the day, putting honey in coffee gets the edge over plain old sugar in coffee. And that's how we live our life.