No contest, right? Honey HAS to be healthier BY FAR than disgusting white sugar!
After all, honey is "natural"and can be purchased at a store called Whole Foods!
And it is true, honey is found in nature, while white sugar has to be created. But the process of creating honey and white sugar (as well as maple syrup) is remarkably similar. The main difference is that bees do all the work of gathering the nectar from flowers, eating the nectar, vomiting the nectar into beeswax cells inside the hive, and then fanning the vomit with their tiny wings until enough water has evaporated so that the honey will not become moldy or go bad. Yes, bees are amazing creatures! And honey is a very special product. But is it really better for you than white sugar?
White sugar is mostly made from the sugar cane plant, although sugar can also come from sugar beets and dates. The juice of the plant is boiled down until crystals form. The crystals are white sugar and the syrup left behind is molasses. Molasses contains most of the nutrients and less of the sucrose. White sugar is almost purely sucrose, the result of glucose and fructose linking together. White sugar contains only pure carbohydrates, no protein, no fat, no fiber, no vitamins, and no minerals. There are 16 calories in one teaspoon of white sugar.
Honey, on the other hand, contains both glucose and fructose but they are not linked together. Honey is denser in carbohydrates, containing 22 calories in one teaspoon. And although honey does contain a tiny amount of nutrition in the form of minerals such as potassium, the amounts are so small as to be negligible. There is also no protein, no fiber, and no fat in honey.
So the bottom line, for me anyway, is the effect of these products on the body when they are consumed. And that is exactly the same for both honey and white sugar. Both are refined carbohydrates extremely dense in calories which raise insulin levels abruptly. Both will cause weight gain due to this effect on blood sugar if over-consumed.
So don't be fooled by labels which called honey "organic" and "raw" and claim it to be a health food. It might be ever so slightly healthier than white sugar, but the miniscule amounts of minerals it provides cannot counterbalance its extreme effect on blood sugar.
NOTE: The factual information in this blog was provided by the website designed by LIVESTRONG. All opinions are my own!
After all, honey is "natural"and can be purchased at a store called Whole Foods!
And it is true, honey is found in nature, while white sugar has to be created. But the process of creating honey and white sugar (as well as maple syrup) is remarkably similar. The main difference is that bees do all the work of gathering the nectar from flowers, eating the nectar, vomiting the nectar into beeswax cells inside the hive, and then fanning the vomit with their tiny wings until enough water has evaporated so that the honey will not become moldy or go bad. Yes, bees are amazing creatures! And honey is a very special product. But is it really better for you than white sugar?
White sugar is mostly made from the sugar cane plant, although sugar can also come from sugar beets and dates. The juice of the plant is boiled down until crystals form. The crystals are white sugar and the syrup left behind is molasses. Molasses contains most of the nutrients and less of the sucrose. White sugar is almost purely sucrose, the result of glucose and fructose linking together. White sugar contains only pure carbohydrates, no protein, no fat, no fiber, no vitamins, and no minerals. There are 16 calories in one teaspoon of white sugar.
Honey, on the other hand, contains both glucose and fructose but they are not linked together. Honey is denser in carbohydrates, containing 22 calories in one teaspoon. And although honey does contain a tiny amount of nutrition in the form of minerals such as potassium, the amounts are so small as to be negligible. There is also no protein, no fiber, and no fat in honey.
So the bottom line, for me anyway, is the effect of these products on the body when they are consumed. And that is exactly the same for both honey and white sugar. Both are refined carbohydrates extremely dense in calories which raise insulin levels abruptly. Both will cause weight gain due to this effect on blood sugar if over-consumed.
So don't be fooled by labels which called honey "organic" and "raw" and claim it to be a health food. It might be ever so slightly healthier than white sugar, but the miniscule amounts of minerals it provides cannot counterbalance its extreme effect on blood sugar.
NOTE: The factual information in this blog was provided by the website designed by LIVESTRONG. All opinions are my own!
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