Honey Vs Sugar

Honey Vs Sugar
Honey Vs Sugar. What are their differences?

Both sweeteners contain glucose and fructose. However, for
sugar, in the process of manufacturing, the organic acids,
protein, nitrogen elements, enzymes and vitamins in the
sugar cane are destroyed, whereas honey, a natural
sweetener, subjects only to minimal heating. Also, honey
has certain beneficial antioxidant and antimicrobial
properties which are not present in table sugar.

Here are three honey nutrition facts that will make you
feel good about eating honey:

One: One tablespoon of table sugar or sucrose contains 46
calories, while one tablespoon of natural sweetener honey
has 64 calories. Though honey may have more calories, we
actually need to use less of it since it is sweeter than
table sugar. As a result, you may in fact consume even less
amount of calories that you would with sugar. And in the
long run even though honey is more expensive, it may be
more economical than table sugar. I was taken aback when I
first found out how much table sugar I was consuming when I
take a can of coke -- 10 teaspoons, and a 50g chocolate bar
-- 7 teaspoons!

Two: Compared to table sugar, honey has a healthier
Glycemic Index (GI) which measures the negative impact of a
given food on the blood-glucose level. The lower the GI
rating, the slower the absorption and infusion of sugars
into the bloodstream and hence a more gradual and healthier
digestion process.

Three: Unlike honey, table sugar lacks minerals and
vitamins (hence it's been often called empty calories),
they draw upon the body's nutrients to be metabolized into
the system. When these nutrients are all used up,
metabolizing of undesirable cholesterol and fatty acid is
impeded, contributing to higher cholesterol and promoting
obesity due to higher fatty acid on the organs and tissues.
That is why it is not uncommon for fat people to suffer
from malnutrition and many other health related problems.
So the message is, honey vs sugar, if you are watching your
weight, honey will be a smarter choice than sugar. Besides
the differences in nutrition, I feel sugar can never
compete with honey in taste. Though both are sweet, honey
has such a unique flavour that can be very useful and
superior in many foods and beverages. The range of honey
floral varieties is so vast that experiencing for yourself
the uniqueness of each variety and being able to
appropriate each variety to exploit every possibility to
complement and improve taste of different types of foods
becomes a skillful art.

----------------------------------------------------
Ruth Tan is the owner of the website Benefits of Honey at
http://www.benefits-of-honey.com which is an immensely
rich, quality resource on honey and its benefits, and a
plethora of health-related issues.