Here are seven questions which are frequently asked by
people who are exploring honey use.
Question 1: Can diabetics use honey? I have been told that
diabetics can use honey. Is that true?
Ans: This kind of honey information is important for
diabetic patients who try to take care of their diet.
Commercially honey is sometimes adulterated by glucose,
starch, cane sugar, and even malt. Hence it is better to be
avoided by the diabetics. And whether raw honey is is okay
for diabetics, this is better to be advised by the doctor
personally attending to the patient.
Question 2: Both honey and table sugar contain fructose and
glucose. So, chemically they have the same basic sugar
units. Is it correct?
Ans: It is true that both honey and table sugar have the
same basic sugar units. However table sugar, or sucrose,
has glucose and fructose hooked or amalgamated together,
whereas if you look at honey properties, fructose and
glucose remain in individual units.
Question 3: Invert sugar is sucrose broken down into
glucose and fructose. So, honey is an invert sugar. Is it
correct?
Ans: This statement is correct. Chemically, honey is invert
sugar. It has a mishmash of both glucose and fructose. The
only difference is that honey is honey bee-processed,
whereas invert sugar (e.g candies) is man-made!
Question 4: Honey contains more calories than table sugar.
Does it imply that it is therefore less healthy to eat
honey?
Ans: We all know that any excessive intake of calories in
any form is not good. Yes, honey has more calories, but we
actually need to use less of it since it is sweeter than
table sugar. As a result, in the long run, you may in fact
consume even less amount of calories that you would with
table sugar. Moreover, unlike table sugar which is empty
calories, honey has nutritional value.
Question 5: Compared to table sugar, honey is sweetener.
This is because it has more fructose which does not convert
to energy as efficiently as glucose. So does this mean
honey is less healthy?
Ans: Yes, honey contains more fructose, but precisely
because it is sweeter, you need less of it.
Question 6: If spores are harmful to babies, why aren't
they removed in the pasteurisation process of making
commercial honey?
Ans: All new mothers, please take note of this honey
information. Pasteurisation cannot remove spores as they
are very resistant to killing by physical and chemical
agents. To kill spores which are harmful to babies,
processors must heat the honey to at least 250 degrees
Fahrenheit, under pressure for at least three minutes, but
this cannot be done as honey burns under this high
temperature, its flavor changes and some health beneficial
honey properties are also destroyed. This explains why for
so many honey FAQs concerning whether it is okay to feed
infant honey, the answer is also a "NO".
Question 7: I was told that honey does not spoil. What if I
mix it with water and leave it? Will it go bad?
You will learn from most sources of honey information that
"honey does not spoil" and it has no expiry date. Nothing
will grow in naturally antibiotic and antiviral honey as
long as the moisture content remains under 18%. Natural,
raw honey varies from 14% to 18% in moisture content.
However, when water is added to honey, natural airborn
yeasts can become active in the honey water. So your honey
water will turn bad eventually.
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Ruth Tan runs the popular website Benefits of Honey at
http://www.benefits-of-honey.com which is an immensely rich
resource packed with quality information on honey and a
plethora of health and nutrition issues.
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