Why does everyone think honey is so much better than sugar?!
Why does everyone think honey is so much better than sugar?
white sugar, organic sugar, brown sugar, natural cane sugar, honey. its all bad for you!
if i am wrong then can someone please point out some nutritional value thats in honey? because from what ive read and heard, honey and sugar are all in the same and we should use them, even honey, in moderation, if at all.
Answers:
http://health.ivillage.com/eating/enutri...
There are so many sweeteners available that it can get a bit confusing deciding which to use. Honey is flower nectar that is collected and concentrated by honeybees.
In response to your specific question, there is really no nutritional advantage to using honey over some other sweetener. Ounce for ounce, the nutrient content of honey is the same as table sugar. The same is true for Turbinado sugar (raw sugar) and brown sugar. Although some less-refined, more "natural" sugars may contain minerals (half a cup of evaporated cane juice has 2mg of iron and 114mg of calcium, for example), you would need to eat unreasonable amounts for it to make any meaningful contribution to your diet.
The only sweetener with a nutritional advantage is blackstrap molasses, which contains 5mg of iron in two tablespoons.
A Word About Sugars
Honey contains mostly fructose, the sweetest of monosaccharides (simple sugars). Fruits, vegetables and cane sugar also contain fructose. Table sugar is sucrose (glucose plus fructose). Fructose is sweeter than sucrose, so some people use honey because they can use less to make something just as sweet. Honey is denser than table sugar, so it contains more calories per tablespoon -- but using less may counteract this.
Thanks for your question. I hope this answer dispels any myths you may have heard about honey and puts it into perspective nutritionally with other sugars. Of course, from a culinary and flavor standpoint, several differences between honey and sugars could be advantageous or not depending on your goal.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Schiano, UVM student
Sue Gilbert, M.S., Nutritionist
And;
http://nutrition.about.com/od/askyournut...
Which is best for a body, why, and how much should one consume a day: honey, white sugar, fructose or raw sugar?
Jackson
A. As far as calories, all of those sweeteners are pretty similar. One tablespoon of honey has 64 calories, one tablespoon of sugar has 50 calories, and one tablespoon of fructose powder would have 45 calories. Raw sugar, or turbinado sugar is sugar that hasn't been refined so it retains some of the molasses color and flavor. Turbinado sugar has the same number of calories as regular sugar.
Fructose has less of an impact on blood sugar than sucrose, or regular sugar has, but fructose may potentially cause health problems when used in large amounts. Honey has anti-oxidants and has been shown to improve cholesterol and other blood lipid levels. Some alternative medical practitioners use large doses of honey to relieve allergy symptoms.
Because of these antioxidants available in honey, I would say that honey is the best choice for use as a sweetener. This only goes for adults and children past their first birthday. Honey can contain botulism spores that make babies under the age of one sick.
The USDA Food Pyramid includes sweeteners in the "discretionary calorie" category. Since we don't need any of these sweeteners to fulfill our dietary needs, this means keeping the calorie counts from these foods as low as possible, and only in an amount that will fit into your calorie needs per day. For many people, that might be only a tablespoon or two, and that amount also includes the sweeteners found in soda, candy, desserts, pastries, and sugar hidden in other foods.
I agree with you. I dont think it is any healthier than white sugar, but I guess people assume its healthier just because its naturally occuring, and not processed.
=]
Absolutely.....we should use all of them in moderation.
It isn't "better", but I don't think "everyone" thinks it is either. Any sugar, including brown sugar which also has no nutritinal value, should be used in moderation. Each has it's place for flavor and compliments different foods and drinks. I don't use any of them for myself actually, but will for company, baking over the holidays, etc. Unless someone is diabetic, I don't think it's harmful for people to have sugar occasionally if they wish, but again... in moderation.
Well, I personally like honey more in my bread. It makes it softer and adds a little more flavor then sugar does. As far as which is better for you, they are all bad. Moderation is the best to use for all of these.
Nutritionally they are the same. No extra vitamins or minerals in honey...sometimes if you eat locally grown honey it is know to help your system become immune to allergies.
The one good "source" I love is Agave. It taste like sugar (a bit sweeter) but will not spike your blood sugar levels. But still has calories like sugar... : ' (
Honey has healing properties, but i think only if its raw. It has antibacterial properties. It also contains many enzymes, vitamins, minerals and amino acids that your body needs. Honey contains many antioxidants that are used by the body to eliminate free radicals - molecules which zip around in healthy cells and have the potential to damage them. However of course moderation is key but it is still 10 times better than sugar.
Also organic sugar and unrefined (evaporated cane juice) is better than regular plain ol sugar. White sugar (labeled white sugar, sugar, cane sugar, sucrose) has been so refined that it is a dead food and it shouldnt even be eaten in moderation in my opion, it shouldnt be eaten at all. White sugar has been bleached, filtered through cow bones, and heated so high. It is useless to your body and in fact TAKES OUT some nutrients from your body just to digest it. Sugar is the worst thing that you can put in your body. Organic sugar and evaporated cane juice is at least better because it hasnt been highly refined, so in moderation it is ok, although I suggest you use honey, sucanat (whole cane sugar with all the molasses still in it), molasses, brown rice syrup, pure maple syrup, and other natural sweetners. Also brown sugar is merely white sugar with a tiny bit of molasses brushed on it, so it is just as bad as white sugar. Sucanat however has all the nutrients and minerals in tact and looks like brown sugar but it is not and you can find it in some health food stores. There is also the sweetner stevia, which is actualy not a sugar but an herb, having o grams of sugar. It is 200 x sweeter than sugar although can be a little bitter. I reccomend substituting a little stevia in recipes and another natural sweetner. (Also found in health food stores).