Sugar is the most popular sweetener in the world, and its use is particularly common in such drinks as coffee and tea. However, the natural sweetener honey is a better and healthier choice for you than sugar, and is even arguably better tasting.
Honey is superior in large part because it is more natural than processed sugar. In unrefined sugar cane there are present certain vitamins, organic acids, and beneficial enzymes that are lost in the sugar manufacturing process. The sugar refinement procedure is a system of boiling which robs sugar of virtually all nutritional value, and even adds artificial chemicals.
In contrast, honey is sold without undergoing any refinement. As a result honey retains vitamins and minerals such as niacin, riboflavin, and vitamin B, as well as trace amounts of antioxidants. While it is true that these vitamins and minerals are present only in small quantities, they are nonetheless valuable. Their presence certainly does not imply that you should go out of you way to consume more honey, but they do guarantee that honey is healthier than refined sugar.
The problem with sugar is that once processed it is essentially nothing more than ’empty calories’. It is true that honey contains even more calories than sugar — about 40% more. However, honey is also sweeter. This means that comparatively less honey can be used, counterbalancing honey’s extra caloric content. You may actually end up taking in fewer calories if you use honey instead of sugar.
The health advantages of honey extend even further than its superiority in terms of vitamin and mineral content. Honey and sugar both obtain their sweetness via the presence of glucose and fructose. The difference is that in sugar glucose and fructose are combined together into the compound sucrose, while in honey they remain separate — making honey a simple sugar. Simple sugars are much easier for the body to digest — in the case of honey, glucose and fructose do not have to be broken up as they must be when sugar is consumed. Thus simple sugars are better for you because they are absorbed quickly into the body, and are turned into energy much sooner.
So much for health benefits — honey is plainly superior to sugar in that category. Still, we don’t consume sugar for its health value. If honey tasted bad then no one would ever choose it over sugar. Luckily, honey arguably tastes better too. Honey provides a unique and flavorful taste, in contrast to sugar, which gives nothing more than sweetness. Different honeys provide different flavors, which means that using honey will allow for greater variety of taste. Exploring the flavors of the various kinds of honey can be fun and is a way to add new dimensions to your food or drink.
The advantages of using honey instead of sugar should now be plain. It is important to make clear that this article is not arguing that honey is a health food. Honey should always be consumed in moderation. Rather, the point is that in comparison to sugar, honey is significantly more nutritious and better for your health. Most of us want to consumer sweeteners on a regular basis – even if they are not ideal for our health – so honey’s superiority to sugar is what is important. With this in mind, consider choosing honey over sugar in the future.
If you are not sure the conversion rate of sugar to honey, visit:
http://www.beemaid.com/recipe-converter
http://www.cooks.com/recipe/4516i4d5/substituting-honey-for-sugar.html
http://www.drjacobkeyzernd.com/sweet_calc.htm
Interested in making your own honey? Check out Bee Keeping Made Easy.
