honey?

tiny_worm

Hiya,

Just wondering why is honey so much better than table sugar in a diet? It is quite high on calorie, and also made up of fructose and glucose, which according to the recent NYTimes article, constitute the same evils of sugar. So must be something else that's especially good. Nutrients, glycemic index, anyone?

mcboyd1983

try Agave Nectar...they have light versions and you can get it at a Trader Joes.

Msaip

is there a trader joes in kansas city mo?

husker_gal

Honey is good for you because it contains antioxidants in it. It is higher in calories than regular sugar but regular sugar doesn't have the same antioxidant benefits.

RMinVA

try Agave Nectar...they have light versions and you can get it at a Trader Joes.

"Light" refers to the color, not the caloric or sugar content. Honey and agave nectar are about the same...roughly 60 cals and 14-16 g of sugar per tbsp.

Some people prefer agave because it is not as thick and a bit sweeter than honey. So theoretically you can/would use less agave than you would honey.

At the end of the day, both are processed/refined and considered added sugar, so IMO, it doesn't matter which you use. But for what it is worth, it's my understanding that the process used to refine agave is very similar to the one used for HFCS, which I try to avoid like the plague.

ShaneT99

Hiya,

Just wondering why is honey so much better than table sugar in a diet?

It's really not. A lot of people have the false belief that honey is better for you because it's "natural", but it's really just another form of sugar. Here's a recent article from Men's Fitness on sweeteners:

http://www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/abs-health/lowdown-sweeteners

It has the following to say about honey:

Honey

You may think this is a healthy alternative to sugar. That's a myth. Yes, honey truly is a natural option, but the same approach you might take to any sweetener should be taken here as well — not to mention, Bingham points out, honey has more calories per serving than straight sugar (64 cal per tbsp of honey vs. 48 cal per tbsp of sugar).

Bottom line: If you like the taste of honey and prefer it over your other options, go for it but don't be fooled that because honey is natural, it's good for you. It's basically sugar in a different form, says Gans—and sugar is empty calories.

suemar74

I think it's less processed too. It's popular with clean eaters.

EDesq

My question: Is sugar "Bad" for you, or is EXCESS sugar the problem. Also, historically, natural foods like honey has natural medicinal purposes in combination with other herbs/spices...settling the stomach, indigestion... BEFORE refined sugar, honey was the natural sweetener, and only small amounts could be used because of scarcity or cost.

My personal belief is that sugar and honey may, in the long run be far better for us than these artificial sweeteners, more than calories are involved.

cmmull67

GI. Main reason. It doesn't spike your blood-sugar levels like table sugar does.

eating4balance

Honey has a lower GI level, which mean your body's blood sugar doesn't spike so much when you consume it compared to white sugar. It is also more natural and has more vitamins than regular sugar.
However, it is still sugar. Sugar, honey and even high fructose corn syrup are okay in moderate amounts (though I have banned the former completely ).

Good luck. I hope you find what you are looking for.

frostiegurl

Honey isn't necessarily processed or refined as was mentioned earlier. I'm a backyard beekeeper and the extent of our processing is spinning the frames to extract the honey and pouring the honey through a sieve to get out the large chunks of wax and propolis. What is left in the honey are fine particles of pollen and propolis, along with the added benefits of antioxidants and vitamins/minerals. We don't heat our honey and if you're able to get honey from a local keeper it's extremely beneficial to have a bit of honey every day to help combat allergies to pollen producing plants in your area.

I our bees and their mad honey making skills. :flowerforyou:


*edited to add that raw honey is also a food that will never spoil.

RMinVA

Honey isn't necessarily processed or refined as was mentioned earlier. I'm a backyard beekeeper and the extent of our processing is spinning the frames to extract the honey and pouring the honey through a sieve to get out the large chunks of wax and propolis. What is left in the honey are fine particles of pollen and propolis, along with the added benefits of antioxidants and vitamins/minerals. We don't heat our honey and if you're able to get honey from a local keeper it's extremely beneficial to have a bit of honey every day to help combat allergies to pollen producing plants in your area.

I our bees and their mad honey making skills. :flowerforyou:

Great point!! I always forget about raw honey since it can be hard to find!! I need to be more diligent in searching for it.

On another note...I have a kitty that spends hours posed like the one on your ticker!!

frostiegurl

Honey isn't necessarily processed or refined as was mentioned earlier. I'm a backyard beekeeper and the extent of our processing is spinning the frames to extract the honey and pouring the honey through a sieve to get out the large chunks of wax and propolis. What is left in the honey are fine particles of pollen and propolis, along with the added benefits of antioxidants and vitamins/minerals. We don't heat our honey and if you're able to get honey from a local keeper it's extremely beneficial to have a bit of honey every day to help combat allergies to pollen producing plants in your area.

I our bees and their mad honey making skills. :flowerforyou:

Great point!! I always forget about raw honey since it can be hard to find!! I need to be more diligent in searching for it.

On another note...I have a kitty that spends hours posed like the one on your ticker!!

Have you tried looking on Craigslist or seeing if you have a local beekeeping supply store that carries honey? Definitely try to find honey from your general vicinity or the allergy stuff won't apply.

Oh and my little Sophie loves to lounge like that for hours on end as well.

RMinVA

Honey isn't necessarily processed or refined as was mentioned earlier. I'm a backyard beekeeper and the extent of our processing is spinning the frames to extract the honey and pouring the honey through a sieve to get out the large chunks of wax and propolis. What is left in the honey are fine particles of pollen and propolis, along with the added benefits of antioxidants and vitamins/minerals. We don't heat our honey and if you're able to get honey from a local keeper it's extremely beneficial to have a bit of honey every day to help combat allergies to pollen producing plants in your area.

I our bees and their mad honey making skills. :flowerforyou:

Great point!! I always forget about raw honey since it can be hard to find!! I need to be more diligent in searching for it.

On another note...I have a kitty that spends hours posed like the one on your ticker!!

Have you tried looking on Craigslist or seeing if you have a local beekeeping supply store that carries honey? Definitely try to find honey from your general vicinity or the allergy stuff won't apply.

Oh and my little Sophie loves to lounge like that for hours on end as well.

We did have a bee keeper @ our local farmer's market, in fact I knew him. But I didn't see him last year. Our market starts back up in a couple of weeks, so I'll be sure to look. I have several other farmer's markets around me that I can check out as well.