Have you ever looked at the sugar and thought, “Can I get rid of this white poison? – What if I substitute this with honey?” Well, here’s some good news for you, you’re among the very few who had this brilliant question… AND GUESS WHAT! Like always, we’ve got something healthy to feed your curiosity.
To begin with, both, honey and sugar are carbohydrates composed primarily of glucose and fructose. But, the proportions of glucose and fructose in honey and sugar differ.
Sugar contains 50 % fructose and 50 % glucose. Honey, on the other hand, has 40 % fructose and 30 % glucose. The remaining 30 % of honey consists of water, pollen and minerals like magnesium and potassium.
Furthermore, in honey, the fructose and glucose molecules float around separately making it easily digestible, while the fructose and glucose molecules in sugar are bound together chemically making it a 100% sucrose i.e., difficult to digest.
In a nutshell, both have their respective advantages & disadvantages, which are listed below
Advantages of honey
Huh! You know it already so we won’t bore you. (embedded: https://honeyallday.com/why-do-we-recommend-truly-raw-honey-to-everyone/)
Disadvantages of honey
High-calorie count:
One tablespoon of honey contains 64 calories, compared to sugar’s 49 calories.
Risk of infant botulism:
In a very rare situation, like you forgetting our raw honey, honey’s bacterial spores may cause infant botulism in infants younger than 12 months.
Advantages of sugar
Lower in calories than honey:
As shared earlier sugar has only 49 calories in comparison with honey which has 64 calories.
Disadvantages of sugar
Higher on the glycemic index:
Sugar can spike blood glucose levels faster than honey that can lead to a quick spurt of energy, followed by a sharp decline characterized by tiredness, headaches, and difficulty concentrating
High risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes:
Sugar can stress the heart and blood vessels increasing the risk of heart disease while sugar is also linked with an increased incidence of type 2 diabetes due to the links between high sugar intake and obesity.
Difficult to digest than honey:
Sugar lacks the enzymes that honey possesses, so is more difficult to digest.
Bottom line
The disadvantages of sugar outweigh its benefits, so it’s advisable to choose truly raw honey, as a sweetener. Although honey enjoys a better reputation, both honey and sugar can have negative effects on your health if overused.
