IS HONEY TRULY BETTER THAN SUGAR?

HONEY VS. SUGAR

A paradigmatic shift has been observed among the urban populace with the rising consciousness about healthy eating habits.

This is clear in terms of small yet significant changes in their food preferences like choosing green tea over black, organic vegetables over the regular ones and even honey over sugar.

A lot of health benefits are associated with honey but does that really make it better than sugar? Both are essentially carbohydrates consisting of glucose and fructose. Let us go over the elementary facts about honey and understand clearly to what extent it is a healthy substitute for sugar.

BENEFITS OF HONEY

High in antioxidants: Honey contains a higher amount of antioxidants as compared to white sugar. Antioxidants arecompounds that fight the disease-causing free radicals. They improve the heart health and may also lower the risk of infections. Honey is rich in anti-oxidants like flavonoids and phenolic acids, which have anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties.

More minerals and nutrients: Honey serves as a source of crucial minerals and nutrients such as amino acids, B Vitamins, Vitamin C, potassium, magnesium and even some enzymes. Arguably, the composition of honey is better than sugar. The more raw and less pasteurized the

honey is, the higher is the amount of minerals and essential nutrients in it.

Ease of digestion: Sugar is devoid of the digestive enzymes that are present in honey. Raw honey is also useful for people suffering from typical allergies. Highly processed foods take longer to digest. Needless to say, white sugar undergoes more processing than honey does and consequently it is more difficult to digest.

Low glycemic index: Sugar contains 50% fructose and 50% glucose whereas honey contains 40% fructose and 30% glucose. A comparatively lower amount of monosaccharides in honey makes the glycemic index lower than sugar. Studies have shown that when a person switches from sugar to honey, it can lower their triglyceride levels.

Less processed than white sugar: Nutritionist or dietician nowadays recommend a less intake of processed food products. Sugar brings little nutrition and consists of none of the vital minerals that are present in a jar of honey.

WHICH IS THE BETTER CHOICE?

Honey does have additional benefits but overconsumption of the product is equally fatal. Thus moderation is the key in terms of using either of the sweeteners. The presence of digestive enzymes, essential minerals and high amount of antioxidants does make honey the more preferable choice of sweetener. However if the consumption is not checked then it will lose its beneficial aspect and contribute to weight gain as well. Honey does contain higher amount of calories than sugar and going overboard with it is equally hazardous for the health. So be sensible about the intake amount and avoid health complications.

Obesity is a rising concern in the world and it is very important to keep one’s BMI under check. It is better to stay updated about one’s physiological condition with proper medical check-up. Avail trusted clinical reports on time at the finest diagnostic centre and pathology lab - Apollo Diagnostics.

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