{"id":867,"date":"2018-04-20T14:17:12","date_gmt":"2018-04-20T11:17:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dimakopoulosi.gr\/?p=867"},"modified":"2020-09-24T16:23:57","modified_gmt":"2020-09-24T13:23:57","slug":"meli-vs-zaxari","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dimakopoulosi.gr\/en\/meli-vs-zaxari\/","title":{"rendered":"Honey vs. sugar"},"content":{"rendered":"

Due to being naturally produced from bees, honey <\/strong>is recommended as a superior nutritional option to sugar, <\/strong>with the help of the industry<\/strong>. However is that really the case? Is honey better than sugar?<\/p>\n

\"Honey<\/a><\/p>\n

Here we\u2019ll discuss in detail if the assertion above is true or not. And we\u2019ll do so on three levels:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Energy<\/strong> content (meaning calories, kcal).<\/li>\n
  2. Nutritional<\/strong> value relative to sugar.<\/li>\n
  3. On how much it raises blood<\/strong> glucose<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Energy<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    As you can see in the table sugar calories <\/strong>(energy) per 100 gr are 383, while honey\u2019s are 304. At first glance there seems to be a significant difference between them, in favor of honey. However, if we consider how they are served <\/strong>(usually a teaspoon) then we realize that a teaspoon of sugar is about 4-5 g (15-19 calories) whereas a teaspoon of sugar is about 7 g (21 calories). Hence the difference is not as significant.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Nutritional value<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    From the table we deduce that honey contains different kinds<\/strong> of sugars <\/b>relative to sugar, but not so different quantities of them. Meaning honey contains fructose and glucose while sugar contains sucrose. Overall quantity of sugars does differ a bit, but if we take into account the way they\u2019re served (teaspoon) this difference is significantly reduced.<\/p>\n

    In addition, it is often mentioned that honey has a superior concentration of antioxidants<\/strong> compared to sugar. Some antioxidants are the following: Vitamins<\/strong> A, C, E and b-carotene as well as the following: selenium<\/strong>, lycopene, <\/strong>lutein <\/strong>and flavonoids<\/strong>. Both sugar and honey contain minimal<\/strong> or zero amounts of those substances. In more detail, their content in vitamins A, E and beta-carotene is zero.<\/p>\n

    With regards to vitamin C honey contains 0.5<\/strong> mg\/ 100g whereas sugar 0<\/strong> mg\/ 100g.. However, this different is not significant if we consider that (1)<\/strong> 100 g is quite a big amount compared to 1-2 tsp that we consume and (2)<\/strong> that the Recommended Dietary Allowance for vitamin C is 90<\/strong> mg and 75<\/strong> mg per day for adult men and women respectively. Those who smoke should consume 35<\/strong> mg\/ day on top<\/strong> of that. As an example one orange contains approximately 65<\/strong> mg vitamin C, 17 \u03bcg vitamin A, 0.27 mg vitamin E and 104 \u03bcg beta-carotene. As for the other antioxidants mentioned sugar and honey contain zero amounts of lycopene and lutein, 0.9 and 0.8 \u03bcg of selenium respectively and honey contains some flavonoids.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Glycemic index\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n

    The glycemic index is a value assigned to a food, via a specific protocol, which informs us how quickly, after we\u2019ve consumed that food, will blood glucose rise relative to a base\/reference food. The latter is usually edible glucose, and food are usually classified in one of the following three categories:<\/p>\n