Which one's better- honey or Sugar? - 24 Mantra Organic

Is honey better than sugar? When you brew a hot cup of tea or coffee, should you reach for sugar or honey? The answer is more complex than you can imagine, and that is why the honey vs sugar debate resurfaces time and again. The truth is that while both honey and sugar add sweetness to dishes, they are fundamentally different from each other in terms of how they have produced as well as their nutritional benefits and side effects.

In this article, we’ll address the honey vs sugar comparison and help you choose between the two. While both honey and sugar are carbohydrates comprising mostly glucose and fructose, they are produced differently. While sugar is a plant-based product, honey is produced by bees from the nectar of flowers. Also, there are several artificially flavoured honey available in the market that you should avoid since it has added sugar.

Let’s dive deeper into the basics of organic honey and sugar to understand the differences.

Honey Vs Sugar: The Basics of Honey

The nectar collected by bees from flowers is stored in the honeycomb. The water in the nectar gradually evaporates, leaving behind a thick liquid that ranges in colour from pale yellow to dark brown. This is honey, and it is made up of two types of sugars: fructose and glucose [1]. Organic honey also has some amount of enzymes, amino acids, B vitamins, vitamin C, minerals, and antioxidants.

Most of the antioxidants found in honey are flavonoids, which have anti-inflammatory properties. Honey has more than 300 varieties, including alfalfa, wildflower, tupelo, golden blossom, and eucalyptus.

Each of these varieties has a distinct flavour and colour, based on the flower it is produced from. Here is the nutritional value of organic honey:

Honey Vs Sugar: The Basics of Sugar

Sugar, a calorie-dense carbohydrate, comprises a combination of glucose and fructose, which together become sucrose. It has almost negligible traces of vitamins or nutrients. Sugar is made from beet and sugar cane plants. There is multi-step processing involved before sugar becomes a refined, granulated substance that is mostly found in our kitchen [2]. There are several varieties of sugar, of which the most common are white, brown, and raw sugar.

The brown sugar gets its colour from the molasses added into white sugar and may contain traces of minerals and vitamins. It is mostly used for baking or creating dense dishes such as barbeque sauces, pound cakes, etc. Raw sugar, on the other hand, is less refined than white sugar and gets its light brown colour because of less processing. It has larger crystals but isn’t much different from white sugar in terms of nutritional content. Other varieties of sugar are powdered, turbinado, and muscovado sugar.

Here is the nutritional value of brown and white sugar:

Honey vs Sugar: Benefits

To understand the honey vs sugar differences, let us look at the benefits and downsides of the two:

Benefits of Organic Honey

• It has traces of vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals.
• Honey helps alleviate allergies.
• Honey has antimicrobial properties that can help fight germs.
• Its anti-inflammatory properties promote faster healing of wounds and minor burns.
• Honey eases coughing and sore throats.

Benefits of Sugar

• Sugar is low in calories as a teaspoon sugar contains only 16 calories.
• It has a long shelf life and is popularly used in baking and cooking.
• Economically viable since sugar costs less compared to honey and is easily accessible.

Honey vs Sugar: Downsides

In the honey vs sugar debate, there are also some risks associated with consuming these two sweeteners. Let’s look at some of the cons of having honey and sugar:

Cons of Consuming Honey

• Honey has a higher number of calories, with a teaspoon containing 22 calories.
• It is mostly made up of sugar.
• It is not considered safe for infants since it contains bacterial spores that can lead to botulism [3].

Cons of Consuming Sugar

• Sugar has a high glycaemic index, resulting in a higher risk of certain diseases like type 2 diabetes.
• It can lead to weight gain and obesity.
• It might be difficult to digest than honey since it doesn’t have enzymes

Reducing Sweeteners Intake

From the above information, honey vs sugar comparison doesn’t lead to many differences between the two. Honey has some additional benefits if it is pure or organic. It also has enzymes and other traces of minerals and vitamins that makes it a better alternative to sugar. But the bottom line is that both should be consumed in moderation for a healthy living.

To cut down sweet intake from your eating habits, don’t completely eliminate it. Rather, reduce the portion size. For instance, if you prefer a teaspoon of sugar or honey in your tea/coffee or breakfast cereal, then reduce it to half a teaspoon. The key to a healthy lifestyle is reducing the intake of sweeteners and avoiding those empty calories that can lead to chronic diseases later.

Final Thoughts

Both organic honey and sugar are commonly used sweeteners that have different tastes and textures. Incorporating both in your diet in moderation can help you relish your sweet tooth while choosing the best for yourself. Therefore, the honey vs sugar comparison should not be a deciding factor when adding it to your dishes. While honey may appear a better choice over sugar, it still has its risks when consumed in excess.

Over to you now!

Try 24 Mantra Organic’s Honey and Savour the taste of organic goodness.