Honey.
You can think of it as “meal prep” for bees.
Just
like you might meal prep for the week ahead, bees work tirelessly during the
spring to prepare food for the winter months. One might say bees are quite the
overachiever, as they typically produce two to three times the hive’s honey
needs per year. This means the remainder can be harvested for human use. And
harvest it, we do.
But are
these praises of honey warranted? Can we “bee” healthier by making this simple
swap?
Popular
long ago (as far back as 7,000 B.C.) before the rise of refined sugar, the
resurgence of honey can nowadays be attributed to modern day wellness culture.
A heightened awareness of the qualms with a sugary diet has led many people to
turn toward more natural-seeming sweeteners. In addition to honey, this
includes agave nectar, stevia, maple syrup, coconut sugar… the list goes on.
But are
these praises of honey warranted? Can we “bee” healthier by making this simple
swap? Let’s see what all the buzz is about by addressing seven common beliefs
about honey.
Honey contains powerful antioxidants. Refined sugar does not.
It’s
true — honey does contain enzymes, antioxidants, non-heme iron, zinc,
potassium, calcium, phosphorous, vitamin B6, riboflavin
and niacin. But in amounts typically consumed (let’s say about 1
tablespoon), honey is not considered a “good source” of any of these vitamins
and minerals. It has less than 1 percent of your recommended daily allowance
(RDA) per serving.
So, while
this belief isn’t necessarily incorrect, I wouldn’t base your decision to eat
honey solely on its antioxidant properties.
Nutrients are good! I’ll just consume more honey to help meet my
daily allowance…
Not so
fast. While, yes, eating more of a food will give you more of the nutrients
found in that food, honey is still a sugar. The American Heart Association
(AHA) recommends no more
than 9 teaspoons, or 3 tablespoons, of sugar per day for men and no more than 6
teaspoons, or 2 tablespoons, of sugar per day for women.
But honey is a natural sugar. I’m only worried about added
sugars.
If
we’re getting real technical here, all nutritive sugars are technically natural
sugars. When you hear medical professionals say they are not as worried about
naturally-occurring sugars, they are usually referring to the sugars found in
fruits and vegetables. These foods are accompanied by fiber and a plethora of
other vitamins and minerals that are extremely crucial to our overall health.
So honey isn’t considered a natural sugar like the sugar in
fruit?
Honey
is considered a natural sugar. In its most basic form, it is created without
the insertion of human hands. But honey does not occur naturally in food
products — it is the food product.
When
honey is added to foods, it typically undergoes some kind of processing that
will strip honey of its naturally-occurring vitamins and minerals, similar to
refined sugar. So while honey may be natural, it’s not quite as natural as you
might think after processing.
But I heard the body processes honey differently.
There’s
some footing to this, but not really enough to stand on. While refined sugar is
made from 100 percent sucrose (glucose + fructose), honey is made from 75
percent sucrose. The other 25 percent is made up of mostly water.
This means
that, gram for gram, honey is slightly less calorically dense than refined
sugar.
This
means that, gram for gram, honey is slightly less calorically dense than
refined sugar. But, keep in mind: Most of us don’t measure our foods by weight.
Volume measures such as teaspoon, tablespoon, etc. are more readily available.
Since honey is denser than granulated sugar, tablespoon for tablespoon, sugar
and honey are calorically similar at about 50-60 calories per tablespoon.
Okay, I’ll just eat raw, unprocessed honey then. Isn’t
that good for allergies?
Though
the idea of using local honey as a form of immunotherapy sounds pleasing,
there’s not strong evidence to support this theory. More research is needed.
One study found this
effect at very high doses of 1 gram of honey per kilogram of body weight when
also combined with over-the-counter allergy medications. Though current science
does not support the effect of honey on allergies, you may have experienced
these benefits first-hand.
Science
may chalk these benefits up to a placebo effect, but you can only do what you
feel works best for your body. A healthy diet is an important part of any
healthy lifestyle, but always talk to your doctor first before trying anything
new on your own.
Now you’ve got me all confused. What should I do?!
If you
like raw, unprocessed honey and you prefer its taste in place of syrups or
other sweeteners, then use it so long as it fits within any other genuine
dietary and medical restrictions. But to use it simply because you believe it
will “improve your health” is misleading. In the end, remember this: Honey is
still sugar.
As with
anything, be sure to research any health claims that sound too good to be true,
and don’t rely on one food as a cure-all. Food is powerful, but always trust
your gut.
Interested
in learning more about what makes up a healthy diet? Consult with a registered dietitian or
talk to your primary care physician about
how to live a healthy lifestyle.
Lauren Maxwell, MPH,
CHES, CPT, is a wellness
coordinator for Baylor Scott & White Health. Her primary areas of expertise
include behavior and environmental change related to nutrition, tobacco, stress
and physical activity. Lauren earned her bachelor's in nutrition at the
University of Texas and completed her Masters of Public Health from the
University of South Carolina. She is also a Certified Health Education
Specialist (CHES) and is committed to continually improve her knowledge and
skills in the field of health and wellness. Lauren believes that small,
short-term goals serve as stepping stones that lead to the desired long-term
outcome. As a wellness coordinator, she aims to help her clients realize that
health is a lifelong journey with many milestones along the way.
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