Honey vs Sugar - Which Is Better?

Is honey better than sugar? Should we substitute honey for sugar? Are there any health benefits of consuming honey? Although both honey and sugar add sweetness to your food, their nutritional values are quite diverse.

You can add honey in green tea, oats, muesli etc during the breakfast as an alternative to sugar. Here’s a comparison between them to know if honey is healthier than sugar!

Honey

This sweet nectar is a dense liquid and comes in a variety of types including alfalfa, wildflower, tupelo, golden blossom, etc. Each of them possesses a unique flavor and taste.

Honey primarily contains fructose and glucose and trace amounts of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, amino acids and antioxidants. Honey is also rich in Flavonoids due to which this thick liquid shows potent anti-inflammatory properties and provides quite a few health benefits.

Sugar

Sugar is made up of sucrose and has no added vitamins or minerals. After deriving it from sugar cane plants, sugar is processed and refined to form granules.

Raw, white and brown sugar are the most popular types of sugars, out of which brown sugar is rich in few nutrients. Raw sugar is a less-refined in comparison to white sugar, however, their nutritional value does not differ much.

Nutrition comparison of Honey and Sugar

Components	Honey	Sugar
Calories	64	49
Fats	0g	0g
Carbohydrates	17g	13g
Sodium	0.8mg	0.1mg
Potassium	11mg	0.3mg
Protein	0.1g	0g
Vitamin A	0%	0%
Vitamin C	0.2%	0%
Calcium	0.1%	0%
Iron	0.5%	0%

Benefits of Honey and Sugar

Benefits of Honey:

1. Honey contains traces of nutrients including minerals and vitamins.
2. A small amount of honey is generally enough to make your food taste sweet.
3. Honey has antibacterial characteristics and treats bacterial infections.
4. Honey, when applied topically, helps in faster healing of wounds.
5. It helps in easing out congestion and sore throat.

Benefits of Sugar:

1. Sugar is lower in calories and has a longer shelf life.
2. It is low in cost and conveniently available.
3. It is a naturally-occurring compound.
4. It is easier to incorporate sugar in foods and drinks.
5. Sugar acts as a potent source of energy.

Side Effects Of Eating Honey and Sugar

Cons of Honey

1. This dense liquid is high in calories.
2. It is not safe to use honey in babies less than 1-year-old.
3. Excess consumption of honey can destabilizes the blood sugar levels.
4. It can put you at risk of heart diseases.
5. It can sometimes be problematic to use this sticky liquid for cooking purposes.

Cons of Sugar

1. Sugar consumption can put you at risk of many health diseases.
2. It can cause obesity in individuals.
3. It is generally difficult to digest sugars.
4. It is quite processed and refined.
5. It has a high glycemic index and can impact liver functioning.

Conclusion:

Both honey and sugar are widely used as sweeteners and have very distinct texture as well as taste. Some enjoy the molasses taste of brown sugar, others relish the flavor of honey on the morning toast.

You can experiment with them as per your taste preferences however, it is vital to keep an eye on the amount you are consuming! Honey and sugar should always be consumed in moderate amounts and you must try to reduce their intake. You can put half a packet of sugar in coffee or half a teaspoon of honey in your morning tea, rather than a full serving if you like your drinks sweet.

To say it all, Honey has been proven to be better than sugar, considering it has traces of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Honey helps in alleviating certain health issues and provide relief from cough and sore throat. However, both honey and sugar have bad effects on your health and body, if overconsumed. When overconsumed in excess, they can lead to weight gain, heart diseases, diabetes and tooth decay.