Honey vs. Maple Syrup

[ishereal]

I have heard so many things about these two that my head is spinning. Someone told me that honey is harmful and that maple syrup has formaldehyde in it. I need a substitute for cooking and baking, any ideas?

[snowbunny]

Raw, unfiltered honey has been used for at least 10,000 years. Maple syrup enjoys a rich heritage as well. It is tapped from trees and boiled down to make a syrup. Both can be enjoyed as natural sweeteners in limited amounts.

[Alyantavid]

I think both are great when used in the most natural form. We don't eat much syrup but do buy 1/2 gallons of raw local honey.

[mamadelbosque]

They aren't interchangeable. I use them in different things and both have there main purposes: maple syrup on pancakes, oatmeal, french toast, etc and honey in coffe/tea. Honey can theoritically have botulism spores in it so its not recommended to give to infants. Maple syrup does not have formaldehyde to my knowledge though it can sometimes have lead depending on whats used to tap the trees and collect the sap. We love them both and eat a goodly bit of both.

[Dabble]

Why would honey be harmful? Because of the risk of botulism? The risk there is very small, but it is the reason that you shouldn't give honey to babies under 12 months. If you buy pure local honey, you are getting about the best sweetener mother nature has to offer. http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/goo...ity-honey.html

Pure maple syrup would not contain formaldehyde. Be sure you are seeking out pure, natural products, and not the Aunt Jemima in a plastic jug, as that is basically just flavored sugar water. If you want the real stuff, you will pay a bigger $$ for it.

Farmer's markets and local craft fairs are often a good place to seek out local vendors.

[lil_earthmomma]

Like mamadelbosque I use both. I absolutely love maple syrup for breakfast stuff, as well as most of my baking. (I find I can sub in half to 3/4 the amount of maple syrup for the sugar called for in a recipe with no problem!)

Honey will be used more often now that ds is over 12 months. I have a wonderful local apiary that supplies beautiful honey and honey comb.

Obviously I believe that any sweetener should be a minimal part of our diet and mostly avoid refined sugar in my own baking/cooking.

[Drummer's Wife]

Raw, local honey can be really good for you (in moderation, of course). By eating it or using it on the skin for various ailments.

have you been to this website? There are even recipes.

[Rikki Jean]

I don't really have anything to add that hasn't already been said...

We use both. We only use raw, local honey, and pure, organic maple syrup from a trusted source.

FWIW, I did read an article in a semi-crunchy magazine once that said clover honey is basically junk, and that we should only be consuming honey from flowers (for example- we eat orange blossom honey in our home). Sorry, but I can't give you a reference for that, because I can't remember the name of the magazine!

[pampered_mom]

Any sweetener - even natural ones - should be used in moderation. We stick with local, raw honey and organic maple syrup. I always understood that formaldehyde can be an issue, but that choosing organic will help avoid that. Per this site:

Otherwise, look for U.S. certified organic maple syrup, as some syrup makers unfortunately continue to use formaldehyde pellets and other illegal additives. Buying organic also ensures that your syrup is free from artificial ingredients and dyes, from trees that are free of pesticides and chemicals and from forests that have not been over-tapped for short-term gain.

[mamadelbosque]

Erm... all bees collect pollen from flowers... and clover does indeed have flowers. So, IDK about that. Honestly when it comes to maple syrup, I do *NOT* worry about organic. Any syrup that says "pure 100% maple syrup" is not going to have artificial ingredients in it. Honestly if you live where theres maple trees I'd search out a local source and definetly do *NOT* worry about them being certified organic. We get maple syrup for $25 a gallon and honey for $30 a gallon (though I continue to look for other options for honey). Buying either in a store is way out of my price range.

[ishereal]

I hear that honey reacts like refined sugar in the body...... I think I will look to raw honey.....

[Rikki Jean]

Originally Posted by mamadelbosque

Erm... all bees collect pollen from flowers... and clover does indeed have flowers. So, IDK about that.

Good point. I was just throwing it out there. I tried to find a link to the article, but it was in Organic Style, which is now a defunct magazine, so I can't bring the article up.

[ishereal]

Originally Posted by Rikki Jean

I don't really have anything to add that hasn't already been said...

We use both. We only use raw, local honey, and pure, organic maple syrup from a trusted source.

FWIW, I did read an article in a semi-crunchy magazine once that said clover honey is basically junk, and that we should only be consuming honey from flowers (for example- we eat orange blossom honey in our home). Sorry, but I can't give you a reference for that, because I can't remember the name of the magazine!

I hear that some bees are fed sugar (refined), which makes me uneasy, I wonder is there a away to tell what the bees are being fed??????

[Rikki Jean]

Originally Posted by ishereal

I hear that some bees are fed sugar (refined), which makes me uneasy, I wonder is there a away to tell what the bees are being fed??????

I'd say buying local and talking to someone at the apiary to find out what their philosophies are.

[Rikki Jean]

Originally Posted by ishereal

I hear that honey reacts like refined sugar in the body...... I think I will look to raw honey.....

I know someone who says this, but I just have a really hard time believing it to be true. Honey has been used for pretty much forever, and it has lots of beneficial properties. I could see *maybe* making that connection with honey that has been heated prior to purchase, but not with raw honey.

[Sol_y_Paz]

I love both!

[academama]

I am hypoglycemic and react very badly to processed sugar. Raw honey is fine. It causes me no problems at all.

[ishereal]

I will make the switch to raw honey and organic maple syrup, i will have to find something else for baking though because maple syrup can be very expensive! lol
Thank you all for your input and advice!

[JAZE MOMMIE]

Agave nectar ? I used it on pancakes --not that great--but in baking ??? Probably ok -have not tried it yet.
made by honeytree Inc
www.honeytreehoney.com

[*Robin*]

My son(3) has major problems with refined sugars. We do mostly raw honey and reduced organic fruit juice concentrate (boil fruit juice until it's like syrup). We also use maple syrup, but sparingly, as he seems to do better on the first two. Fructose is broken down slower by the body and honey has a higher amount of fructose than table sugar. Also, honey has all kinds of other beneficial things in it, which is why it is thought the body digests it so well. Afterall, HFCS was created to be a cheap and easy alternative to honey. It has the same ratio of fructose as most honeys and has the same ratio of water. But it's obviously not beneficial, so say the least.