honey vs. sugar

[AnnaNova]

i am taking a nutrition class. last week we were reading a chapter on sugar / carbs and in it was a paragraph that said that its a big myth that honey is better than sugar. it said that they are composed of identical materials and digested by our bodies in the same way, and that sugar is better because it has less calories. 

i tried to argue with the teacher saying that sugar is sweeter, so less of it is needed, it has extra enzymes for digestion, it has antibacterial properties, it is not highly processed as sugar, and has lesser environmental impact, has lower glycemic index 

to all of that she said that sweetness is pretty much the same, enzymes do not matter because our bodies can process anything we put in them, she does not know of any antibacterial properties, glycemic index doesnt matter because it only matters when the food is eaten all by itself. lesser environment impact is the only reason one could choose to eat honey over sugar, that and if you prefer its flavor (s) to sugar. 

i really didnt know what else to say to that, but i just can't get it out of my head. i always thought honey was much better than sugar (although it is still sugar and should be consumed in small amounts). 

anyone has to say anything about all of the above?

 

[MsFortune]

I think you are both right.  They are better in different ways.  From a straight calorie point of view, she is right.  Honey has a lower glycemic index, but they are pretty close.  The enzyme and antibacterial properties sound like wishful thinking.

At the end of the day, there's not a huge difference between the two.  

[katelove]

I agree with the PP. I prefer honey personally because it is less processed but from a nutritional point-of-view I don't think there is that much difference.

The anti-bacterial properties are useful if you are using it for wound care but don't really play into diet. And I believe honey is the only food that will never go off but I've never had sugar go off either so this is probably just an interesting fact rather than a real world benefit. 

[ammiga]

I don't know, maybe our bodies can process whatever we put into them. I guess they can process white flour, but that doesn't mean I give it to my body. I prefer whole grains. Just like I prefer to give my body unprocessed (or minimally processed) honey instead of sugar.

If your teacher is approaching nutrition from a caloric view, she might be right. But I don't look at nutrition from that perspective. I look for whole foods. i would choose honey over sugar every time.

[fruitfulmomma]

I am also in the whole foods way of thinking and we don't count calories at all. In that perspective, raw honey wins hands down.  Actually there was an article I read just the other day that Weight Watchers is no longer doing their calorie counting system because they've finally figured out that not all calories are created equal and that you can't just eat junk as long as you stay under a certain number.

[Annie Mac]

This is exactly the type of "official" thinking about nutrition that annoys me. I guess technically, she's right. Same calories, both are sugar, blah blah blah. I am with you though...honey is definitely preferable. A friend of mine once went to a nutritionist for healthy weight loss advice. He would run what she said by me, partly for second opinion and partly, I think, because I reacted in such an amusing manner. One of the things she told him was that artificial sweeteners were just fine, gobble them up, they have no calories so therefore they are a green light. The fact that I remember this several years later and can still get worked up about it gives you a clue as to what MY opinions on artificial sweeteners are. But technically, from a strict calories in/calories out perspective, she was right. 

[physmom]

I can just tell you my personal experience.  I consider myself a recovering sugar addict and for me I can cook desserts with honey in them and it does NOT make my body react in the same way as sugar.  Now maybe it's entirely psychological, who knows?  But I can't argue with the results (over 30lbs lost and counting). 

That being said, I find blue agave the best thing when it comes to preventing cravings and maple syrup the second best.  Honey is a lot closer to sugar for me than those to.  Also the absolutely best thing to prevent cravings is something high fat/low sugar (think cheesecake made with agave).  Yes, it's pretty calorie dense but I would eat it much more slowly than a batch of cookies. 

[ManukaTrish]

I think one important thing to note is that all honey is not created equal! The same is true for sugar, of course, but honey is what I know.

ALL honey has some antibacterial properties. However, for most, the presence of hydrogen peroxide is the reason for that. Therefore, as soon as the honey is exposed to heat, much of that benefit is lost. Manuka Honey comes from New Zealand and is quite different than most other honey. Its antibacterial activity comes from a compound known as dietary Methylglyoxal, and it remains stable when exposed to heat. It has been effective against every strain of bacteria its been tested on, including the antibiotic-resistant strains like MRSA.

When you compare MGO Manuka Honey to sugar, honey is king. It has been shown to help with everything from digestive problems to wound care. Because the antibacterial activity is so powerful, it can even be used in the mouth for swollen gums, as it actually destroys the bacteria in the mouth that would otherwise cause tooth decay. You can't say that for sugar!

[Magelet]

The enzymes (if it is raw honey) in my mind DO count very much.  It's really important to eat lots of enzymes and beneficial bacteria, because our bodies CAN'T handle anything we give them. So many people have very very sick digestive systems and part of the reason is that our food is lacking in enzymes and bacteria.

Also, again, anecdotal, but they act in my body very differently.  If I have even a little refined sugar in something, I go nuts.  I act like a 5 year old who ate WAY too many cookies, screaming (without knowing i'm talking loudly), talking too fast, being super hyper, and then a bit later, I'm exhausted, sleepy, depressed, crabby, and completely crashed. I can eat a significant amount of honey without significant effects. I definitely get a slight "high", with a little more energy, and then a slight crash, but it's more akin to what a cup a day coffee drinker gets from that cup than a crazy rush.