# Sugar or honey?



## Jeffery

Is honey a better choice than sugar to sweeten food and beverages?

.


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## Terri

I do not know. According to on-line charts, the carb exchanges for honey and sugar are very close.

Though, honey has more flavor, and I have been known to use honey to give a stronger impression of sugar than is really there. There have been times when I would kill for a sweet, and so I used a teaspoon of honey on a slice of toast instead of a tablespoon of jam.


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## painterswife

I have switched to erythritol.


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## cfuhrer

When I took a nutrition class in college the nutritionist was adamant that it was *all* sucrose and all bad for you. 

My opinion is that if all sucrose is equal, then choosing raw honey which is less processed; local honey which has a smaller carbon footprint and helps with my allergies; from bees - which encourages folks to keep bees (so more colonies, so more genetic diversity, so more pollinators); and tastes sweeter so I use less of it, is the better choice.

But, that's just my opinion.


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## Abe R Crombie

I think that honey like maple syrup has beneficial properties over regular sugar.
I use honey and maple syrup where ever possible instead of sugar.


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## Jeffery

Also... on the label of the jar of honey I bought, it says "Do Not Refrigerate"
Will it still be safe and fresh after opened if I do not refrigerate?


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## cfuhrer

In my experience refrigeration speeds crystalization.
We always store our honey room temp.


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## Wolf mom

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-science-behind-honeys-eternal-shelf-life-1218690/

Honey lasts forever - it's been found in Egyptian tombs.

If it gets crystallized, just put the jar in warm/hot water and it'll melt

Honey has 22 calories per tsp. vs sugar's 16, but is it less processed and has trace minerals. It's also sweeter so one uses less.


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## Wolf mom

duplicate post.


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## Maura

Honey does not digest in your mouth, like sugar does. It does not cause cavities (okay, it doesn&#8217;t feed the bacteria that causes cavities). Because it takes longer for your body to process, it is a better option.


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## cfuhrer

Maura said:


> Honey does not digest in your mouth, like sugar does. It does not cause cavities (okay, it doesnât feed the bacteria that causes cavities). Because it takes longer for your body to process, it is a better option.


Filed under "learn something new everyday".


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## LazyGardner

I thought this was an interesting and surprising review of different sugars.
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-healthiest-sweetener/


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## toni48

I believe raw honey and pure maple syrup are way better than sugar.


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## cfuhrer

I want to emphasize two things: "raw" and "pure".

If you are purchasing honey (I don't know if this is also common practice with maple syrup) from a retailer, as opposed to a smaller farm-direct type seller, make sure it hasn't been diluted with corn syrup.


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## Torch

Honey


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## Abe R Crombie

Jeffery said:


> Also... on the label of the jar of honey I bought, it says "Do Not Refrigerate"
> Will it still be safe and fresh after opened if I do not refrigerate?


Honey has anti-bacterial properties so will not go bad but will crystallize after time.


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## Murby

Honey is Fructose.. Table sugar is 50/50 Glucose/Fructose. 

Fructose is toxic to the human body. The only organ that can metabolize fructose in your body is your liver and the only thing it can do with it is to convert it into LDL cholesterol (the bad stuff).. 

Glucose is important and your body needs it.. Corn Syrup is almost pure Glucose and is far better for you than anything containing Fructose.

Here's the science..
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM[/ame]


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## Terri

Murby said:


> Honey is Fructose.. Table sugar is 50/50 Glucose/Fructose.
> 
> Fructose is toxic to the human body. The only organ that can metabolize fructose in your body is your liver and the only thing it can do with it is to convert it into LDL cholesterol (the bad stuff)..
> 
> Glucose is important and your body needs it.. Corn Syrup is almost pure Glucose and is far better for you than anything containing Fructose.


 
Actually, honey is ALSO just about 50/50 glucose and fructose, and no, fructose is not toxic to the human body. 

https://images.search.yahoo.com/ima...001&hspart=prodege&hsimp=yhs-prodege_001&vm=p


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## Laura Zone 5

Scripture says "I will give you the Land that flows of Milk and Honey".
Not "SoyJoy and Splenda" (lol)

Honey is like the human brain.
There is SO MUCH we don't know.......

Honey from a hive within 50 miles of your home will all but cure seasonal allergies.
You have to consume the raw honey over a period of time (let's say fall to spring) but 4 out of 5 people in my family no longer suffer from seasonal allergies......we all had raw honey....
The 5th person wanted to see the 'science' as he was gobbling down his Alegra for allergies......and still suffers every spring and fall. Oh well. The kids and I are fine!!

Honey is not bleached, processed, manipulated genetically, artificial, or lab created.
God made bees, bees make honey, the end.
I love food like that.


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## Murby

Terri said:


> Actually, honey is ALSO just about 50/50 glucose and fructose, and no, fructose is not toxic to the human body.
> 
> https://images.search.yahoo.com/ima...001&hspart=prodege&hsimp=yhs-prodege_001&vm=p


Thanks for the correction on the composition of honey.. 

But Fructose is toxic.. Here you go:
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/brainwaves/is-sugar-really-toxic-sifting-through-the-evidence/

http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/is-fructose-bad-for-you-201104262425

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22617566

There are people who will have responses such as "well too much of anything can be bad for you".. 
A valid response.. even arsenic won't hurt you if you ingest small enough quantities...

Fructose is what has caused about 60% of the health care problems we see in the United States. It causes your body to produce large quantities of LDL Cholesterol which causes coronary artery disease, heart attacks, and various other problems.

Watch the video.

Honey should be treated as a medicine and only consumed for its beneficial effects if there are any. And once those beneficial effects are no longer required, you should stop consuming it.


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## Terri

The quoted article was the STRANGEST article I have read in ages. And, I usually LIKE WEBMD!

FIRST it said that honey did not help allergies because it probably did NOT have the pollen the sufferer was allergic to. THEN the doctor said h never told allergy sufferers to eat honey because it might have the pollen that they were allergic to in it.


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## Murby

Terri said:


> The quoted article was the STRANGEST article I have read in ages. And, I usually LIKE WEBMD!
> 
> FIRST it said that honey did not help allergies because it probably did NOT have the pollen the sufferer was allergic to. THEN the doctor said h never told allergy sufferers to eat honey because it might have the pollen that they were allergic to in it.


The way I read it.. Honey is unreliable.. and it makes sense.

I have little doubt that the original claim that honey could help with allergies holds some merit.. But as the article states, and as my experience with my own allergies confirm, its not the flowers.. its the tree pollen and various other forums of "non-bee" pollen. 

I have some large pine trees upwind of my front door.. at certain times of the year when the wind blows strong, you can see the pollen come off of them in this reddish-grayish colored haze that looks a bit like smoke.. it covers everything and will cause me to sniffle for at least three to five days. 

bee's don't make honey from pine tree pollen...


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## Terri

My own theory is that honey helps with insect pollinated plant allergies.

As for whether or not it is reliable, if it helps a person it seems to reliably help a person: if it does NOT help an allergy sufferer then it will reliably not help that allergy sufferer


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## wildcard

Isn't honey bee vomit?


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## Terri

wildcard said:


> Isn't honey bee vomit?


Technically, no. The worker transports nectar in an enlarged esophagus instead of in its true stomach


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## Abe R Crombie

I eat 1 kg bottle of unpasteurized local wildflower honey every 4-6 weeks or so.Good for what ails ya and sure taste good! I cook and bake with it as well as just eating it


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## Laura Zone 5

Murby said:


> Scripture also says to buy and sell slaves, stone people to death, and put your daughter's vagina on display for village elders... Do you do these things too?
> 
> 
> Nice shot at science! But a huge miss because I know darn well that when you break your leg, have a heart attack, get cancer, or are subjected to a plethora of other ailments, you run straight to a hospital and ask them to use their science to cure you.
> 
> As for the honey curing allergies.. here's the real science:
> http://www.webmd.com/allergies/features/does-honey-help-prevent-allergies
> That was easy to find...
> 
> 
> Well if you believe that then you must also believe that your God made Ebola, Cancer, Zika, Aids, Parkinson's, and Heroin..
> Not so nice after all...
> 
> We could extend this and say "God also gave bee's stingers to discourage you from taking the honey because its bad for you"..



Not real sure why you went to all the effort to single me out and be nasty??
I shared my personal experiences, not my 'opinion' nor did I simply regurgitate blather from the internet.
Clearly your opinion does not match my experiences, but to be so hateful is really not nice.


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## Terri

Do you folks know that honey is now being used by the medical profession for wound care? It is a fact.

Honey has been used to treat ailments for a long time, and science is just now catching up to folk lore.


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## Abe R Crombie

Terri said:


> Do you folks know that honey is now being used by the medical profession for wound care? It is a fact.
> 
> Honey has been used to treat ailments for a long time, and science is just now catching up to folk lore.


It's been known a long time 
Proverbs 16:24.Pleasant words are a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.


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## Murby

Laura Zone 5 said:


> Not real sure why you went to all the effort to single me out and be nasty??
> I shared my personal experiences, not my 'opinion' nor did I simply regurgitate blather from the internet.
> Clearly your opinion does not match my experiences, but to be so hateful is really not nice.


Didn't mean to be nasty or hateful.. just factual.. I apologize if you took it that way...

Telling someone a god (any god) did this or that without factual evidence is bad information and I was just pointing that out. 

Quoting scriptures and preaching religion has no place in a scientific discussion concerning the health attributes of foods.

I would respectfully request such things be left in those special buildings that pop up in every neighborhood.


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## Terri

Murby said:


> Didn't mean to be nasty or hateful.. just factual.. I apologize if you took it that way...
> 
> Telling someone a god (any god) did this or that without factual evidence is bad information and I was just pointing that out.
> 
> Quoting scriptures and preaching religion has no place in a scientific discussion concerning the health attributes of foods.
> 
> I would respectfully request such things be left in those special buildings that pop up in every neighborhood.


Everybody is free to mention their religion on HT, but if you want to discuss who's viewpoint is correct it needs to be taken to the Religion forum. 

When you post on the weight loss forums I will expect the posters to treat each other's beliefs (or lack of beliefs) with courtesy and respect. That means everybody.


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## HermitJohn

I am sure there is at least a grain of truth in most old wives tales. But remember for any effect as a medical treatment, there is a big difference in local wild unprocessed honey comb, and ultra processed honey in a bottle thats a blend from several different countries and half of that is probably corn syrup.

High sugar concentration suppresses bacterial growth. Packing a wound with table sugar probably as effective as using honey. Course the real treat is packing wound with live maggots. They keep wound clean and are used to successfully treat some wounds that arent responding to any other treatment.

I guess nobody else sees the humor in any kind of sugar (or carbohydrate for that matter) being discussed as helping weight loss?


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## Murby

Terri said:


> Everybody is free to mention their religion on HT, but if you want to discuss who's viewpoint is correct it needs to be taken to the Religion forum.
> 
> When you post on the weight loss forums I will expect the posters to treat each other's beliefs (or lack of beliefs) with courtesy and respect. That means everybody.


I don't view quoting scriptures as "mentioning their religion".. Seems to me that is more like preaching. 
If quoting scriptures as instructions to others is considered simply "mentioning their religion" please let me know.


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## wr

Terri said:


> Do you folks know that honey is now being used by the medical profession for wound care? It is a fact.
> 
> Honey has been used to treat ailments for a long time, and science is just now catching up to folk lore.


I've used honey to treat wounds for quite some time and find it effective.


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## Terri

Murby, if you are serous about fructose being toxic, you might consider not using sugar either. Sugar *IS* about half fructose.


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## Murby

Terri said:


> Murby, if you are serous about fructose being toxic, you might consider not using sugar either. Sugar *IS* about half fructose.


Yes, I know.. it sucks! The darn stuff is everywhere! 

I use corn syrup in our home.. which is glucose... not as sweet but does the job.


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## Abe R Crombie

FYI on maple syrup and it's differences from white sugar.I'm sure honey will tell a similar story.I produce and consume about 2 gallons of maple syrup every year.
Abe

https://draxe.com/maple-syrup-nutrition/


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