Better than sugar? Is honey really useful and who should eat it?

Honey has long been considered an extremely useful product and one of the most popular folk remedies. It is recommended for colds and sore throats, used in home masks and scrubs, recommended as an alternative to sugar – the range of uses is very wide.

But what are the benefits of honey? And can it really replace other sweets? Let’s find out together with Anna Semenova, founder of the company producing dietary food products Newa Nutrition, candidate of technical sciences in the field of food technology, nutritionist, product developer and expert of the International Festival of Health and Sports SN PRO EXPO FORUM.

What is the composition of honey?

Honey is 75-80% carbohydrates, 15-20% water, and also has a small amount of vitamins, minerals and amino acids.

That is, in fact, honey is almost pure simple carbohydrates: about 38% fructose, 31% glucose, 10% disaccharides and polysaccharides – sucrose, maltose. For the body, the effects of honey and sugar consumption are about the same. Carbohydrates are quickly absorbed into the blood, quickly digested and quickly give energy. And for their excessive amount is characterized by an increase in insulin levels and the formation of fat stores. And it does not matter whether you had too much sweets or heavily lay on honey.

And what about its useful properties?

If we understand, honey does not contain many vitamins and minerals. For example, to meet the daily need for vitamin B6, you will have to eat 700 g of honey, iron – 1 kg, vitamin C – 4.5 kg, and calcium – as much as 20 kg. Therefore, you should not consider this product as a complete source of vitamins.

At the same time, if you are not overweight and you want to drink tea with something sweet, it is quite possible to replace sugar with honey. In this case, you will at least get some vitamins and trace elements, which will not happen if you add pure sugar. However, if you have a couple of extra pounds and you are prone to weight gain, it is better to refrain from honey too.

In addition, this product contains a small amount of enzymes, in particular, amylase, which has a positive effect on digestibility and carbohydrate metabolism. Thus, when using honey, a weak or sick body will get the necessary nutrients faster than when using sugar. Honey has a mild anti-inflammatory effect. It also contains enzymes that have a positive effect on the body as a whole and eliminate the effects of free radicals.

If you want to enhance the beneficial properties of honey, choose the one in honeycomb. Its calorie content is lower and it has more useful amino acids, vitamins and minerals.

How much honey should be eaten per day?

Here everything is purely individual. If you eat honey, you should strictly fit it into your norm of consumption of simple carbohydrates. According to WHO recommendations, it is no more than 5% of the total daily allowance.

That is, if your calorie allowance is 1800 kcal per day, simple carbohydrates should not exceed 90 kcal or 23 g. In recalculation for honey, it is about 30 g.