Honey or sugar, which one is better for health?

Maybe you have often heard about the recommendation to reduce daily sugar, so instead of using sugar, you add honey to sweeten your drink. Not a few people also agree that honey is a better natural sweetener than sugar. Honey is believed to help cure various diseases while sugar only makes the stomach more distended.

But, between honey or sugar, which one is healthier to eat? Is it true that honey is better than sugar?

Choose honey or sugar? Know the differences in the ingredients first

Honey or sugar are both types of natural sweeteners that are often used to make food or drinks have a sweet taste. Basically, honey or sugar also has the same content, which consists of fructose and glucose. Although the levels of the two types of carbohydrates are different in honey and sugar.

Honey has about 40% fructose and 30% glucose. While sugar contains 50% fructose and glucose. This means that both can make your blood sugar levels rise quickly, because fructose and glucose are carbohydrates that are easy to digest.

But indeed, the glycemic index value of sugar is slightly higher than honey, because sugar has a higher glucose content. But that doesn't make them much different.

Is it true that honey is better than sugar?

Some people believe that honey is better and healthier to consume than sugar. This is because honey has other nutrients besides fructose and glucose, namely:

Minerals, such as magnesium and potassium
Antioxidants
Several types of vitamins

In fact, there have been many studies suggesting that honey - especially black honey - can help relieve cough and cold symptoms and treat food allergies. Then does this make honey better than sugar?

Indeed, in this case honey is better sugar, because sugar does not contain other nutrients other than simple carbohydrates and calories. However, the calories contained in honey are higher than sugar. For example, one teaspoon of sugar contains 49 calories, while one teaspoon of honey has about 64 calories.

Then, which one is healthier? Honey or sugar?

Indeed, honey has other benefits that are good for health. However, considering that both are natural sweeteners that contain simple types of carbohydrates - easily increase blood sugar levels - then both honey and sugar, you should limit your consumption of both.

In addition, consumption of honey or sugar will make you gain weight, cause problems with oral and dental health, and increase the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus.

So, nothing is better than the two, especially if consumed in too many quantities. Hence, you should limit your daily intake of honey or sugar. Even for those of you who have a history of diabetes, you should avoid honey or sugar because it is very bad for your blood sugar levels.

The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia recommends that the consumption of sugar or sweeteners should not exceed 50 grams per day or the equivalent of 5-9 teaspoons. If you are diabetic, you can also use artificial sweeteners that do not make blood sugar spike. However, it is still better not to consume large amounts of it.