Honey Vs Sugar: A Comparison
So honey vs sugar: which is the best? Well many people rave about honey, and say it’s really good for you. At the same time, many people say that sugar is bad for you. Are they really that different, or is it merely hype? If honey really is much better for you than sugar, shouldn’t we try and substitute honey for sugar? Then again, if you’re on a diet, aren’t there lots of calories in honey anyway? I felt that the best way to tackle this topic was to do a little research on both sugar and honey nutrition. Of course, I have a
very basic summary here,
about the nutritional values of honey, so if you want to skip the detail, then take a look at that link. 
Honey Vs Sugar: Calorie and Carbohydrate Comparison From the tables, you can see that 100g of granulated sugar contains more calories than 100g of honey. Remember that honey consists of about 17% water (water having no calories), whereas granulated sugar contains no water.
Granulated sugar is 100% carbohydrate derived from sugar. Honey carbohydrate is also comprised almost entirely of sugar, however, the types of sugars are entirely different. Granulated sugar consists of 100% sucrose, whereas honey consists of only about 1.5g of sucrose, and the rest is Fructose and Glucose. This is particularly relevant if you are an athlete or are engaging in sport, due to the provision of both short and sustained energy provision. You can read a little more about this on my page ‘Calories in Honey’ – there’s a link at the bottom of this page.
If you are dieting and wish to substitute honey for sugar as part of a calorie controlled diet, then it may help to sustain your energy levels – but I don’t advise you to eat a lot of it! There’s more about the topic of honey and weight loss if you follow the link here, but first, why not read on as there's some interesting background on this page. Honey Vs Sugar: Vitamin Content Comparison Honey certainly contains some vitamins, whereas sugar contains no vitamins. However, note that the vitamin content in Honey is not massive – for example, the table shows that if you eat 100g of honey, you’ll only get 1% of your daily recommended amount of vitamin C – and you’ll get a lot of calories (over 300!). On the other hand, if you eat 100g of raw, fresh, unpeeled apple, you’ll get 8% of your daily requirement of vitamin C, and you’ll consume only 52 calories! Of course, apples have other vitamins too, but if high energy is a priority, then honey is better. ……well, I said I wanted to put things in perspective! …… Now do read on!
Honey Vs Sugar: Protein and Amino Acids Content Comparison Honey contains quality proteins, and 100g of honey gives you a score of 19. The closer the score to 100, the better. In this respect, honey is significantly better than sugar. But what about that raw apple? Believe it or not, 100g of the humble apple gets a score of 31! Sugar on the otherhand, gets a miserable zero!
Honey Vs Sugar: Mineral Content Comparison Sugar has very little mineral content. Honey is better, however, they are small percentages of the daily recommended amount. In other words, you still need to find other sources of these minerals in additional foods.
So, Honey vs Sugar – What’s the Conclusion? It seems that honey is more nutritious than granulated sugar. If you are engaging in sports, then I think honey wins hands down.(Don't forget to check out my link 'Calories in Honey' below). However, if it's vitamins & minerals you're after, honey is very high in calories, so don’t go eating lots of it, just for the sake of the vitamins and minerals, otherwise, you’ll put on weight. Get yourself a balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables. Should I Substitute Honey for Sugar? It depends, but my views are as follows: - If you are engaging in sports and need the energy, honey could be beneficial. - If you’re on a diet, you could substitute honey for sugar, because it will provide you with sustained energy and help you counteract feelings of lethargy. However, don’t eat lots of honey, because it is high in calories - substitute honey for sugar only as part of your calorie controlled diet. Honey may have other benefits over sugar that are useful for weight loss too. I've explained these more fully in my honey and weight loss pages – click here to find out more. - Generally, I would say ‘everything in moderation’. If you are getting your full vitamins and minerals from a good balanced diet, there is no major need to substitute honey for sugar in vast quantities – remember, sugar is also a natural product, and there are organic, fairly traded versions available. However, most commonly, people substitute honey for sugar in small quantities, not because of diet but because of taste. For example, honey vs sugar on pancakes - which one? For me, honey wins every time! - Of course, there are reputedly other health benefits of honey too, and many home remedies made from honey. Check this page to learn more. 
Honey vs Sugar in Bee Diets!Just one more thing before you go......A honey bee only makes 1 twelfth of a teaspoon of honey in its life time. In other words, honey is to be treasured and valued, and should never be a commodity. As you can see, humans don't actually NEED honey, so if you are going to buy it, please try to support sustainable practices. Honey bee welfare is considered by few people. Over the years, we have been sold a lie, that intensive agricultural systems with high chemical usage, are necessary. But actually, the system we have today, evolved from government support to the chemical warfare industry, and the marketing of their toxins for use on the land. It's up to the people to send a clear signal to farmers, through our purchase decisions. I recommend that if you are going to buy honey, purchase organic honey, or at least try to find a local beekeeper you can trust. Learn more about just how precious honey is by
following this link, describing how they make it.
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