Honey and Weight Loss

Honey and weight loss – two terms you wouldn’t dream of putting together, right?

However, some people believe that honey can play its part in weight loss - but that is not to say that you should go out and eat 10 lbs of honey! The nutritional value of honey is greater than sugar. This means if you're wanting to lose weight, but still need to address that 'sweetness craving' (as part of your controlled diet), then honey is perhaps slightly healthier for you. I have a whole page comparing vitamin, protein content etc, of honey and sugar.

I recommend you take a look at this page, because I have attempted to compare the two as honestly as possible.

I don't believe in over-hyping things as if I'm performing some kind of marketing campaign. I think we get bombarded with this stuff often enough already. In my view, it's better to take a more balanced approach.

I think it's worth remembering that sugar comes from plants - for me, this makes sugar better than artificial sweeteners.

However, in the meantime, here's some added information for slimmers wondering whether honey can help you lose weight. Oh, and let's not over-complicate things!

Honey and Weight Loss - A Few Background Points - What's Going On?

It could be said that in very small amounts and as part of a calorie controlled diet, honey could help you with your dieting because.....

During weight loss, the breaking down of stored fat molecules also causes the release of ‘free radicals’ – which are known to be bad for our health. Honey contains a variety of phytochemicals believed to serve as antioxidants. Antioxidants help to neutralize free radicals.

By the way, darker honey is believed to contain more antioxidants than lighter honeys.

During the process of losing weight, the body also loses valuable nutrients it needs. Honey contains some nutrients not present in sugar, which provides only 'empty calories'. As a replacement for sugar in small quantities, honey can help provide greater nutritional support.
If depletion of energy levels is a problem for you during your weight loss programme, honey could help you address this issue. It contains glucose and fructose, providng immediate and sustained boosts of energy.

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If you are wanting to lose weight, you may have heard of the ‘Glycemic Index’ (G.I.) and ‘Glycemic Load’ (G.L.).

The quality of the carbohydrate is key in determining the scores.It is generally believed that foods with a low G.I. are better for weight loss than those with a high GI. This is because foods with a high G.I. initially cause a rapid glycemic response, followed by further bouts of hunger…..and increased fat storage!

A G.I score of 55 is considered low, where-as a high score would be 70 or more. A G.L. score of 10 or less is considered low, where-as a score of 20 or more is considered high. In tests, honey had a G.I. score of 55, and a G.L. score of 9.

However, this does not mean that honey is going to help you lose weight over all!

It is still high in calories and is a high energy food. Food not used for energy may be stored on the body as fat.

A Couple of Recipes:

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If you have a problem controlling excess snacking binges, honey can be used to make appetite suppressants. Try this vinegar and honey recipe:

Mix 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with 1 tablespoon of honey, and approximately 230mk/8oz of unsweetened grapefruit juice.
Drink it before meals.

Alternatively, try this cinnamon and honey recipe:

Boil water and cinnamon together (allow half a teaspoon of cinnamon per cup).
Once boiled, strain, then add 1 teaspoon of honey per cup.
Drink it before breakfast and at night before bedtime.

Alternatively, you might like to take a look at this recipe for honey and apple cider vinegar - or simply use the pectin as an appetite suppressant, as described on the page!

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So: Honey and Weight Loss - What's the Score?

As part of an overall calorie-controlled diet, and as a replacement for refined sugar, honey can play it’s part in a diet, in very small quantities. For example, if you allow yourself a spoon of sugar in your tea as part of your overall diet regime, you could substitute sugar for honey instead.

However, whether or not it really makes a significant difference, I'm not so sure.

One thing is for certain: honey is a high energy food, so it is unlikely to help you lose weight when consumed in excess - quite the opposite, and I can't imagine lots of honey would be very helpful for your teeth either!

As with all things; too much of a good thing....can turn into a bad thing.

Honey and Weight Loss

Honey and Weight Loss - A Few Background Points - What's Going On?

A Couple of Recipes:

So: Honey and Weight Loss - What's the Score?

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