Sugar is in everything. It even makes its way into foods you wouldn’t expect. There are 11 grams in a Kellogg’s Nutrigrain bar, 12 grams in a Subway Meatball Marinara sandwich and 21 grams in a Mott’s Original Applesauce cup. Even many fat-free salad dressings are one-third sugar. In 2008, the average American was consuming 76.7 grams of sugar each day. That is about 300 calories worth. The American Health Association recommends no more than 30 grams a day, and that’s meant to be an absolute maximum.
So, how can we take control of our sugar intake? We need to be vigilant with our inspection of nutrition facts. We also need to be comfortable making our own low-sugar foods at home. With so many recipes calling for table sugar, this is easier said than done. Honey is one way to automatically lower our added sugar consumption.
Honey isn’t without sugar, however, natural sugar is different from added sugar. Sucrose is the product of glucose and fructose and it is much more difficult for our bodies to digest than its components. One tablespoon of sugar is roughly 15 grams of sucrose. In contrast, honey has very little sucrose at only 0.2 grams. What it does have is nine grams of glucose and eight grams of fructose. We are much more adept at processing these ingredients.
Honey also comes with a variety of health benefits all of its own. Want to know more? Watch this video for five reasons to choose honey over sugar.
— Erin Wildermuth
