White Sugar, Brown Sugar, Honey, Oh My!

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White Sugar, Brown Sugar, Honey, Oh My!

Posted under: Ask Kev, Nutrition

Q. Hey Kev, how do you feel about a teaspoon of honey as a natural sweetener on oatmeal or in tea vs. real sugar? Also is there a nutritional difference between white and brown sugar?

Brown sugar and white sugar are essentially the same thing. The only difference is that brown sugar is white sugar that has molasses added to it. People often think that brown sugar is better because it resembles the raw sugar from sugar cane. However, these are two different things. As far as nutrition goes, the difference between brown and white sugar is immaterial. White sugar is 99.9% pure sucrose while brown sugar is 97% sucrose, 2% water, and 1% other substances. A teaspoon of white sugar is 16 calories and brown sugar is 17 calories. Both sugars contain very little nutrients and the only real difference is in taste.
Unlike the above comparison, there are many differences between sugar (brown and white) and honey. Below is a list of some that are worth noting:
  • Nutrition: Honey contains antioxidant properties that can be used to help fight against cancer. The vitamins present in honey are B6, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid and certain amino acids. The minerals found in honey include calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and zinc.
  • Calories: While a tablespoon of honey contains about 18 more calories than a tablespoon of sugar, honey is sweeter than table sugar, so you can actually consume less to get the same effect.
  • Glycemic Index: Maintaining stable blood sugar levels is the key to a healthy diet. The Glycemic Index rates foods on their impact on volatility of blood sugar levels. 1 resembling a very low impact, 100 being the highest. Compared to sugar, honey has a healthy GI rating (see below). For more information on GI check out the following blog: http://www.kevsgym.com/can-eating-too-much-fruit-be-bad-for-you/
GI and GL for Common Foods
Food GI Serving Size Net Carbs GL
Peanuts 14  4 oz (113g) 15 2
Bean sprouts 25  1 cup (104g) 4 1
Grapefruit 25  1/2 large (166g) 11 3
Pizza 30  2 slices (260g) 42 13
Lowfat yogurt 33  1 cup (245g) 47 16
Apples 38  1 medium (138g) 16 6
Spaghetti 42  1 cup (140g) 38 16
Carrots 47  1 large (72g) 5 2
Oranges 48  1 medium (131g) 12 6
Bananas 52  1 large (136g) 27 14
Potato chips 54  4 oz (114g) 55 30
Snickers Bar 55  1 bar (113g) 64 35
Brown rice 55  1 cup (195g) 42 23
Honey 55  1 tbsp (21g) 17 9
Oatmeal 58  1 cup (234g) 21 12
Ice cream 61  1 cup (72g) 16 10
Macaroni and cheese 64  1 serving (166g) 47 30
Raisins 64  1 small box (43g) 32 20
White rice 64  1 cup (186g) 52 33
Sugar (sucrose) 68  1 tbsp (12g) 12 8
White bread 70  1 slice (30g) 14 10
Watermelon 72  1 cup (154g) 11 8
Popcorn 72  2 cups (16g) 10 7
Baked potato 85  1 medium (173g) 33 28
Glucose 100  (50g) 50 50
 

Bottom Line:

Remember that everything in moderation is important. Honey and pretty much every other food looks great when compared to white and brown sugar. I would suggest replacing all three of these with a healthier form of carbohydrates such as fruit. This way you get the sweetness along with many additional nutritional benefits. However, if you have to pick between sugar and honey, the lesser of two evils is definitely honey.      

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