Honey; it's a sweetener that's been around since the time of
cavemen, but recently it's barely been out of the news.
First there was the announcement that, after six decades of
being called Sugar Puffs, the breakfast cereal will now be called Honey Monster
Puffs - seemingly to get away from the negative connotation of the word
'sugar'.
Then came news that honey sales had overtaken jam for the
first time in Waitrose supermarkets, a trend attributed to a perception that
honey is healthier. Market research company Mintel estimates honey sales
totalled a staggering £112 million last year.
Having written a book about quitting it, I am no fan of
sugar. A diet rich in sugar wrecks our children's teeth, increases our
waistlines and ruins our skin, it also alters our moods and even our sleep
patterns.
It's commonly accepted that honey is better for us, but is
that really the case? The short answer is because it is made of 55 per cent
fructose (fruit sugar), eating honey is little more beneficial for our bodies
than eating granulated sugar. And here's why.
HONEY IS STILL SUGAR
Refined table sugar (sucrose) is processed in our bodies by
insulin, which is produced by the pancreas. Honey is about 55 per cent
fructose, a fruit sugar that's processed by the liver. Despite the chemical
difference, our bodies still react to honey in much same way as it reacts to
refined sugar - with a blood-sugar spike.
This encourages the pancreas to produce insulin, which leads
the body to store fat and gain weight. When eaten to excess, products
containing fructose contribute to obesity, heart problems and liver disease,
just like products with granulated sugar. Other research has shown fructose
drains minerals from your body.
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