Sweeter dan sugar and wit two times more nutrients, honey fit become di alternative to regular sugar?

Jo Lewin, na registered nutritionist wey study di advantages and disadvantages of dis highly prized ingredient.

Weda you dey look for sugar substitute, sugar-free baking guide, or just wan know di recommended daily amounts, you go find all di ansa.

Also, learn about di health benefits of manuka honey.

Honey naturally na sweet liquid wey bees dey produce from di nectar of flowers wey bees dey play important part for di survival and nutrition of bee colonies.

Each bee dey produce average of half teaspoon of honey for im lifetime.

Considering di amount of honey wey bees dey produce, dat na plenty work for bees!

Di honey bee (Apis mellifera) dey collect nectar from flowers wit di help of im mouth.

Di chemical for di bee saliva dey cause reaction wey dey turn nectar to honey, wey dem go deposit for di walls of di hive.

Di texture and flavor of honey depend on di flowers wey di bees choose.

According to ancient writings, for long dem dey use honey for nutritional and medicinal purposes.

For centuries, dem don dey use honey to pay homage to di gods and e dey help embalm deadi bodi, as well as for medical and cosmetic purposes.

Today, na popular and useful sweetener wey you fit use in place of white cane sugar for snacks, sauces, and hot drinks.

E dey good for moist, dense and flavorful pastries.

Since e dey sweeter dan sugar, use am for small quantity and since honey dey liquid, na small you need for di food.

E dey turn to caramel faster dan normal sugar and e go give di tins wey you bake darker finish.

As par di rule, di darker di colour, di stronger di flavor.

Honey fit become solid if you put am for room temperature, but you fit solve dis problem by gently heating di jar for hot water.

Honey get fructose (40%), glucose (30%), water, and minerals like iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium.

Due to im high fructose content, honey sweet pass table sugar.

Na carbohydrate-rich food. E get GI value of 55 (moderate range).

Some varieties of honey, however, get lower GI, sake of fluctuations for fructose content (di more fructose, di lower the GI).

Honey still dey high in calories and e dey cause blood sugar levels to increase.

One tablespoon (20 grams) of honey go provide:

58 kilocalories

15.3 grams of carbs

0.1 grams of protein

0 grams of fat

Dem dey produce manuka honey from di nectar wey come from di flower of manuka tree.

E contain plenty amount of one chemical wey dem dey call methylglyoxal, wey sabi pipo say make di honey get antibacterial properties.

Manuka honey expensive; So make sure say you sabi wetin you dey buy.

E get very strong flavour and you fit add am for tea and yogurt or spread am for your bread.

Remember say even manuka honey na source of concentrated sugar, so take am small small.

Di health benefit of honey depend on how dem take process am and di quality of di flower wey di bee from collect nectar.

Raw honey na honey wey dem never put for fire, pasteurize, clarify, or filter in any way, and dis type dey keep more of im health-promoting nutrients wey fit lose wen e pass through standard processing methods.

For many years dem don dey use honey as topical antiseptic.

E dey help wounds, ulcers, and burns help sharp sharp.

Since honey na mainly glucose and fructose, two sugars wey dey strongly attract water, e dey consume di water from di wound and dry am up and dis dey prevent di growth of bacteria and fungi.

Honey, especially di dark ones, na rich source of chemical compounds like flavonoids.

Flavonoids get antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and anti-allergenic properties.

Because of im flavonoid content, some pipo consider say honey na healthier alternative to sugar and na source of antioxidants.

Honey get lower glycemic index dan sugar, which mean say e no dey quick raise blood sugar.

Since honey sweet pass sugar, you fit take smaller amount, but e get more calories per teaspoon and dat na why e good to watch di size of di portions wey you dey use.

For pipo wey get diabetes or pipo wey dey try control dia blood sugar, e no really get any benefit if you replace sugar wit honey, as last last di two dey affect blood sugar levels.

Also remember say, like oda syrups, honey na one of di “free” sugars, wey dem dey advise make pipo consume small.

If you prefer honey, try to choose di raw one wey get more vitamins, enzymes, antioxidants, and nutrients an white sugar, and use it in moderation.

However, e dey important to remember say di nutritional benefits of taking honey dey small.

Jo Lewin na Registered Nutritionist (RNutr) wit Association for Nutrition, wey specialization for Public Health.