Honey is sweet and delicious. It is often thought of as being superior to sugar in the health department. But how many calories are in honey?
Well, that is what we are going to find out in this article. So, without further ado, let us dive right in and get started!
What Is Honey?
Honey is a sweet natural syrup-like substance which is made by bees. It is a nectar which they made from harvesting pollen from plants.
The bees collect nectar and pollen which they consume, digest and regurgitate. This substance is then stored in the little hexagons within the hive as a food source for the offspring, queen and hive.
But honey is a delicious and very healthy substance which us humans have been harvesting for centuries. There has hardly been a time in human history when honey has not been available.
There are many different types of honey available on the market. It is not simple down to whether your honey is processed or raw.
There are different methods of plant sources, and extraction methods used for different kinds of honey. We have listed some common types of honey below for you to peruse:
- Clover Honey
- Avocado Honey
- Buckwheat Honey
- Blueberry Honey
- Sage Honey
- Eucalyptus Honey
- Orange Blossom Honey
- Alfalfa Honey
The nutrition you get from your honey will differ depending on the variety, but they do tend to contain more-a-less a similar range of nutrients.
There are a bunch of micronutrients in honey such as potassium, iron, zinc, and many more highly beneficial nutrients.
Nutrients And Facts
In this section, we are going to go over the nutritional facts regarding honey. We have listed everything you need to know below:
- Calories – There are about 64 calories per tablespoon of honey
- Fat – There are zero grams of fat in a tablespoon of honey.
- Sodium – There are zero grams of sodium in a tablespoon of honey.
- Carbohydrates – There are seventeen grams of carbs in a tablespoon of honey.
- Fiber – There are zero grams of fiber in a tablespoon of honey.
- Sugars – There are seventeen grams of sugars in a tablespoon of honey.
- Protein – There are 0.1 grams of protein in a tablespoon of honey.
- Potassium – There are 10.9 milligrams grams of potassium in a tablespoon of honey.
- Iron – There are 0.1 milligrams grams of iron in a tablespoon of honey.
- Calcium – There are 1.3 milligrams grams of calcium in a tablespoon of honey.
It is important to remember that despite being quite high in sugars and calories, this is a highly beneficial food which can offer a ton of amazing health benefits, which we will go over further down.
Is Honey Better Than Sugar?
It is a well known fact that honey is healthier for you than sugar. Firstly, honey is actually sweeter than sugar, which means that you need less of it in your food.
On top of that, honey does not cause a spike in blood sugar like sugar is known for doing.
Raw honey in particular has much more beneficial nutrients in it than sugar. Honey has amino acids, enzymes, vitamins and minerals which are all highly beneficial for your health.
Whereas, sugar is known as a food that has empty calories.
Raw Honey Or Processed Honey?
If you go to your local store, you will notice that there are two types of honey sold. Raw honey and processed honey. Let’s start off with raw honey.
This variety of honey has not been filtered or pasteurized. This means that it has been harvested from the bees and brought straight to you.
It might need to be warmed up a little bit before it is bottled, but for the most part it is not really processed before being packaged.
Processed honey on the other hand will have been pasteurized and filtered using a fine mesh. The way that it is processed makes it look clean and stops it from crystallizing.
The processing actually damaged the vitamins and nutrients which raw honey contains. As such, it is best for you to enjoy raw honey with your food if you want to get the full benefit of this delicious superfood.
When you consider the caloric content of both raw honey and processed honey, there is no real difference. On average, there will be about sixty-four calories per tablespoon for both these types of honey.
Health Benefits Of Raw Honey
Honey has been used for centuries as a way to treat a multitude of ailments, including coughs and sore throats.
In fact, even today there are some pediatricians that recommend that you give your child honey before you give them cough syrup as it does much the same thing, and it is healthier.
Honey does a brilliant job at coating the back of your throat and soothing the irritated mucous membranes, while also having antimicrobial properties that can help fight infection.
You can even enjoy honey in a herbal tea and a tipple of apple cider vinegar.
- Honey can help to improve your immune system.
- It can help you to get a good night’s sleep.
- It can help improve your digestion and gut health.
- Honey can be beneficial for alleviating seasonal allergies.
- Honey can help soothe a sore throat or a cough.
- Royal jelly in particular can help improve PMS symptoms.
As a quick reminder, it is not recommended that you do NOT give any child that is under the age of any honey. It is not considered safe to do so.
Final Thoughts
We hope that you have enjoyed reading this article and learning about how many calories are in honey.
The caloric content might be fairly high, but honey is undoubtedly an extremely healthy food and one that you absolutely need to eat.
If you have enjoyed reading this article, we hope that you will consider checking out our website. We have a range of articles there which you are bound to find interesting and informative.
Thanks for reading.
One of the most common things I talk to my clients about is calories, but so few of them actually know anything about them.
Calories is not a dirty word. If you remove emotion from it, it is simply a unit of energy.
We need calories to live and thrive, and knowing how many to consume is important to ensure that you’re living a healthy lifestyle.
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