Does honey make you fat? Myth or Reality

Honey is the oldest natural sweetener that exists and has been used for thousands of years, although very few were able to access it and it began to be called nectar of the gods.

It is a sweet, appetizing food that, due to its exquisite flavor, has many benefits and properties for the body, such as defending us against colds and soothing our throats.

However, many today wonder if honey is fattening and is unfairly criticized.

Thus, much of the population questions things such as:

Does bee honey make you fat?

Can I eat honey every day? How much is recommended?, etc.

Honey occupies a place in practically all kitchens, being much more common in winter. However, many people think that perhaps they should not take it because it is sugar, because it is too sweet or simply because they are on a diet and have been advised not to take it because of its caloric content.

So, can we take it without problem? Does it make you fatter than sugar? What is the truth?

The answer is not simple, although what is true are all the benefits and properties that it possesses, such as its great contribution of energy (highly recommended for athletes), and its greater sweetening power.

Actually, to talk about whether honey is fattening or not, its composition must be taken into account. In terms of calories, the difference between honey and sugar is not very great, being 400kcal per 100 grams of sugar and 320 kcal per 100 grams of honey.

calories honey and sugar

So, if we analyze it, we can find the biggest difference between sugar and honey: honey is made up of minerals, vitamins and antioxidants, while sugar only provides calories.

Another big difference and no less important for that is the glycemic index, since honey has a glycemic index of 87 per 100 grams and sugar 100 per 100 grams. Basically sugar is just sugar without any nutritional contribution.

Glycemic index honey sugar

It is difficult to quantify how fattening honey can be. Honey contains sugar, but having vitamins and minerals help digest sugar and allow the rest of the nutrients stored in the body to be used in a way that eliminates fat and cholesterol.

In addition, honey contains fructose, minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese and zinc; complex vitamins B, C, D and E; enzymes that come from the stomach of the bee and organic compounds.

In conclusion, we can say that honey, like any food, can make you fat depending on its consumption.

It should always be in its proper measure like any food that in excess is bad, so it is advisable to take honey without any fear since it is a very complete food both for its properties and for its exquisite flavor that has been so appreciated for centuries and centuries.