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Are Honey & Maple Syrup Healthier Alternatives to Sugar?

Updated: Mar 23, 2020



In short: Yes, but it depends.


Honey and maple syrup, although natural, are still considered added sugars. They are still processed in our bodies like simple sugars, which are digested and used for energy fairly quickly:


In general: 4 grams of sugar = 1 tsp

Use this a frame of reference when looking at the grams of added sugar in a product.


Added sugar recommendations for adults:

Women: 100 calories (25 grams, or 6 teaspoons)

Men: 150 calories (37 grams, or 9 teaspoons)


However, these natural sugars do also contain added nutrients, mainly vitamins and minerals, which you can read about here:



Additionally, neither honey, nor maple syrup, is truly natural - as in, it is not found in nature without some sort of processing. Bees need to break down nectar to make honey, humans need to boil down sap to make maple syrup.


That being said, if you’re looking for a little extra sweetness or energy from carbohydrates, using honey or maple syrup will provide a concentrated source potentially without as much inflammation as white, table sugar.


So, should I include natural sweeteners?


General healthy individual: Include if desired on occasion, but keep to the recommended serving of less than 25g added sugar per day.


Individuals looking to lose weight: If you currently don’t eat much sugar, best not to add extra sugar, but if you currently have a super sweet tooth, replacing that white sugar with natural sweeteners can be a good small step to start. Whole fruit is the best swap for when a sweet craving hits.


Individuals who are highly active: Add them if it helps you meet your individual carbohydrate needs, however starchy carbohydrates are better for replacing muscle glycogen as there is more glucose (stored in muscles and liver) and less fructose, which is processed first through the liver before getting converted to glucose.


People with diabetes: Some research suggests honey can be anti-diabetic, but everyone is different, so if you consume honey, test your blood sugar 2 hours after eating, if it’s >140 mg/dL, it's likely not a great option for you. Additionally, honey is about 1/2 fructose, 1/2 glucose. Fructose does not affect blood sugars as much as glucose, HOWEVER, too much fructose can overload the liver as that is where fructose gets converted to glucose to be used by the body. If the liver is overloaded, it will start to turn this sugar into triglycerides, leading to fatty liver, insulin resistance, etc.

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