Honey or Maple Syrup: Which Is A Better Treat For Those With Diabetes?

When it comes to finding healthy foods, it becomes difficult to decipher when they are sweet and loaded with sugar. However, when it comes to honey and maple syrup, both are naturally sweet and essential for your overall health and well-being. While bees make raw honey from the nectar of flowering plants like wildflowers and sweet orange citrus, maple syrup comes from the sap of trees, mainly the Acer species.

While both honey and maple syrup are powerhouses of health-protective compounds and some beneficial nutrients, their nutritional compositions differ completely.

Honey and maple syrup are loaded with carbohydrates and sugar, along with some amounts of protein, fibre, and fat. While honey is slightly higher in calories, maple syrup has more protein. According to Health.com, the difference in nutrients becomes more significant when comparing larger portions, as five tablespoons of honey contain 82 grams of sugar, while 5 tablespoons of maple syrup contain 60.5 grams.

Also, the sugars in both are different, as honey has fructose, while maple syrup contains mostly sucrose.

Maple syrup also has higher levels of potassium and calcium—more than honey—along with good amounts of manganese and riboflavin—all of which support your cellular functions that provide the body with energy, allowing it to work efficiently.

According to experts, maple syrup helps stabilise insulin and blood sugar levels, while honey, which is natural with trace nutrients, has a greater effect on blood sugar, which may make it less ideal for those who have diabetes. Doctors say while bother are totally better options than refined sugars or syrups that significantly cause a blood sugar spike and do not have any nutritional benefits, both honey and maple syrup should not be overconsumed either.

Using honey or maple syrup minimally in your daily diet and balancing your protein to carbohydrate intake can help reduce blood sugar spikes. Both can be healthier alternatives to refined sugars for occasional sweets.

Both honey and maple syrup have a smooth, thick consistency, while sometimes, depending on the wealth, honey does become either thin and syrupy to thick and crystallised. Factors like the environment, season, and geographical location influence maple syrup's flavour as well.

Even though their compositions in sugar are different, both maple syrup and raw honey are among the best natural substitutes for refined sugars and can also be paired with savoury dishes, like cheese on a pizza or a salad. Other great uses include:

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