Is Honey Keto Friendly?
To get to the answer to this above question we should get some things clear in our head. The first thing to know is about the keto diet itself. It is important to know the functioning of the keto diet and its benefits for the human body.
Keto diet and Honey
The keto diet is a diet in which the carbohydrate intake is as reduced as possible and replaced with a higher intake of fats and proteins. When we lower our carb intake, the body starts burning fat for producing energy resulting in breaking up of unused fats present in our body.
Keto diet is useful for curing a no of neurological diseases, plays a vital role in maintaining blood sugar levels, indigestion, and many other diseases.
Now moving on, a keto diet requires patience and dedication. Sometimes we may crave some sweet taste especially our sweet-toothed audience who cannot think of spending a day without something sweet on their taste buds. Hence the need to know if honey is a keto.
Honey Nutritional Information
Honey is a naturally produced sweetener produced by bees. It is very rich in calories as one tablespoon of honey contains 64 calories exceeding sugar which is 49 calories/tablespoon respectively. Honey contains 17gms of carbohydrates and 0gms of fats and fiber.
Here we should note that a keto diet allows a maximum consumption of 20 gms of carbohydrates. Hate to break this down to the sweet loving people but yeah honey is not keto-friendly.
Despite high-calorie count and being rich in carbs, there is a quick tip for the honey-loving people out there. Research says you can have a significant amount of carbs within a keto diet if you’re an athlete. In other words, you can have honey after a heavy workout to instigate glycogenesis. However, this is not a clear solution.
Ingredients of Honey
SUGARS
Fructose 38%
Glucose 31%
Dextrin 5%
Sucrose 3%
Proteins 2%
Mineral salts 0.2%
Salts of organic acids 2%
small amounts of vitamins( B1, B3,B5,B6,H,K,C) and enzymes.
Nutritional profile (100 gms of honey)
Water 20%
Protein .3%
Minerals .2%
Carbohydrates 79.5%
Calcium 5mg
Phosphorous 16mg
Iron .09mg
Vitamin C 4mg
Vitamin B complex in minimal quantities.
319 calories.
Honey has a wide range of health benefits throughout the world.
It can be used for various medicinal purposes and it is also used for curing ailments, illness, and injuries. Honey is rich in antioxidants which include organic acids and phenolic compounds like flavonoids.
Buckwheat honey is also said to be very healthy and is said to improve the immune system of our body. Researchers have also found out about its contribution to fighting cancer. It also reduces the risk of stroke and heart problems.
Honey is also said to reduce the no. of bad cholesterol or ‘LDL’ in the blood along with triglycerides while increasing ‘HDL’ count or good cholesterol in the blood. It increases the blood sugar level but not as much as refined white sugar. Diabetic patients should stay away from these.
A special kind of honey called manuka honey is also used for treating wounds especially burns. Researchers have conducted experiments to find out honey has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory qualities for treating cuts and wounds.
Honey has been used as a medicine to treat cough for ages. It increases the sleeping quality also. Almost all of the cough medicines contain honey as their main ingredient.
Honey also contains vitamin B which is very good for the skin. It makes the skin softer and elastic.
Keto-friendly sweeteners / Honey alternative for keto
It’s not the end of the world for the sweet loving people embarking on their keto journey. Yes, honey is not the option for you guys but there are plenty of other keto-friendly sweeteners in the market available for consumption.
The list is as follows
Stevia – It is a natural sweetener extracted from the stevia rebaudiana plant native to Paraguay. It is non nutritive as there is little or no carbs and calories in it. Hence it keeps the blood sugar level in check. It is available in both powdered and liquid form. Due to its extreme sweetness, it is used in very little proportions.
200gms of white sugar = 4gms of stevia(1 tbsp).
Sucralose – It is a form of artificial sweetener,non-metabolizing food with the absence of calories and carbs. An example of sucralose in the market is Splenda. Though sucrose is calorie-free Splenda contains maltodextrins and dextrins.
Erythritol – A form of sugar alcohol. It is almost as sweet as regular sugar with 0.2 % calories /gm and 4gms of carbs/tbsp. It is used in making a no. of sweet recipes.
Xylitol – Another form of sugar alcohol which is used as a sweetening ingredient in gums, candies, and mints. Sugar and xylitol can be expressed as equal in terms of sweetness and 1gm of xylitol contain 3calories which is equal to 4gms of carbs.
Monk fruit sweetener – A plant native to china produces monk fruit from which natural sugar is extracted. Mogroside present in the fruit is the reason for its sweetness. It is 100-250 times sweeter than that of regular white sugar. Zero calories and carbs. Mogroside is responsible for insulin release.
Yacon syrup – A rooted plant native to South America produces this natural sugar. Yacon plant has fructooligosaccharides, a type of fiber not metabolized by the human body. It is rich in sucrose, fructose, and glucose. It cannot be cooked because of the presence of oligosaccharides when breaks down when exposed to high temperatures. It can be used in its raw form for dressing salads.
Not Keto friendly sweeteners / what we should avoid on keto
There are a lot of natural sugars that are good for health however if we wanna stick to the keto regime we must avoid these at all costs.
The list is as follows
Honey – It contains antioxidants and a better choice than white sugar. However, the calorie count and its high carbohydrate ratio per gram do not make it suitable for the keto diet.
Dates -Dried fruit, presence of fiber, vitamins, and minerals but a significantly high amount of carbs.
Maple – Rich in manganese and zinc but high in sugar and carbs.
Coconut Sugar – High fructose content and slow digestion rate make it unfit for keto regime.
Agave nectar – A high amount of fructose is present making it unsuitable. It also decreases body sensitivity to insulin.
Last but not least we should avoid intake of a large number of artificial sweeteners like aspartame/Splenda even though they are free from sugar because they are not good for the overall health.
Conclusion
Honey is a naturally produced sweetener. It is rich in antioxidants and other trace minerals like sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, selenium, iron, zinc, manganese, chromium, B vitamins, vitamin C and K. Honey is also composed of sugar alcohols. Honey loses its nutritional qualities with exposure to heat so it is recommended to have honey with lukewarm water or milk. Despite having all these qualities it is not keto-friendly simply because of its high carb content and calories. I suggest to all the honey fanatics to have 25gms of honey in their keto diet if they are under that kind of extreme compulsion.
