Sugar, honey and jaggery.
Which of these 3 sweeteners is better?
Is there a healthier alternative available for sugar ?
Often a very common question among people! Many of us believe that “Brown sugar is healthier”, “Honey is organic”, “Jaggery is more nutrients rich. While the truth is SUGAR IS SUGAR, nothing makes it healthier to consume by merely changing its form.
Today, in this article, I am going to break this down for you!
Sugar
Sugar is considered as empty calories food and there is no health benefit. Eating too much sugar can increase your risk of obesity heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Processed sugar is one of the ingredients you should avoid if you want to stay healthy. However, the question is, what should you use instead of the sugar.
Honey
Constitution wise honey is little different from sugar.
Honey is composed of sugar (about 76%), water (18%) and other ingredients that make up about 6%. It has lower calories.Since it comes from a more natural source, it contains many nutrients and anti-oxidants. But When we consume 2–3 teaspoons a day, these nutrients are present in neglisible amount.Honey has slightly lower GI as compared to sugar.
Yes, honey is more nutritious than sugar. It cures coughs, it heals wounds. But if you’re looking for healthier substitute for sugar in your weight-loss battle, it is not a good option.
Jaggery
Jaggery is definitely better than having the same amount of sugar. It is true that jaggery has the highest ‘nutrient-density’ of all the above mentioned alternatives. It has a lot of nutrients in good amount.
Unfortunately, calorie wise jaggery is the same as Honey and Sugar. There’s very little difference in calorie density.
Even when it comes to GI, jaggery isn’t any better than sugar. That means it causes a similar insulin spike, when consumed in a similar amount.
Is there a healthier alternative available for sugar ?
Yes, it is there. Stevia is considered to be the closest healthier alternative to sugar because of the fact that it is made from a plant called stevia (also known as ‘meethi tulsi’ in Himachal) which is 6 times sweeter than regular sugar. Stevia carries ZERO calories unlike sugar, which has FOUR calories in 1 gram.
Fitsciguru suggests work on reducing your sweet craving. That’s the only reliable, long-term method to getting fit and staying so.
If you are not able to control your sweet craving and not taking Stevia too, Fitscigru says it is better to switch to honey or jaggery because they contain micro-nutrients. Though both honey and jaggery will increase the blood sugar levels . Jaggery is rich in magnesium,copper and iron while honey is rich in vitamin b vitamin C and potassium.