Glycemic index of honey. Honey for diabetes

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

The glycemic index of honey depends on the type of bee product and the percentage of sucrose and fructose in it. Knowing the glycemic index (GI) of foods is recommended for all people who have diabetes or are prone to this disease. However, many fans of a he althy lifestyle take this conditional indicator into account when compiling the menu, it is also recommended to take it into account for people with increased body weight.

What is the glycemic index?

This is an indicator that determines the increase in blood sugar levels after taking a particular carbohydrate product. The standard is the glycemic index of glucose, which is 100 units. All vegetables, fruits, legumes, cereals, flour products have their own GI. What does that mean? For example, after eating a food with a glycemic index of 40 units, the body will absorb 40% of carbohydrates in the form of glucose.

There are foods with a high glycemic index - more than 50 units. These are sweets, rich pastries, rice, bread, boiled and bakedpotatoes, raisins, bananas. After taking them, there is a rapid saturation, but soon the person again experiences a feeling of hunger. The fact is that insulin is included in the work - a hormone whose main function is to lower glucose in the blood and its entry into the cells of the body. Excess glucose is converted by insulin into body fat.

People with diabetes are usually aware of the glycemic index of carbohydrate-containing foods and try to make menus with this indicator in mind. However, many of them refuse honey, considering it a provocateur. Is it really so?

Glycemic index of honey

Honey contains two carbohydrate components - glucose and fructose. The fructose index is only 19, and glucose, as noted earlier, is 100 units. Therefore, the more fructose is in the product, the lower the glycemic index of honey. Conversely, increasing the amount of glucose guarantees a high GI.

Honey is considered to have a high GI. Depending on the honey plant, it varies from 30 to 90. On average, the glycemic index of honey is 50-70 units. The GI varies depending on a number of factors:

• collection points;
• naturalness of the product itself;
• storage conditions;
• type of honey plant;
• geography of the area.

Natural honey

Many beekeepers are cunning and feed bees with sugar syrup, jam or other sweets. In this case, his GI increases and can reach 100 units. Glycemic index of honeynatural is always lower than the counterfeit counterpart. An important role is played by honey plants, from which healing nectar is collected.

The table below shows the glycemic index of honey collected from different honey plants.

Nectar source	Glycemic index, units
Pine	20-30
Acacia	32-35
Eucalyptus	50
Linden	55
Flower honey	65
Chestnut	70
Buckwheat	73
Sunflower	85

As can be seen from the table, there is honey with a low glycemic index - this is the nectar of pine, acacia, eucalyptus. Varieties such as lime, heather, chestnut have an average GI.

Fake honey

Fairs are held at the end of August and September, where honey of different varieties is sold. If you care about your he alth, you should know how to get a natural product without additives.

Each variety has its own color, characteristic smell, crystallization time. Of course, it is difficult for an inexperienced person to understand all these subtleties, but still the main differences are worth knowing. For example, acacia honey is almost transparent, and whencrystallization becomes white. The linden variety remains liquid for a long time, the buckwheat variety has a characteristic aroma and a brownish color.

The maturity of the product matters. Bees, after they have produced honey, wait for excess moisture to evaporate, supply the product with substances that do not allow it to ferment. Some unscrupulous beekeepers seek to profit as quickly as possible, so they pump out honey ahead of time. Such a product has an excess of moisture, quickly deteriorates, and its medicinal properties decrease. Mature honey is thick, slowly flows down the sides of the dish, does not reach for a spoon.

Remember: the glycemic index of a low-quality product gets high and approaches 100!

GI sugar

The glycemic index of honey and sugar is approximately the same - 70 units, but sugar does not contain biologically active substances, trace elements and vitamins present in honey. Therefore, nutritionists recommend giving preference to the product of beekeeping. If you have a sweet craving, eat 1-2 teaspoons of honey. From such a meal, excess weight will not be gained, and the need for sweets will be satisfied.

If you're used to putting a little sugar in your tea and can't break the habit, it's best to choose a brown cane product. Its glycemic index is lower at 55 units.

Honey and diabetes

In a severe form of the disease, he althy nectar should be discarded when the pancreaspractically unable to produce insulin. But why does the media continue to discuss the benefits of honey in diabetes? Many "healers" even advise its use in unlimited quantities. The fact is that honey has a beneficial effect on the nervous system, which is important for diabetics, it has a positive effect on the work of the heart muscle, and relieves insomnia.

Endocrinologists are allowed to eat no more than 1-2 teaspoons of honey per day, and the first portion should be taken in the morning on an empty stomach, and the second - during the day. With compensated diabetes, this dosage will not harm he alth. It is recommended to choose those varieties that have a low GI - pine or acacia.

Despite the approximately the same glycemic index of honey and sugar, their usefulness indicators vary significantly. Buy a quality bee product and use moderation to help prevent high blood glucose levels.