Food Find: Honey

I am not trying to tell you that I discovered honey. What a find that would be! What I am telling you is that I re-discovered honey. Being a natural sweetener, it is an ideal replacement for table sugar and even syrup. I thought I’d share with you some of the benefits that are naturally found in honey and even some of the ways it’s enjoyed in our house.

Honey has 64 calories per tablespoon and table sugar has 46. True, it has more calories than the sugar. However, honey is naturally more sweet than sugar- so you end up needing less.

When sugar cane is processed to become the white table sugar we all know and love, all of the inherent nutrition is stripped away. The sugar loses all of those vitamins, proteins and good-for-you enzymes. Since there is no processing for honey, it retains all of that. Honey is a great source of antioxidants, potassium, calcium, minerals and 22 amino acids. Honey also has a much lower Glycemic Index than sugar and is more easily digested, letting your body absorb the nutrients.

We like to support local honey growers and buy honey from local sellers on vacation as a souvenir or from our local farmer’s market. I like to think it tastes better, too! Some of the ways we eat honey include:

• Replacing pancake syrup on our homemade blueberry pancakes and whole grain french toast
• Drizzling over a bowl of strawberries instead of covering them with sugar
• Using in a fresh fruit salad instead of whipped cream
• Adding a little to my citrus marinade for chicken and fish

Here are a few tips I found at Whole Foods for introducing honey into your cooking:

• Substitute 1/2 to 2/3 cup honey for every 1 cup of sugar
• Reduce liquid by 1/4 cup for each 1 cup of honey used
• To improve volume of baked goods, add ¼ teaspoon of baking soda per 1 cup honey to neutralize acidity. If the recipe calls for sour milk, yogurt or sour cream, no extra baking soda is needed.

Sources: www.benefits-of-honey.com and www.calorieking.com