Pure maple syrup and honey are one of the most widely used natural sweeteners. Just in case you have a sweet tooth and you want to satisfy your taste buds in a healthier way – honey or maple syrup is the way to go. Honey and maple syrup can be found in any local grocery stores and can be used as a healthier replacement to refined sugar. You can replace the white sugar ingredient in any dish with these two. Pure maple syrup candy is also a great way of snacking on to a healthier version of sugar.
While most of us would think both maple syrup and honey are the same as they are natural sweeteners and almost look the same to the naked eye. They vary in terms of nutritional value and composition to a great extent. Once, you understand the nutritional composition of these you would actually know which one to choose according to your taste and requirements.
-
Calories
If you are a health conscious person you must be looking at the calories whenever you buy something. Generally, sugars have a considerable amount of calories and in case you want to lose weight you have to cut down your sugar intake. Cutting down on sugars can be very difficult for people who have a sweet tooth so you can definitely replace it with honey or maple syrup. Now let us have a look at the calorie count of both these products. There is not much difference in the calorie content of honey as well as maple syrup. Pure maple syrup contains 52 calories per tbsp while one tbsp of honey contains 64 calories.
-
Fat
Honey has a slight advantage over maple syrup in terms of fat content as it does not contain fat. While pure maple syrup contains 0.1 grams of fat that includes a minute quantity of saturated, monosaturated and poly-saturated fats.
-
Carbohydrates
One tablespoon of maple syrup contains 13.5 grams of carbohydrates of which 12.4 grams are primarily from sugars. On the other hand, one tablespoon of honey contains 17.4 grams of carbohydrates of which 17.3 grams are from sugars. Among the two maple syrup has an advantage as it has less carbohydrate that is obtained from sugar which means primarily less fructose. A diet higher in fructose level is very harmful to the liver and heart.
-
Vitamins and Minerals
In terms of vitamins, honey has a fair chance as it has more amounts of vitamin B-6 and vitamin C while maple syrup lacks both of these vitamins. At the same time honey also contains riboflavin which is three times higher in content than maple syrup. Honey also contains fluoride which is beneficial for oral health. On the other hand, maple syrup has more minerals like potassium, manganese, calcium & zinc. Maple syrup also has considerable amounts of sodium.
-
Antioxidants
Antioxidants in pure maple syrup, as well as honey, are almost same. Pure maple syrup has a total of 65 different types of antioxidants. These antioxidants prevent cell damage caused as a result of free radicals. Antioxidants fight diseases caused by free radicals like cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular problems and many others.
Which one is better?
Maple syrup and honey have their own advantages and disadvantages. But if you’re looking for a sweetener that is high in vitamins and has no fat, honey is the way to go. And if you seek for something that has high minerals and is low in fructose, maple syrup is the ideal choice for you. Now, that you know the perfect choice for yourself always make sure to consume any of these but in moderation.
Wagler Maple Products 