Better not Safer: Gur and honey are slightly more nutritious than white sugar, but their calorie count is the same

Renu Sud Sinha

I completely stopped taking
sugar after I was diagnosed
with diabetes. I switched to
shakkar/gur and honey.

I am on a weight-loss diet but
whenever I get sugar cravings,
I have a bowlful of honey ice-cream.

THESE are some actual conversations that many patients often have with their endocrinologists/diabetologists and nutritionists.

“Many of my patients after diagnosis would replace sugar with gur or shakkar, particularly in tea, under the misconception that these are safe,” says Dr Sachin Mittal, endocrinologist, Fortis Hospital, Mohali.

This seems to be a common misunderstanding, as many people mistakenly believe that natural is safe, says Shabana Parveen, clinical nutritionist, Artemis Hospital, Gurugram.

Most people are under the impression that gur/shakkar or honey does not affect or raise blood sugar levels, adds Dr Mittal.

However, this is the biggest myth of all, says Dr Anupam Biswas, endocrinologist, Fortis Hospital, Noida. “Jaggery or gur has a very high glycemic index, even more than white sugar and honey.”

The glycaemic index (GI) is a rating system for foods containing carbohydrates. It is used to measure how much does a specific food raise your blood sugar/insulin levels. The higher the GI, the greater the spike in blood sugar levels.

“Gur and honey are slightly more nutritious than white sugar or table sugar but contain almost the same amount of calories,” says Neelu Malhotra, a Mohali-based clinical nutritionist.

Honey has some amount of potassium, calcium, folate and vitamin C, plus trace amounts of vitamin B, phosphorous, sodium, etc. Gur, too, contains trace amounts of iron, calcium, magnesium and phosphorous.

“If you are looking for nutritional benefits, you will have to eat at least half a glass of honey or 100-200 gm of gur. This quantity will cause your blood sugar levels and calorie count to skyrocket. There are better sources/foods to get your nutrition from,” adds Malhotra.

Parveen agrees, “The risks of having large amounts of honey and gur are similar to having white sugar.”

According to a Harvard study, natural and added sugars metabolise the same way in our bodies.

WHO guidelines recommend that less than 10 per cent of calories should come from sugar.

While it is best to avoid white sugar and opt for healthier versions like honey and/or gur, limit these within the recommended intake level.

Dr Biswas sounds a note of caution. “While the awareness about the harms caused by natural sugars is quite less, the trend of getting information or knowledge from social media sites like YouTube and Instagram is growing. This can prove harmful. It is best to get your facts from trusted or verified sources/websites like the American Diabetes Association, the Research Society for the Study of Diabetes in India, the WHO, etc. This holds true for information about any medical issue.”

Remember this rule of thumb. If it sweetens like sugar, it has the calories of sugar. Because there are no healthier substitutes for sugar, only a little better ones.