Honey

[Kemi]

Can anyone tell me what would be the best honey to use....something that is low on the glycemic index? Thanks.

[Dottie]

I ran across this:

GI of Honey

Honey is a naturally sweet substance produced from nectar by bees. According to the American Dietetic Association, honey is made up of several sugars including fructose, glucose and sucrose. The glycemic index will vary depending on the type of honey you use. Floral honeys tend to have the lowest GIs, so use them to sweeten the foods you eat. According to the Glycemic Index Database, locust honey has a GI of 32, yellow box honey has a GI of 35 and stringy bark honey has a GI of 44. Other honeys release their energy faster and are classed as medium on the glycemic index. These tend to be the commercial blends, clover honey which has a GI of 69 and pure honey which has a GI of 58.

[iamfaithful]

I would like to add.... I have a beekeeper! He informs me that most commercial brands are really not honey at all because they have all the pollen removed! He also said that the bee farmers put vats of HFCS in their fields & the bees bring this back to make their honey ~ flower pollen is very lacking in the honey even before it is refined.

So, see if you can find LOCAL honey. If you taste local honey vs commercial there is such a substantial difference in taste & color. I pay more for this local honey (& I am on a fixed income) but the benefit is worth it. Another benefit to local raw honey is it helps with seasonal allergies. Since the bees collect pollen from your local area, you get the benefit from eating it similar to allergy shots. Several doctors in this area buy honey from him and resell it to their patients. 1 TB a day will help build your ammunity to the pollen that is local in your area. Seriously, it works!

Hope this helps!

[DiamondDeb]

I agree; if you are going to eat honey it should be local honey.

[ravenrose]

honey is pure sugar and will never be low on the glycemic index. you can use the xylitol based honey substitutes, but of course they are not natural foods! best just to enjoy the many foods that are healthier and forget the honey, I would say. good luck!

[BABYSTEPS]

I only use honey on my face.I had a lady give me some nice local honey last Christmas and I don't eat sugar.I didn't want to waste it.

[Janknitz]

I wanted to try just a tsp. of honey at bedtime to see if it helps my morning blood sugars, which tend to run a little high. Supposedly this little bit of glucose/fructose gives the insulin something to work on and reduces stress on the liver, which otherwise causes inflammation and release of stress hormones. It's also supposed to help you sleep. I tried it last night and my FBG was a little higher than the previous one (100 vs. 93 the day before), so I'm not sure it's going to work (and not sure that it should work, but I'm experimenting), but I did sleep very well.

The recommended honey is raw honey, and buckwheat honey is recommended. I found some at WF for way too much money, but splurged anyway. All I can say is YUCK! It does NOT taste very good at all. I think that's good because there's no way I'm going to be tempted to overeat this stuff. I barely made it through the one measured teaspoon--it tastes like bad medicine. I think this definitely would make a better facial scrub than something to ingest!

[iamfaithful]

Try eating pure protein before bed and see if that helps. It was suggested to me by a nurse.