The New Complete Book of Food

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r Honey

See also Sugar.

Nutritional Profile

Energy value (calories per serving): High

Protein: Trace

Fat: None

Saturated fat: None

Cholesterol: None

Carbohydrates: High

Fiber: None

Sodium: Low

Major vitamin contribution: B vitamins

Major mineral contribution: Iron, potassium

About the Nutrients in This Food

Honey is the sweet, thick fluid produced when bees metabolize the sucrose

in plant nectar. Enzymes in the honeybee’s sac split the sucrose, which is

a disaccharide (double sugar), into its constituent molecules, fructose and

glucose. Honey is about 80 percent fructose and glucose and 17 percent

water. The rest is dextrin (formed when starch molecules are split apart), a

trace of protein and small amounts of iron, potassium, and B vitamins.

Recent studies at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) and

Clemson University (South Carolina) show that honey is also a source of

antioxidants, substances that prevent molecule fragments from hooking

up with other fragments to produce compounds that damage body cells

and may cause heart disease, cancer, memory loss, and other conditions

associated with aging or damaged cells. One antioxidant, pinocembrin,

is found only in honey. In general, honey’s antioxidant activity is linked

to its color. The darker the honey, the more potent it is as an antioxidant.

Two exceptions: light sweet clover honey (high in antioxidants) and dark

mesquite honey (low in antioxidants).

Diets That May Restrict or Exclude This Food

Low-carbohydrate diet

Low-sugar diet