Use Honey for Sweeter, Healthier Eating
You don’t have to give up sweets to make healthier eating choices. Instead, you can use honey as a natural, unprocessed substitute for sugar in all of your favorite recipes.
Like sugar, honey is composed of two simple sugars—glucose and fructose—but it is absorbed into the body differently than sugar and aids in digestion whereas sugar does not. With slightly higher levels of fructose, honey is also sweeter than table sugar, so you use less. Plus, honey contains vitamins and minerals, making it a superior substitute for sugar than artificial, no-calorie sweeteners.
Using honey as a replacement for sugar doesn’t only have health benefits. Because honey attracts moisture, using it in cakes or breads will also keep your baked goods fresh and moist. There are just a few basic tips to remember when substituting honey for sugar:
• If a recipe calls for a cup or less of sugar, you can substitute honey in equal parts: ½ cup honey for ½ cup sugar, 1 cup honey for 1 cup sugar, etc.
• If a recipe calls for more than a cup of sugar, you should substitute 2/3 or ¾ cups honey for every cup of sugar depending on taste: 1 cup honey for 1 ½ cups sugar, 2 cups honey for 3 cups sugar, etc.
• Because honey browns faster than sugar, lower your oven temperature by 25 degrees for recipes that require baking and watch the time carefully.
• If baking soda is not already included in recipes for baked goods, add ¼ teaspoons of baking soda per cup of honey used to reduce acidity and increase volume.
• Because honey contains water, you may need to decrease the amount of liquids used in your recipe by about ¼ cup for every cup of honey used.
• To prevent sticking, dip a measure spoon or cup in water, oil, or egg before measuring honey.
Ready to start substituting? Use the tips above to start swapping honey for sugar when making these foods:
• Table sweetener for coffee or fruit
• Cookies, cakes, and pies
• Homemade breads
• Granola bars
• Jams and jellies
• Salad dressing
• Glazes and marinades
• Simple syrup for teas, lemonades, and cocktails
