Sugar science. Carbohydrates appear in many forms in many foods, and there are also many different kinds of sugar besides the familiar white grains in the sugar bowl. Following are some carbohydrate terms you should know.

Complex carbs taste less sweet because, being a larger molecule, they don't fit as easily into the sweet receptors of the taste buds as do the more simple sugars.

Nutritionally speaking, there is no such thing as a bad sugar, since all digestible sugars provide energy to the body. It doesn't matter to an individual cell whether the glucose it is using for fuel entered the body as a starch or as a sugar. Yet, simple and complex carbohydrates behave differently in the body and are part of different nutritional packages. The best carbs are those that not only provide a steady supply of energy, but also bring other nutrients the body needs. The worst carbs come in packages with few other nutrients, except perhaps fat, and cause the blood sugar, and often a person's mood, to be unstable.

NUTRITIP
Satisfying Carbs
Beginning a meal with a complex carbohydrate food, such as pasta, and eating it slowly will lessen your craving for fats during the rest of the meal. You'll start to feel full and won't want as much of higher-fat foods. So use pasta (with low-fat sauce) to curb overeating.

Complex carbohydrates are found in grains, vegetables, and legumes -- foods that provide vitamins, minerals, and fiber as well as energy. You get a lot of nutritional bang for your buck with complex carbs.

Fructose sugars are simple monosaccharides rather than complex carbohydrates. They come in packages - fruits - that contain important nutrients and fiber. Fruit sugars provide quick energy, but do not excite the blood sugar roller coaster because the fiber slows absorption of the sugars. Unlike the simple sugar glucose that quickly enters the bloodstream, fructose sugar has to go to the liver before it is released into the bloodstream and carried to the body's cells. Since fructose is the preferred source of glycogens (sugars stored in the liver), it is a valuable energy food before and after long periods of exercise.

Conventional wisdom says that since all carbohydrates are eventually digested and absorbed as glucose, the original food source of the sugar, whether a bean or a candy bar, matters little. Sugar is sugar. Sucrose is sucrose. Not exactly! New insights into how various sugars behave in the body has revealed otherwise. While it is true that the sucrose in an orange is chemically the same as the sucrose in the much-maligned table sugar, the fact that the sucrose in the orange is packaged along with other nutrients makes it behave biochemically more friendly in the body. When you eat sucrose as naturally part of fruits or vegetables, you get not only vitamins and minerals in the package, but you get fiber and other complex carbohydrates that steady the absorption of the sugar. Yet, take the sugar away from the rest of the fruit and vegetable and refine it into a powder, and it's this processing that downgrades sucrose from the healthy to the junk food category. So, it's the company the sugar keeps with other foods that affects its absorption from the intestines and its consequent behavior in the body.

To understand why these sugars merit the label "junk sugars," let's take a ride with these sugars from the mouth to the bloodstream to see how they affect the body. Junk sugars are called simple carbohydrates because they are short, uncomplicated molecules. Because simple sugars are already so small, they require little or no breaking down in the intestines. The sucrose molecule is quickly broken down into glucose and fructose, and all that glucose is actively pumped through the intestinal cells quickly into the bloodstream. A sprinkle of sugar that hits the intestines enters the bloodstream almost immediately, and the roller coaster ride begins.

After the refined sugars rush into the bloodstream, blood sugar levels rise, pressuring the pancreas to release insulin, the hormone needed to escort these sugars into the body's cells. Lots of insulin helps the sugar get used up rapidly, but then the blood sugar level plunges. The body hits a sugar low, also known as hypoglycemia or "sugar blues." Now, just as insulin was released when the blood sugar was too high, other hormones are released when the blood sugar is too low. These stress hormones want to restore the blood sugar to normal levels, so they squeeze stored sugar from the liver, sending the blood sugar back up. These adjustments work better in some people than in others and better in some circumstances than others. Sugar-sensitive individuals experience the ups and downs of blood sugar levels as a roller-coaster ride, and their moods and behavior go up and down with their blood sugar.

While there are many types of sugars, some are sweet somethings, others are sweet nothings. Here are the more common sugars you will see in the ingredients list on a product label. Knowing what they are and their nutritional value will help you make wiser choices.

Certain sugars belong in the same category as the fake fats. They not only provide no essential nutrients to the body (your body could live better without them), they actually may do harm.

Soft drinks. Many soft drinks are a double-whammy of sugar and caffeine, a combination which sends most bodies (and minds) on an uncomfortable biochemical roller coaster ride. Since caffeine is a diuretic, caffeine-containing sodas not only don't quench thirst, they can leave you feeling more thirsty. A 12-ounce can of cola contains about ten teaspoons of sugar, in addition to artificial flavors and caffeine. That's what's going into your body, and here's the bad news about it. Sugar mixed with water provides more calories and put on more body fat than the same amount of table sugar taken dry by the spoonful because the quick rise in blood sugar causes an insulin burst, which makes the liver respond by turning the excess sugar into fats. Caffeine exaggerates the roller coaster effect of sugars in the bloodstream by triggering the release of hormones that release stored sugar in the liver. That can of cola will produce a sugar high, but a sugar low is sure to follow.

The junk sugars in soft drinks also take good things out of the body. High doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners increase the urinary excretion of calcium, leading to weaker bones, or osteoporosis, and to deposits of calcium in the kidneys (i.e., kidney stones). The phosphoric acid present in many soft drinks further robs the body of calcium by increasing the loss of magnesium and calcium in the urine.

Then there are the good things that junk sugars take the place of. These junk sugars fill children up, so they tend to eat less of more nutritious foods. They drink cola with a meal instead of milk, or they reach for other junk food to go with the empty calories in their soda. They choose high- fat fast-food since television has made this junk cola along with a junk sandwich the American nutritional norm.

Packaged bakery goods. The combination of white sugar, white flour, and hydrogenated shortening make packaged bakery goods a nutritionally empty package. Most sweet snacks, such as cupcakes and doughnuts, contain all three of these factory-made foods. Look for baked goods that are made with whole grains, contain no hydrogenated oils, and are sweetened with fruit concentrates.

An important characteristic of sugars and starches is the glycemic index (GI), which is a measure of how quickly a carbohydrate is digested, enters the bloodstream, and raises the blood-sugar level. Foods with a low glycemic index enter the bloodstream slowly and trigger the insulin response less quickly, contributing to a steadier blood-sugar level and, consequently, a steadier mood. On the other hand, foods with a high glycemic index enter the bloodstream quickly and jolt the insulin response into action, quickly leading to large blood-sugar swings -- from high to low - which can cause irritability, anxiety, and jitteriness. When you eat a variety of carbohydrates together at a meal, the glycemic index is not as important. The effect of one food offsets that of another. Here's how different kinds of carbohydrates rank from lowest to highest in glycemic index:

1. legumes
2. dairy products
3. vegetables
4. fruits
5. whole grains
6. refined sugars and grains

The glycemic index is more important when eating carbohydrates alone as snacks. For example, an apple, because of its lower GI, is more blood-sugar-friendly than a banana. It would be better to eat the banana, which has a higher GI, with yogurt for breakfast or with peanut butter for lunch. The foods with a lower GI will slow the absorption of the sugar in the banana.

Fat and fiber slow sugar absorption, so the sugar in ice cream would enter the bloodstream more slowly than the sugar in soda. The sugar from a baked potato eaten without sour cream gets in the bloodstream faster than one loaded with sour cream or butter. Because of the fiber, the sugar in a whole orange would enter the bloodstream more slowly than the sugar in orange juice. (Orange juice is often used as a quick perk-up for diabetics suffering a sudden bout of low blood sugar). Fiber also explains why apples have a lower glycemic index than bananas.

Sugary soft drinks will have a more uncomfortable effect on the blood sugar if they are consumed on an empty stomach than if taken with a meal. Anything that breaks down food into finer particles makes the sugar more quickly digestible, so cooking vegetables and mashing potatoes raises the glycemic index.

NUTRITIP
Sweets on a Full Stomach
Downing a 12-ounce can of sugary soda on an empty stomach is more likely to trigger the insulin roller coaster and adrenaline rush than drinking that soda with a meal. Save sweets for after- meal treats. A high-sugar breakfast is another roller-coaster starter. It sets up the working adult or the school-age child for a mid-morning hypoglycemic crash.

The glycemic index may seem like an obscure concept, important only to food chemists, but it actually affects everyone's general health and well-being. For example, one study found that persons who tend to eat diets that are low in fiber and high in carbohydrates with a high glycemic index double their risk of diabetes, especially persons already predisposed to it. In this study, the foods that posed the greatest risk were white bread, white rice, potatoes, sugar, and soft drinks. People with the lowest incidence of diabetes had diets containing lots of whole grains, fiber-rich cereals, and other carbohydrates with a low glycemic index. It seems that high glycemic, carbohydrate-rich foods put pressure on the pancreas to produce more insulin, causing the pancreas to eventually wear out. The inability to produce enough insulin results in diabetes.

1. soybeans (15)
2. fructose (20)
3. cherries (23)
4. grapefruit (26)
5. kidney beans (29)
6. lentils (29)
7. milk (34)
8. yogurt (36)
9. chickpeas (36)
10. apples (39)
11. spaghetti (42)
12. grapes (45)
13. oranges (46)
14. sweet potatoes (48)
15. All-Bran (51)
16. oatmeal (54)
17. corn (59)
18. table sugar (sucrose) (59)
19. bananas (62)
20. raisins (64)
21. soft drinks (68)
22. bread, white (69)
23. potatoes (70)
24. candy bar (70)
25. bread, whole wheat (72)
26. white rice (72)
27. refined cereals (80)
28. honey (87)
29. carrots (92)
30. glucose (100)

The glycemic index is the relative rate of blood sugar rising when a given food is compared with glucose, which has a glycemic index of 100. While the G.I. provides some useful information, you should take these sugar ratings with a grain of salt. Many of these numbers were based on studies of only five or six middle aged persons, and there are wide individual variations in the glycemic indexes. Also, these values were based upon eating the carbohydrate alone, yet consuming carbohydrates along with other foods (especially those high in fiber) could change the rate of absorption of the sugar. So, as with many nutritional concepts, let your body be your guide. How you feel and act following a high-carb meal is more important than someone else's numbers. This would be your personal glycemic index.

Want to satisfy your sweet tooth, yet get more nutritional bang for your calorie buck? Instead of heaping tablespoons of the white stuff, try these suggestions:

The complex carbohydrates found in vegetables, grains, and fruits are good for you; the simple sugars found in sodas, candies, icings, and packaged treats can do harm, at least when eaten in excess. It's as simple as that. Here's why:

Excess sugar depresses immunity. Studies have shown that downing 75 to 100 grams of a sugar solution (about 20 teaspoons of sugar, or the amount that is contained in two average 12-ounce sodas) can suppress the body's immune responses. Simple sugars, including glucose, table sugar, fructose, and honey caused a fifty- percent drop in the ability of white blood cells to engulf bacteria. In contrast, ingesting a complex carbohydrate solution (starch) did not lower the ability of these white blood cells to engulf bacteria. The immune suppression was most noticeable two hours post-ingestion, but the effect was still evident five hours after ingestion. This research has practical implications, especially for teens and college students who tend to overdose on sodas containing caffeine and sugar while studying for exams or during periods of stress. Stress also suppresses immunity, so these sugar-users are setting themselves up to get sick at a time when they need to be well.

An overdose of sugar. Eating or drinking 100 grams (8 tbsp.) of sugar, the equivalent of two- and-a-half 12-ounce cans of soda, can reduce the ability of white blood cells to kill germs by 40 percent. The immune-suppressing effect of sugar starts less than thirty minutes after ingestion and may last for five hours. In contrast, the ingestion of complex carbohydrates, or starches, has no effect on the immune system.

Sugar sours behavior, attention, and learning. Studies of the effects of sugar on children's behavior are as wildly contradictory as a sugar-crazed four-year-old after a birthday party, but the general consensus is that some children and adults are sugar-sensitive, meaning their behavior, attention span, and learning ability deteriorate in proportion to the amount of junk sugar they consume.

Sugar promotes sugar highs. Some persons are more sugar sensitive than others, and children may be more sensitive than adults A study comparing the sugar response in children and adults showed that the adrenaline levels in children remained ten times higher than normal for up to five hours after a test dose of sugar. Studies have also shown that some children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) react to glucose intolerance tests with a dip to low blood sugar levels. High adrenaline levels or low blood sugar levels produce abnormal behavior. For related topics, See

In an interesting study, researchers fed normal preschoolers a high-sugar drink, containing the amount of sugar in the average can of soda, and compared them with children who received a non-sugar drink. The sugar group experienced decreased learning performance and more hyperactivity than the non-sugar group.

Some children are sugar junkies. We've noted that some of our eight children have more of a sweet tooth than others. When I've brought home food gifts from patients and laid them on the kitchen table, within minutes the highly-sugared ones would be "missing," to be found later in Stephen's secret stash.

Children tagged with the ADHD label are often sugar-sensitive. There may be several reasons for this. Hyperactive kids are impulsive and need instant gratification. They need more energy and they need it now! Unable to curb their appetite, they overdose on junk foods. Some studies of hyperactive children show a higher blood sugar rise following a high sugar meal than one finds in normally active children. Hyperactive children seem to metabolize sugar differently. In response to a high sugar meal, hyperactive kids increase their output of the stress hormone, cortisol, the hormone that plays an important role in regulating blood sugar levels. Dr. Keith Conners, author of Feeding the Brain, concludes from his original research that while the neurotransmitters in the brains of normally active children signal the hormones to regulate blood sugar, brains of hyperactive children do not seem to send the same signals.

While studies show that activity levels go up in both hyperactive and normal children on high- sugar diets, the hyperactive children also become more aggressive. Adding protein to a high- sugar meal mellows out the behavioral and learning deterioration. Chalk up another point for eating a balanced breakfast.

Sugar promotes cravings. The more sugar you eat, the more sugar you want. A high sugar meal raises the blood glucose level, which triggers the outpouring of insulin. This excess insulin lingers in the system, triggering a craving for more sugar, thus adding another hill to the roller coaster ride.

Sugar promotes obesity. People tend to eat and drink too much foods and beverages that are sweetened with refined sugar. Foods with a high glycemic index stimulate the production of LPL (lipoprotein lipase), the enzymes that encourage the body to store food in fat cells. Thus, lowfat diets that contain carbohydrates with a high glycemic index can actually cause weight gain. It's much easier to binge on chocolate chip cookies than fresh peaches or apples. Healthier sugars usually come with a lot of fiber that takes up room in the stomach. All those extra calories have to go somewhere. Your body says, "Ah, extra energy. I'll pack that away as fat and save it in case there's ever a famine!" Refined starches, such as white flour, white rice, white pasta, and corn starch are more likely to turn into body fat than natural starches, such as whole grains which, because they contain more fiber, are digested more slowly and raise the blood sugar less drastically. Yes, fat will make you fat, but so will sugar. Put them together in soda and chips or high-fat baked goods, and you can expect to put on some pounds. So, even though fat has gotten the reputation as an unhealthful food, excess sugars deserve an equal reputation.

Sugar promotes diabetes. While the risk of developing diabetes lies more in the genes than in the diet, the old grandmother's tale that too much sugar causes diabetes does have scientific support.

Sugar promotes heart disease. When bears are storing up body fat for their long winter hibernation, they consume lots and lots of carbohydrates. When you eat excess carbohydrates, your body turns these sugars into fat. The body stores excesses of most nutrients as a safeguard against starvation. If you eat more carbohydrates than you can burn off, the excess is stored as fats. People who eat too much sugar tend to have higher blood tryglycerides, and this increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The good news about the link between body chemistry and cravings is that there are other ways to stimulate the release of your well-being hormones and to keep them at steady levels. Here are some suggestions:

1. Exercise regularly. One of the healthiest ways to experience better living through better brain chemistry is to exercise vigorously, an average of 20 minutes a day. I never realized how much endorphins could be stimulated by exercise until I experienced this phenomenon. During the planning of this book, I was treated for colon cancer. One day, at the peak of my double-whammy dose of chemotherapy and radiation, I experienced a common side-effect of these treatments: extreme depression. It was the most awful feeling I have ever had, yet I was determined not to let the depression propel me into inertia. I wanted to do something about it. I forced myself to do a vigorous 20-minute workout on my home treadmill. At the end of the 20 minutes, I felt like a new person. The endorphin rush was obvious. The wonderful thing about the brain's natural narcotics is that they give you the feelings of well-being without the unpleasant side effects. So, when you feel a carbo craving coming on, go take a brisk walk outside instead of running to the refrigerator. Do this often enough and you'll find yourself craving the exercise rather than the sweet snack.

2. Graze on good foods. Instead of bingeing on three high-carbohydrate meals a day and snacking on junk sugar foods in between, eat smaller, more frequent meals. Concentrate on eating complex carbohydrates throughout the day. Keeping your stomach satisfied, but not too full, reduces cravings. When you overeat, the feeling of fullness is usually followed by a feeling of emptiness 4 to 6 hours later, just in time for another round of overindulgence. If you're just a little bit full (i.e., satisfied) throughout the day, you're less likely to crave a sugar jolt. The key to weight control is to graze on foods that keep you full and aren't fattening.

NUTRITIP
No Sweet Rewards
How many parents, desperate to get some broccoli into their preschooler, promise candy for dessert if the vegetables get eaten? This is an unwise nutritional bargain. It teaches children to dislike their veggies and value their sweet treats. Besides, when your child gets older, there will be no one standing over her to encourage her to eat the good food first.

3. Drink, drink, drink. Not alcohol, but water. Your stomach doesn't have to be full of food to suppress cravings. Water will do the trick. Drinking at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water throughout the day will trick your body into thinking it is satisfied. Carry around a bottle of water to sip. Herbal teas are also good.

4. Eat a healthy breakfast. Give your brain the best start by beginning each day with a balanced breakfast of complex carbohydrates and proteins, the biochemical partners that not only enhance learning and behavior for school and work, but also stimulate the brain's neurotransmitters to contribute to a feeling of lasting well-being. People who start the day with a healthy breakfast are less likely to experience a blood sugar dip and carbo craving later in the morning. People who skip breakfast are more likely to overeat the rest of the day.

5. Cut back on caffeine. Caffeine can trigger a drop in blood sugar. That morning doughnut with coffee can leave you desperate for another doughnut an hour later. Substitute fruit juice or herbal tea for the coffee, and the doughnuts won't look so tempting.

If your sweet tooth still craves sweets, switch from junk sugars to fruit sugars, preferably in the form of whole fruit, such as an apple or orange. Fructose sugars do not cause the blood levels of sugar and insulin to bounce around, and the fiber in the fruit will satisfy your stomach.

6. Develop a tart tooth. Instead of a sweet tooth, develop a tart tooth. As you explore new ways of eating, you will notice a difference in sweetness between traditional American desserts and those from other cultures. Many American desserts are sickeningly sweet, a taste we have become accustomed to. European desserts tend to be more tart, a taste that once you get used to it, becomes more palatable without the after-dessert blood sugar plunge. These delicacies are also better for your mood. When you're making desserts, experiment with different amounts and different kinds of sweetness according to the tartness you desire and the natural tartness of the food. For example, if you're baking an apple pie, some apples are sweeter than others, requiring varying amounts of sweeteners.

7. Develop a sweeter gut feeling. Change your sweet tooth to a tart tooth and your intestines will thank you. After a few months of less added sugar in your diet, your intestines, your body, and your mood get used to the more comfortable after-meal feeling of complex carbohydrates. Eventually, you will shun frostings, candy bars, and sugar- sweetened cereals and will be put off by how you feel if you eat a packaged sweet treat, especially one that is in the junk food category. Once your tongue gets used to a tarter taste, you're well on your way to enjoying a healthier relationship with the sugars in your life.

8. Try non-food subs. The best way to break any habit, including a food craving, is to substitute an alternative pleasure. Write down what conditions trigger your cravings, such as boredom, loneliness, anxiety, depression, and develop other ways to perk yourself up. Try exercise, a hobby, music, or just close your eyes for a few minutes and visualize something that relaxes you before going back to your every day tasks.

9. Compromise a bit. It's okay to give into your cravings occasionally. Your body is forgiving - within limits. If you continually resent giving up a food, you will eventually give in and eat it. You don't have to have a perfect diet. If you believe you can't live without ice cream, you can't. Just cut down on how often and how much you eat and try some alternatives, such as lower fat ice cream or frozen yogurt. Eventually, as your body becomes wiser, you will crave what's good for you and the high-fat premium ice cream will seem far too rich.

Food cravings, like other habits, don't change overnight. It may take several weeks before these crave-curbing techniques feel natural and satisfying. Choose the ones that you think will work for you and try others as needed.

New research suggests there is a physiologic connection between carbs and cravings. Sweets trigger an increase in the hormone serotonin - a mood-elevating hormone. The body and brain get used to this higher level of serotonin and even depend on it for a sense of well-being. So, when the serotonin level dips, the craver dips into the chocolate to "correct" the situation. The cycle continues, and in time the sweet-eater makes the association between food and mood and believes that sweets insure well-being.

Another group of hormones-endorphins-are also implicated in food cravings. Sweets trigger the release of endorphins (named for endogenous morphine), the brain's natural narcotics, helping you to relax when stressed. Endorphins are another part of the biochemical explanation for feelings of well-being. Exercise and sex also trigger endorphin release, and one or the other of these may be a better choice than another slice of cheesecake.

Besides serotonin and endorphins, many other neurochemicals are being found to affect cravings. One such neurochemical is neuropeptide Y (NPY), whose job is seeing that your body (especially your brain) gets enough carbohydrates for energy. As your sugar stores are used up, the blood sugar dip triggers the release of NPY, which prompts the brain to crave more carbs. This is the neurochemical explanation for why most people prefer a high carbohydrate breakfast after using up their carbohydrate stores during a 10-12 hour overnight fast. When your fat stores are being depleted, a fat-craving neurochemical called galanin is released. Crash dieting and stress can also trigger the release of these neurochemicals that urge you to heed your body's demand for fuel.

As you might expect, given the wisdom of the body, levels of food-craving neurochemicals fluctuate throughout the day. The carbohydrate-craving chemicals (e.g., NPY) are highest in the morning, stimulating you to eat a high carbohydrate breakfast. Fat-craving neurochemicals are highest in the evening when the body needs to store fat for the overnight fast.

Nutrient craving hormones can also play tricks on adolescents. Besides the mood changes associated with hormonal shifts during puberty, hormones also may explain some bizarre adolescent eating habits. Rising estrogen levels prompt females to crave sweet and creamy foods, such as chocolate and ice cream. Males may lose their childish preferences for sweets and come to prefer protein-rich foods, which is why a 15-year-old boy may wolf down three beef sandwiches at one meal. Girls tend to put on more fat during adolescence in preparation for childbearing and males tend to build more muscle. (See )

Artificial sweeteners (e.g. aspartame, saccharine) were originally developed as a sugar substitute for diabetics, but then the manufacturer discovered a huge market in a calorie-conscious society, one that has also been misfed a lot of hype about the hazardous effects of sugar. Artificial sweeteners do not usually satisfy a body that is craving sweets or carbohydrates. In fact, they may so accustom the taste buds to sweet flavors that sweetener-users want more sugar rather than less. The more sweets you eat, the more your tastebuds get used to the sweet taste and you require more and more sweetness to satisfy your sweet tongue. As you ease more tartness into your diet, your tastebuds regain their sensitivity to sweetness, and they will be more satisfied with less sugar.

Also, some scientists are concerned about biochemical quirks of artificial sweeteners. The sweetener aspartame (Nutrasweet) is basically a combination of two amino acids, aspartic acid and phenylalanine. Amino acids have different effects on the brain than sugars do. In natural foods these amino acids enter the brain in company with other naturally- occurring nutrients. The amino acids on their own may have an unnatural effect, particularly on neurotransmitters. Theoretically, it is also possible that the amino acids in the artificial sweeteners could compete with the natural amino acids in the foods, throwing the brain's neurotransmitters out of balance. Another problem with artificially-sweetened drinks is that people tend to drink a lot of them. The calories in a sugar-containing soda will satisfy the appetite. When you drink an artificially-sweetened beverage, your body may want more, further confusing the brain with high levels of unnatural amino acids. Common sense says that feeding the brain an unnatural substance may cause it to perform in an unnatural way. Our conclusion for any artificial substance: WHEN IN DOUBT, LEAVE IT OUT.

Is honey more nutritious than table sugar? Possibly. One reason that honey is touted over table sugar is the "extra nutrition" in the form of proteins, minerals, and vitamins that honey is supposed to contain. The fact is that the trace amount of these nutrients in honey is so insignificant that honey may not be so superior.

Whether or not the sugars in honey are more nutritious than those in table sugar is controversial. Nutritionists say no. Honey lovers say yes. The sugars in honey and ordinary table sugar (or sucrose) are both primarily a mixture of fructose and glucose, yet honey contains a small amount of other sugars. The composition of sugars in honey can vary from bee hive to bee hive, according to the source of the nectar. Because of its slower rate of absorption through the intestines and a stopover at the liver before being used by the body, fructose triggers less insulin and therefore less swings in blood sugar. For this reason, honey that contains more fructose than the equivalent amount of table sugar would be metabolically easier on the body. Yet, the glycemic index of honey is the same as table sugar.

Many people prefer the taste of honey over that of table sugar as a sweetener. Since honey is sweeter than table sugar, when substituting honey for sugar in recipes, use half the amount of honey and decrease the liquid called for in the recipe by the volume of honey that you add. Whether honey is nutritionally superior to table sugar may be more of a mystique than reality. If you enjoy its sweeter taste and believe that honey is healthier than sugar, for you it probably is. As for our family, we prefer honey. (The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that honey not be given to infants under one year of age because of the rare possibility of being infected with the germ that causes botulism.)