Today while I was set up selling my honey a lady that works at the Truckstop where I sell at on Saturdays came and bought a pint jar of honey. She told me she had diabetes but had looked it up online if she could eat raw honey. I told her I honestly wasn’t sure, because it is a form of sugar, albeit healthier, but a sugar none-the-less. I asked her if she trusted her google site as I didn’t want to be blamed should she eat too much of it, but she assured me that if she ate it in moderation she would be fine. Since I see her once a week, is there anyone who could provide me with recipes she could use honey in that wouldn’t send her into a coma?
I would not recommend any recipe to a Diabetic they need to know that information for their own safety not only that there are 3 kinds of Diabetes each one has different acceptable levels of amount of honey that they can ingest. Just tell them to “google” what is or would be the best for them and the type of Diabetes they have and of course check with you Doctor and ask him/her for a his/her opinion. I would think they would be advised to see a dietitian and then told to make sure they monitor their blood sugar levels.
It may be slightly better than sucrose, because of the different sugars metabolizing at different rates, but it’s still mostly sugar.
I suppose she could eat it if she topped up her insulin😁
that’s what she told me but in moderation.
This is a tricky question since not all of the Diabetic deseases are of the same kind and not all of the honey are all of the same kind… generally speaking we might state honey is better than sugar for people affected by type-II diabetes. Some honey might provide few advantages other might provide better advantages in relation to their peculiar sugra contents (turning into different Glicemic Index).
Anyway, the possibility for any diabete-affected to ingest sugars or honey have to be assessed by a medical doctor.
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Tony,
She is either ignorant or an idiot. 53 years of experience dealing with diabetics, type 1 & 2, leaves me unsuprised by this.
Sugar is sugar is sugar, at the end of the day. The qualitative differences between sucrose glucose and fructose are minimal in regards to controlling blood sugar levels.
You don’t want to be handing out what is actually medical advice of course but you can offer that the Mayo clinic has information on line addressing this issue http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/expert-answers/diabetes/faq-20058487
I never fail to be astounded by the ability of many diabetics to self delude and rationalize their food choices. Worse than alcoholics!
I’m glad you said that @sara But some peeps have weird ways of convincing themselves they can eat something that is not good for them.
Sugar makes my fibro worse but I still eat it and I may as well have honey as sugar so I accept the pain.
I tried cutting it out but it is nigh on impossible and really restricts the diet but I don’t go mad on it and have really cut down in the last few years - I have a really bad sweet tooth - It Sucks
I just got home from that truck stop today Sara and asked since she worked today how she was doing. She is type 1 and said she doesn’t eat it much only when she get a craving, but she is doing fine with it. I agree though that some diabetics might be delusional about what is good for them and what isn’t, but I wouldn’t call her stupid. I’ve seen people with MS do the same thing. I’m asthmatic and have always been allergic to horses but I worked and rode horses for years before I finally got tired of being sick all the time, don’t think I was stupid as much as stubborn…
Me and Ice cream have the same problem.
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Good to hear she moderates her intake. It is all about the managment. An occasional treat to assuage a craving, with appropriate insulin, medication or other adjustment to account for the hit is fine.
Every now and then my dad has a bowl of ice cream. Or cold cereal. And I KNOW when he is extracting he licks his fingers!
And only a wimp quit riding because of a few sneezes! So good on you for being stubborn. Horses are worth some stubborness!
@tony Hi Tony, I read that pasteurized honey is to be avoided by people with diabetes but apparently raw honey is different. If your friend is into growing food, I read that Yacon (Peruvian Ground Apple) is great for people with diabetes
Raw honey is not different. Your liver cares not a bit if the honey is pasteurized or not. One Tablespoon still equals around 20 carbs, and has to be accounted for accordingly in the blood sugar management.
Sadly the ongoing long term search for a miracle sweetener that diabetics can enjoy eludes us still. Which shouldn’t be a surprise since sweeteners aren’t good for anyone. Why would they be good for diabetics?
And for adjusting the blood sugar it is better to use fructose, it has a lower glycemic index than glucose and sucrose.
Of course on the occasions when my dad has been slipping into a diabetic coma I have happily poured down his throat whatever carb I could get.
But in a general diet? Only as a treat.
The only correction I would have to make is that honey is not sucrose. It is composed of unbonded fructose and glucose where as sucrose is bonded fructose and glucose. So they are digested differently. Honey also contains oligosaccharides, a prebiotic which helps absorption of nutrients in the small intestine. So all in all honey is going to be a vastly superior choice for diabetics
Hi Sara, it was something I read on the internet one day. Let that be my disclaimer:) I googled raw honey & a heading “raw honey vs pasteurized honey” showed up, so I clicked on that & had a bit of a read & found it all very interesting.
Thanks Adam, but if you were referring to me, I know honey is not sucrose. It is, as you say fructose and glucose.
Straight fructose, such as orange juice concentrate, is in my experience better for managing crisis situations.
Honey or pure juice would either one be superior to a straight sucrose hit.
I don’t imagine the small amount of prebiotics in the honey would have a big impact on the absorption. And no diabetic should be consuming honey in such quantities that it would have a big impact on their overall gastric health.
There is lots of interesting stuff out there… but honey and diabetes do not go together ; -)