{"id":252540,"date":"2025-10-26T11:11:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-26T11:11:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/252540\/"},"modified":"2025-10-26T11:11:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-26T11:11:10","slug":"sugar-honey-or-monk-fruit-which-is-healthier-according-to-a-nutritionist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/252540\/","title":{"rendered":"Sugar, honey, or monk fruit: Which is healthier, according to a nutritionist |"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Sugar,Sweeteners spark debate: nutritionist Suman Agarwal clarifies options beyond sugar. While jaggery and honey offer some benefits, they aren’t calorie-free. Dates are a good choice in moderation. Zero-calorie stevia and monk fruit are safer alternatives to artificial sweeteners. Ultimately, limiting all added sugars, even healthier ones, is key for long-term health, according to WHO guidelines and studies. Is jaggery better than sugar? How about honey? And monk fruit, the sweetener everyone is talking about? You\u2019re not really living in 2025 if you haven\u2019t found yourself in the middle of a heated debate about sweeteners. From sugar to jaggery, honey, dates, low-GI sugar, and now trending zero-calorie options like stevia and monk fruit, there are plenty of options in the market. Which sweetener is better and healthier for you, beyond all these flashy labels and clever marketing? Suman Agarwal, a renowned Oxford-certified nutritionist and qualified fitness expert, who has worked with some of the biggest celebrities in India, explains about different types of sweeteners and which are healthy. Let\u2019s dive in. <\/p>\n

Sugar<\/p>\n

\"sugar\"Sugar is one of the most consumed sweeteners across the globe. From everyday beverages in households to packaged foods, this sweetener is quite common. But it is highly processed and has a glycemic index of 65 to 70, according to the nutritionist. 100 g of sugar contains around 390 calories<\/a>. \u201cZero nutrition, all spike,\u201d Agarwal says in a video shared on Facebook. <\/p>\n

Jaggery <\/p>\n

\"jaggeryMost people swap sugar with jaggery, thinking the latter is a healthier choice. But, is it really? The nutritionist agrees that jaggery is \u201cless processed, has traces of iron, and is high in potassium.\u201d \u201cThe glycemic index of jaggery is 60 to 84, which means it could be higher than sugar,\u201d she said. If you look at the calories, it is not much lower, either. 100 g of jaggery has 380 calories. <\/p>\n

Honey<\/p>\n

\"Honey\"Honey is the \u2018least processed\u2019 sweetener according to the nutritionist. She confirms that honey has high antioxidants and is \u201cvery good for your gut.\u201d The GI index of honey is 45 to 69. 100 g of honey has around 240 to 330 calories.<\/p>\n

Dates<\/p>\n

\"Dates\"Health-conscious individuals often turn to dates for a sweet treat. This fruit contains natural sugars like fructose and glucose. It is also a whole food, so lots of fiber and minerals. The nutritionist notes that dates are also rich in iron. The GI index of dates is 40 to 55, and the calorific value is 314 per 100 grams. \u201cMake sure you’re not having more than two dates on a daily basis,\u201d Agarwal reminds. <\/p>\n

Stevia vs monk fruit<\/p>\n

\"SteviaStevia and monk fruit extract are the two common sweeteners available in the market. Are these plant-derived alternatives healthier? \u201cLet’s talk about safer natural alternatives to these sugars, which are zero-calorie. Stevia and monk fruit. Stevia is 100 to 200 times sweeter than sugar, but it has a bitter aftertaste. Whereas monk fruit is 250 to 300 times sweeter than sugar and has a fruity aftertaste,\u201d she adds. The nutritionist explains that both stevia and monk fruit sweeteners are \u2018safer\u2019 compared to artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose. <\/p>\n

Bottom line<\/p>\n

\"RefinedThe nutritionist recommends limiting sugar intake, even the \u2018healthier ones. \u201cAs per the WHO guideline, one must consume less than 10% of their total calorific value<\/a> coming from these sugars, but what I recommend is much less, which is not more than two teaspoons in a day,\u201d she says. \u201cSo the bottom line is, eliminating sugar does not give you freedom to consume these in excess quantity.\u201d A 15-year study published in 2014 in JAMA Internal Medicine found that people who got 17% to 21% of their calories from added sugar had a 38% higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease<\/a> compared with those who consumed 8% of their calories as added sugar.<\/p>\n

“Nature’s Sweetener Linked to Weight Loss Benefits<\/p>\n

“The effects of added sugar intake – higher blood pressure, inflammation, weight gain, diabetes, and fatty liver disease \u2014 are all linked to an increased risk for heart attack and stroke,” the researchers said. Do not assume that limiting added sugar intake is only for older adults. A recent study published in The BMJ restricted sugar intake during early life is linked to lower risks of several heart conditions<\/a> in adulthood, including heart attack, heart failure, and stroke.Note: The information provided in this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new medication or treatment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sweeteners spark debate: nutritionist Suman Agarwal clarifies options beyond sugar. While jaggery and honey offer some benefits, they…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":252541,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[97,137371,137373,269,137370,137374,137372],"class_list":{"0":"post-252540","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-healthiest-sweetener-options","10":"tag-monk-fruit-benefits","11":"tag-nutrition","12":"tag-nutritionist-recommended-sweeteners","13":"tag-stevia-vs-monk-fruit","14":"tag-sugar-vs-jaggery-vs-honey"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252540","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=252540"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252540\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/252541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=252540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=252540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=252540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}