Fitfood: Add honey for healthy helping of sweetness

Lisa Ryckman, Rocky Mountain News

Published October 3, 2006 at midnight

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Question: Please settle this argument. Since I've sworn off refined sugar, I've been using more honey. My husband says that's just as bad, but I say it's not. Who's right?

Answer: You are. Dr. Steven Pratt, author of SuperFoods Rx and SuperFoods HealthStyle, includes honey in his best-foods list.

"The power of honey comes from a wide range of compounds," he says. "Honey contains at least 181 known substances, and its antioxidant activity stems from phenolics, peptides, organic acids and enzymes."

Pratt says that as a general rule, the darker the honey, the higher the level of antioxidants.

In one study, people who added four tablespoons of buckwheat honey to their usual diet for a month had higher levels of protective antioxidants in their blood. Honey also increases good bacteria in the intestines and lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, Pratt says.

Replacing even part of your refined-sugar intake with honey would have significant health benefits, according to Pratt, who has these suggestions for putting more honey in your diet:

• Add a tablespoon to smoothies and shakes.

• For an after-school snack, drizzle honey on a sliced apple or pear and top with cinnamon.

• Add honey and fresh fruit to nonfat plain yogurt.

• Spread a piece of whole-grain toast with natural peanut butter, dark honey and a dash of cinnamon.

• Make a honey-mustard salad dressing by mixing a few tablespoons each of honey and Dijon mustard, a drizzle of lemon juice and a quarter-cup of extra-virgin olive oil.

One word of warning: Never feed honey to a baby under age 1 because it might contain C. botulinum spores that can cause infant botulism. Older children and adults are unaffected by the spores, which are present throughout the environment. The spores are not present in food products that contain honey, such as crackers or cereal.

Here's a recipe for a quick and easy smoothie from the National Honey Board. For more recipes, go to www.honey.com.

Bradley's Sunrise Health Drink

Makes 1 serving

1/2 cup banana, frozen

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1/4 cup vanilla yogurt

2 tablespoons honey

2 dates, pitted

• Place all ingredients in blender for approximately 1 minute. Adjust consistency with orange juice.

• If desired, add 1 tablespoon fresh bee pollen. Also if desired, substitute other seasonal fruit for banana.

Nutritional information per serving: 350 cal., 1 g fat (0 g sat.), 3 mg chol., 86 g carb., 44 mg sodium, 4 g fiber, 5 g pro.

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