Honey vs Maple Syrup: Which Is Less Inflammatory?
Honey
Maple Syrup
Honey is less inflammatory than maple syrup, by one point, and both are still sugar. Neither one belongs in the healthy column, whatever the picture on the jar suggests.
Raw honey carries flavonoids and phenolic acids that white sugar has none of, and across the human trials done so far the results on blood sugar and heart health leaned positive. Maple syrup has plant compounds of its own plus a lot of manganese, but it is about two thirds sugar, and two tablespoons uses up most of the added sugar an adult should have in a day. Even honey turns on you at around a spoonful a day, when some measures start moving the wrong way. If you sweeten something every morning, halve the amount instead of swapping one jar for the other.
Side by side
| Honey | Maple Syrup | |
|---|---|---|
| Inflammation Score | Medium · 4/10 | Medium · 5/10 |
| Category | Sweeteners | Sweeteners |
| Serving size | 1 tbsp (21 g) | 1 tbsp (20 g) |
| Key nutrients | Fructose, Glucose, Flavonoids (pinocembrin), Phenolic acids | Sucrose, Manganese, Zinc, Polyphenols (quebecol) |
| How often | — | — |
On the AIP diet
Honey
Honey is allowed on the Autoimmune Protocol, and it is one of the few sweeteners that survives the elimination phase alongside maple syrup and molasses. The catch is the amount: AIP keeps it as an occasional teaspoon, not a daily habit, because the sugar itself is what feeds the symptoms people are trying to calm.
Maple Syrup
Maple syrup is allowed on the Autoimmune Protocol and stays on the list right through the elimination phase, which only a handful of sweeteners do. The catch is how much. A spoonful now and then is the idea, because sugar in any form works against what the protocol is trying to do. Buy pure maple syrup, since pancake syrup is corn syrup and does not qualify.
What each one brings
Honey
- Raw honey carries flavonoids and phenolic acids that table sugar has none of
- Across the human trials done so far, the effects on blood sugar control and heart health leaned positive
- Better evidence than most cough syrups for settling a night-time cough in children over one
- Tastes sweeter than sugar spoon for spoon, so you need less of it
Maple Syrup
- More manganese than almost any other food, plus a useful amount of zinc
- Plant compounds that form while the sap boils and that refined sugar has none of
- Darker bottles come from later in the season and carry more of those compounds
- Swapped in for refined sugar, it is a small step in the right direction
Watch out for
Honey
- Still about four fifths sugar, and your body treats that part like any other sugar
- At around a spoonful a day, some measures move the wrong way, including the inflammation sign
- Most supermarket honey is heated and filtered, which strips out much of what makes it worth eating
- Never give honey to a baby under one year old
Maple Syrup
- About two thirds sugar, and your body treats that part like any other sugar
- Two tablespoons is most of the added sugar an adult should have in a day
- Most bottles labelled pancake syrup are corn syrup with maple flavour added
- The minerals arrive in doses too small to do much on their own
Get the inflammation score of any meal
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