Honey is known to be nature’s miracle potion. This sweet, golden-brown, liquid with a creamy consistency provides a true, one of a kind experience to your taste buds through its different types of floral notes.
Apart from its unmistakable taste and scent, honey is known to have many beneficial properties for your health. These beneficial properties have been used in many natural remedies to prevent or aid many different diseases and conditions.
Knowing all of its benefits and amazing taste can make anyone want to try it. However, the word “sweet” and the keto diet, usually don’t go together. And you might find yourself wondering if you can eat honey on the keto diet. Keep on reading to find out.
Honey Nutritional Facts
Here is the nutritional information on 100 grams of honey (*):
| Calories | 304 kcal |
| Fat | 0 grams |
| Protein | 0 grams |
| Total Carbs | 82.4 grams |
| Fiber | 0.2 grams |
| Net Carbs | 82.2 grams |
Net Carbs in Honey
Honey comes at around 82.4 grams of total carbs and 82.2 grams of net carbs for 100 grams.
Health Benefits of Honey
Honey has been used for its taste, but it is always a win when a tasty product like honey has beneficial properties. The health benefits of honey have been known for many centuries and many cultures around the world have been using honey for this reason.
There have been numerous studies done on the health benefits of honey and today it is known that it is a good source of antioxidants which are linked to lowering the risk for many diseases or even cancer. Honey is good for promoting wound and burn healing as well as its ability to soothe coughs.
Antioxidants are chemical compounds that can prevent and combat oxidative stress to cells which is caused by free radicals. They do this by binding to the free radicals. Scientists have found that honey contains a few different chemical compounds that are responsible for its antioxidant properties, such as organic acids and phenolic compounds like flavonoids. (*)
Studies done on humans and on mice on the antioxidant compounds of honey, have shown promising results that they can lower blood pressure by preventing oxidative stress in the kidneys, as well as lower the risk of heart disease. (*), (*)
Honey is also shown to be beneficial for diabetics (in moderation and with caution) and positively impacts blood lipids, causing a lowering of LDL cholesterol, while increasing HDL cholesterol as well as lowering of the triglycerides. (*)
There are also numerous studies done on honey as an effective topical treatment for burns and wounds, especially diabetic ulcers which can lead to amputation of the limb. One study even showed 90%-97% of improvement in diabetic sores when using honey as a topical treatment. (*)
Another beneficial property of honey that it is widely used for is its effectiveness to soothe a cough. Studies show that in some cases honey can be more helpful than some medications. (*), (*)
Can You Eat Honey on the Keto Diet?
When you consider that a person does not consume 100 grams of honey, and a serving size is about 1 tablespoon or 21 grams of honey, the net carbs come at around 17.1 grams. This alone can take up most of a strict keto dieter’s daily net carb intake.
This means that despite honey being a natural product and all the research confirming its many health benefits, it is still too high in carbs for someone on a strict keto diet as it can still affect blood sugar and even kick you out of ketosis.
For the best honey substitutes on keto diet, check this list of keto-friendly sweeteners.
If you are not on a strict keto diet or you are on a low carb diet and looking to just fit honey into your daily carb intake, it is not impossible, but it is important to consume it in moderation and with careful watch over the serving sizes.
Some companies such as Pyure Sweetener start making low carb honey alternatives which can be a great addition for low-carb dieters.
Bottom Line
No, honey is not keto-friendly.
A tablespoon (or 21 grams) of honey has 17.1 grams of net carbs.
Conclusion
While honey is nature’s healthy candy and including it in your diet is a great way to add a healthy, but sweet and tasty surprise in your meals, snacks and drinks, if you are on a strict keto diet, it might be best to avoid it as it is not ketogenic and can easily kick you out of ketosis.
If you still want to include it in your diet, but you are on a low carb diet, then make sure you keep a careful watch over the quantity in which you consume honey.
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