Having diabetes does not have to mean that you can’t enjoy something a little sweet every once in awhile. The problem is that many people, in an effort to avoid spikes in blood sugar, reach for artificial sweeteners when they want to indulge in their sweet treats. Artificial sweeteners are not the best option, though!

Raw honey is incredibly sweet and has a ton of health benefits.

Here are five reasons why you should reach for raw honey next time you want something sweet.

#1 Artificial Sweeteners Are the Worst

Aspartame was the dieter’s choice for awhile as it served as the sweetener in diet drinks across the country (and world). Once research came out that it could cause cancer and birth defects, people stopped buying diet sodas. The major companies then made the switch to other artificial sweeteners, such as sucralose (aka Splenda), saccharin, ACE-K and xylitol.

The problem with these sweeteners is essentially the same as the problem with aspartame: they wreak havoc on the body. Each artificial sweetener has a host of its own problems, but they are all due to the fact that the compounds are unnatural to the digestive process and therefore cause problems all throughout the GI tract.

The second issue is that these sweeteners, even the popular “natural” sweetener Stevia, are heavily altered with chemicals that are known carcinogens. This means that while the original product may indeed be a safe sugar alternative, the very process of turning it into an easily dissolvable, granule-like substance involves dangerous chemicals that can do major damage to your body.

#2 Raw Honey is Full of Antioxidants

Raw honey is a natural product that is unpasteurized and unadulterated in the lab. As such, it is full of antioxidants that can also be found in fruits and vegetables. Adding a serving of raw honey to your tea or yogurt is like adding a syrupy multivitamin!

#3 Raw Honey Helps Blood Sugar Management

While raw honey is still a sweetener that increases blood sugar, it does so at a much safer rate than other sugars. Raw honey has been shown to increase insulin and lower hyperglycemia when consumed. When combined with cinnamon, it can actually lower blood glucose!

#4 Raw Honey Helps Heal Wounds

The antibacterial properties make raw honey an excellent item to have in your first aid kit. The very nature of raw honey makes it difficult for bacteria to survive when the two are combined. Some people use raw honey to help treat small burns and wounds while others use it topically to combat acne. While diabetics are probably not thinking of raw honey in these terms, isn’t it nice to know that your sweetener can literally heal you instead of destroying you?

#5 Raw Honey Promotes Good Sleep

This is a bit of a process, but try to follow along: raw honey causes a tiny spike in insulin, which triggers the release of tryptophan; tryptophan converts to serotonin (hello happy chemicals!) which ultimately convert to melatonin. Melatonin is the natural hormone that helps you sleep.

Besides the fact that sleep is amazing and essential for all humans, it is of particular importance for diabetics. Poor sleep habits increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease, so why not get a little extra support in that department the next time you’re chowing down something sweet?

In addition to these five reasons, the sixth reason would be that it is just super delicious. The key to all of this, though, is that it needs to be raw. Be sure that you search for unpasteurized honey the next time you head down the sweetener aisle at your grocery store!

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