Slim Down with This Kind of Sweetener

The type of sweetener you use in your oatmeal and coffee could have quite an impact on your ability to trim down.

According to new research, you should grab the honey pot, not the sugar bowl. In a study, the effects that honey had on appetite hormones and blood sugar control were more favorable than those of table sugar. Which means choosing honey could help prevent weight gain.

Sweet As Honey
In the small study, young healthy women who had normal body mass indexes ate a 450-calorie baked good for breakfast, and it was made with either honey or sugar. Then, the women's levels of an appetite-stimulation hormone called ghrelin were measured. The hunger-making hormone was lower after the honey-based baked good than after the sugar-based one. Not only that, but the honey-based baked good was associated with higher levels of appetite suppressing hormones, too. And honey-sweetened breakfast goods made the women feel more satisfied. Altogether, researchers think these beneficial effects on hunger hormones and satiety could have a really positive impact on people's attempts to manage their weight. (Related: Find out what kind of honey has the most antioxidants.)

Everything in Moderation
Of course, the recent honey study isn't an excuse to start dipping your finger at will into the honey jar. Any type of sweetener -- be it honey, sugar, molasses, or agave nectar -- is going to add calories to your diet. To help reduce your risk of obesity, try to limit your intake of added sugars to no more than 100 calories a day if you're a woman and no more than 150 calories a day if you're a man. And when you just have to have a little something sweet, choose honey. A teaspoon has about 21 calories, so measure, and then add that number to your daily tally. (Related: Use this calorie calculator to find out how many calories someone your age and size needs each day.)

Looking for more ways to stay slim? Try these tips.

• Discover twelve easy ways to eat less.
• Overcome seven weight loss obstacles for women.
• Make three simple diet changes to lose weight.

Find out what foods fight Major Agers by taking this quiz.

RealAge Benefit

Maintaining your weight and body mass index at a desirable level can make your RealAge as much as 6 years younger. Take the RealAge Test!

References

Actively patrolling your health can make your RealAge as much as 12 years younger. Take the RealAge Test  Copyright 2010 RealAge