Dark Honey vs. Light Honey: The Benefits of Dark Honey

Dark honey is a kind of honey that has a dark-brown or dark-amber color, in contrast to light honey, which is whitish or light amber in color. Like all kinds of honey, dark honey is produced by honey bees that harvest the nectar of certain flowers, break it down into sugar, and deposit it in a honeycomb, which is where humans can collect it. Different colors of honey come from different floral sources, though certain flowers that bloom year-round may produce lighter or darker honey depending on the time of year.

Dark honey usually has a more intense, pungent taste than light honey. Some darker varieties of honey include buckwheat, blackbutt, wildflower, thyme, dandelion, jarrah, chestnut, meadow, and manuka honey, many of which contain a high concentration of antioxidants and other powerful nutrients.

Honey is a natural sweetener with many health benefits. All types of honey, including dark honey, contain fructose, a type of sugar that is sweeter than sucrose (table sugar), so you can use less honey than you would sugar. You can add dark honey to things that you’d normally add sugar to, or use it as a sugar substitute in baking.

Dark honey varieties contain high amounts of antioxidants which combat free radicals, which are molecules that damage cells. Studies on buckwheat honey, a dark honey, showed that it has an antioxidant content that is 20 times higher than other types of honey.

Here are a few differences between dark honey and light honey.

• Color: Dark honey is a dark amber or dark brown color. Other honeys have a water white or amber color.
• Nutritional value: Studies have shown that dark honeys contain less water than and more nutrients than lighter honeys. Illinois buckwheat flower nectar—which is used to make Buckwheat honey—contains a high number of nutrients, almost 20 times the amount, when compared with other types of lighter honey.
• Taste: Dark honey has a more intense and “pungent” taste than light honey, which tastes more mild.

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