Honey's impressive non-nutritional qualities

Honey may not be the worst of all diet pitfalls, but it's still sugary -- honey is 75 to 80 percent simple sugar and only contains trace amounts of some vitamins and minerals. Spoon for spoon, it's sweeter than actual sugar and contains 65 calories per tablespoon to sugar's 45 calories for the same measurement. If you're looking to limit your intake of sugar then, honey should make the cut list. Feel free to use it for other purposes, though. It has plenty of impressive non-nutritional qualities. Here are a few.

Disease Protection. Honey has antioxidants, just like fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants are non-nutritive agents that decrease the activity of cell-damaging free radicals. The darker varieties of honey can contain large quantities of a particular antioxidant called flavonoids, the same substances found in red grapes and linked with a lower risk of heart disease among wine drinkers.

Skin Protection. Honey helps skin retain moisture and its antioxidants may also find a role in skin-care products because nectar can be used to produce alpha hydroxy acids, a vital ingredient in skin creams and moisturizers.

Preservative. Honey is a preservative and doesn't spoil. It can therefore slow chemical reactions that cause rancidity in foods. Substituting honey for refined sugar might even extend the shelf life of some products.

Honey's nutritional value is less than what many believe. But its other properties are considerable, clearly.