Sarah Jacoby

Natural sweeteners — especially maple syrup and honey — have taken over social media recipes. But which one should you use? And are they actually any healthier than plain old sugar?

Both maple syrup and honey are considered natural sweeteners, registered dietitian Grace Derocha tells TODAY.com. "And that's why they get all the buzz," she says.

But a natural sweetener isn't necessarily better for you than other options. Honey and maple syrup are "still added sugars," says Derocha, who is also a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “You still have to be aware of how much you’re consuming,” Derocha says.

Considering that many of us in the U.S. should probably be eating fewer added sugars, it's important to remember these sweeteners don't get a pass just because they're made from a natural source.

But for most people, sweeteners like these can still part of an overall healthy diet. And, depending on your individual health goals and preferences, they may — or may not — be better choices for you. Here's what to know before you drizzle your breakfast in maple syrup or add honey to your morning smoothie.

Maple syrup nutrition

A tablespoon of maple syrup contains:

• 52 calories
• 13 grams of carbohydrates
• 12 grams of sugar

Honey nutrition

In 1 tablespoon of honey, you'll get:

• 64 calories
• 17 grams of carbohydrates
• 17 grams of sugar

Sugar

Maple syrup and honey are both sweeteners, so it shouldn't be a surprise that the main component of both is sugar.

In 1 tablespoon of maple syrup, you'll find 12 grams of sugar (and 52 calories), while the same amount of honey contains 17 grams of sugar (and 64 calories). And neither of them contain any fat or protein, says Natalie Rizzo, registered dietitian and nutrition editor at TODAY.

Keep in mind that these count toward your daily total of added sugars. And, in general, we should try to minimize the amount of these we eat in a day. The American Heart Association recommends that women consume no more than 25 grams of added sugar in a day while men should avoid eating more than 36 grams per day.

Looking just at their sugar content, maple syrup has just a few fewer grams per serving than honey. But their stats here are "quite similar," Rizzo says.

Glycemic index

The glycemic index of a food is a measure of how quickly a food affects the body's blood sugar and insulin levels.

Food with a lower glycemic index has a slower, less significant impact on those levels and, therefore, may be a better choice for people who need to keep an eye on their blood sugar.

When looking at the glycemic index of maple syrup and honey, again, the two foods are very similar. "Both honey and maple syrup have a glycemic index around 50, which is lower than table sugar," Rizzo says.

Specifically, maple syrup has a glycemic index of about 54 while honey's is around 58, Derocha says, so maple syrup has a slightly lower glycemic index than honey does. But four points "isn't that much" of a difference, Derocha says.

Other nutrients

The main component of both maple syrup and honey is the sugar they contain. However, both of them both also provide small amounts of other nutrients and minerals.

In maple syrup, you'll find a bit of the minerals manganese, calcium and copper, as well as riboflavin (vitamin B2), Rizzo says. Meanwhile, honey contains potassium, magnesium, calcium and phosphorous.

"But both sweeteners only have very small amounts of all of these minerals," Rizzo explains. And the tiny amount of those compounds present in either sweetener is "not enough to really be beneficial to the body," she adds. So you probably shouldn't base your choice of sweetener on the presence of these nutrients.

Both maple syrup and honey contain antioxidants. But you shouldn't be eating either sweetener just for the potential benefits from those antioxidant compound, TODAY.com explained previously, because they are still both primarily sources of added sugar.

Should you use maple syrup or honey?

Maple syrup and honey are both natural sweeteners that contain similar amounts of calories and sugar per tablespoon.

But maple syrup does come with slightly fewer calories and grams of sugar in a serving compared to honey. It also has a mildly lower glycemic index, which may be beneficial for people who need to carefully control their blood sugar levels.

Keep in mind that honey isn't typically considered vegan, Derocha notes, because honey is made by bees. So, people who follow a vegan diet may need to opt for maple syrup over honey for that reason.

Honey does have other health benefits, though, the experts say.

"It has been shown to be a natural cough suppressant in people with respiratory infections," Rizzo explains. "When I was pregnant and couldn’t take cough medicine, I swallowed a spoonful of honey to try to ease my cough, and it does work to some extent."

Honey also has some antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, the experts note, and it has shown some promise in helping to heal topical injuries, like minor burns.

And of course, these two sweeteners have different flavor profiles and traditional uses. Because one isn't necessarily healthier than the other, Rizzo recommends folks simply "choose the one you like the best" or the one that best suits the recipe or dish you're making.

If you're opting for maple syrup, make sure you buy “pure maple syrup,” which is the maple that comes from the tree, Rizzo says. Be aware that some some imitation versions use other types of sugar, like corny syrup, and flavorings to make a processed sugar, sometimes labeled as "pancake syrup."

Today