Vegan alternative to honey?

Question

I've had a sore throat for a few days (I think I may have developed vocal nodes; I will be going to the doctor). Before I became a vegan, I drank honey-lemon tea when I got a sore throat. Are there other common household ingredients I could use instead of honey, or am I just going to be out of luck?

I was thinking about maple syrup, but I don't think that works quite the same... or does it?

Answer 1

the best thing for a sore thraot is 2 gargle with soluble asprin 3-4 times a day  

Answer 2

Try agave nectar, maple syrup or molasses. They are all good vegan sweeteners. You can find agave nectar at any reputable health foods store.

Answer 3

You could try making a ginger tea. It's very soothing for the throat and even relieves headaches etc. Just boil some water and peel and cut a good amount of fresh ginger root. About the size of your thumb x 2 for each cup of water. Let it boil together for awhile (5 min.) and add honey, or sugar. It's also good to sqeeze some lemon juice into the cup.

Best home remedy for sore throats I know of.

Answer 4

Agave syrup (also called agave nectar) is a vegan alternative to honey.

Of all the 136 types of agave plants found in their native country of Mexico, only the blue Agave is considered fine enough to make Tequila from.

A grade, organic agave is made from the same juice, but saved from alcoholic fermentation, and instead evaporated to produce the characteristic sweet, highly mineralsd nectar unmatched by any other species of lower quality plants.

A grade agave contains the highest percentage of fructose, which is one of only a couple of types of carbohydrate directly usable by human cells as fuel.

Other types of agave nectar have lower levels making them still sweet but with a different use-ability and glycemic index to the A grade, organic.

Organic agave have air blown over them to evaporate excess moisture reducing weight and heightening their flavour completely naturally and free of all chemicals. This creates the dark agaves, which contain a high level of minerals, and a unique fruity, molasses like flavour with a hint of vanilla.

The light agave is then made by filtering the dark agave multiple times to create a lighter coloured, lighter flavoured (but still as sweet) food, more suitable for putting in dishes that need to have their colour or original flavour kept intact.

Being high in fructose also creates the advantage of making agave sweeter than common sugars such as sucrose (as in common table sugar) but with a lower number of calories, while still being more easily usable and offering advantages to people with blood sugar insulin related disorders.

We use it instead of honey and normal sugar - in coffee, on scones and cakes etc....

.

Answer 5

You can experiment with a number of things: maple syrup, barley malt, brown rice syrup, and molasses are all good substitutes with distinctly different flavors.  You may have to go to Whole Foods or another natural food store to find the brown rice syrup, but it will be worth it - it's very good in tea.  If you are baking, it really will be an experiment because your results can vary quite a bit depending on what you're using.

Answer 6

No stick to honey its the purest of anything and it will never spoil if that matters. I like to gargle salt water myself. You say being a Vegan you cant use honey, Why?Well then try salt water warm good luck.

Answer 7

Agave nectar works for me.  There's also this tea called Get Soothed by the Republic of Tea, and that works for me when I have a sore throat.

Answer 8

I have this tea called "throat coat" and I swear its magical!

http://www.traditionalmedicinals.com/?id...

They have it at most grocery stores I believe.  

Answer 9

agave nectar

Answer 10

When you buy honey or if you continue to, make sure you buy it raw and organic. Also you can use agave or dates for sweetener. Goodluck!

Answer 11

Black licorice is very soothing for throats and lots of bands will have bowls of it backstage for the singers to chew on between sets. Throat coat teas often incorporate it in too.

This article talks about slippery elm, honeysuckle flower and even real marshmallow:

http://altmedicine.about.com/od/healthco...

If it's a mucilagenic like slippery elm that is helpful then ground flax and cinnamon also have those properties (part of why flax works so well for an egg substitute).

Gargling with warm salt water also helps.

But for your tea, then agave is a lovely clean sweet flavor as is maple syrup but they may not have the beneficial throat soothing properties honey is considered to have but the lemon (orange juice always made my sore throats feel better somehow so maybe it's the citric acid) along with a touch of cayenne pepper (the capsum releases natural endorphin pain killers) certainly can't hurt especially if it's warm and gets more liquid in you. Maybe add some cinnamon too if the mix of flavors work for you.

If you don't have those sweeteners then a good sugar would be just fine, especially a rapadura or demara. I'd stay away from artificial sweeteners as they are more political than anything but stevia should be fine.

Answer 12

Alternatives to honey:

You could use agave nectar, beet sugar, date sugar, 100% fruit juice concentrate, barley malt syrup, brown rice syrup, molasses, vegan sugar, maple syrup, stevia, dandelion honey, and vegan honey.

For tea I would suggest agave nectar,  dandelion honey, or vegan honey.

Answer 13

Real maple sugar was what I was going to suggest:)  I think the honey just coats your throat, and maple syrup should do that too.