Does honey break a fast?

Honey is about 82% sugar by weight. A tablespoon (21 g) has about 64 kcal and 17 g of sugar. A teaspoon, about a third of that, has about 21 kcal and 6 g of sugar. The answer in this database is the same for raw, manuka and ordinary honey.

This site sorts answers by four goals, and a tablespoon of honey breaks a fast for each one. The sugar raises blood glucose, so a blood-sugar fast ends with the first spoonful. Anything with calories breaks a fast for autophagy, and honey is food your gut has to digest. For weight loss, 64 kcal is over the common 50-calorie rule of thumb, which is not an official limit.

A single teaspoon is the one case that changes. At about 21 kcal, a teaspoon sits under the rule of thumb. For weight loss alone, a teaspoon is a grey area, the same as a teaspoon of table sugar (about 16 kcal). For blood sugar, autophagy and gut rest, even a teaspoon breaks the fast. Teaspoons also add up. As a worked example, a teaspoon in each of three mugs of tea adds about 64 kcal and 17 g of sugar. That is past the 50-calorie line.

In a mug of hot water with lemon and honey, the lemon wedge adds about 1 kcal. On its own, lemon stays safe for weight loss and blood sugar. The honey is what breaks the fast. If you take insulin or a sulfonylurea for diabetes, talk to your doctor before fasting at all. Follow your diabetes team's advice on treating a low, whatever your fasting plan says.