Health Benefits of Honey

Interesting Honey Facts:

• Honey is a Hebrew word meaning enchant.

• It dates back for 150 million years and the practice of beekeeping to produce honey dates back to at least 700 BC.

• Egyptians used honey as a form of payment and it is written about in hieroglyphics.

• Greeks and Roman referred to honey as a food fit for the gods. Some are of the belief the honey is the ambrosia of the gods.

• 2000 year old jars of honey were found in Egyptian tombs and they still tasted great! It never goes bad, bacteria loves sugar but cannot grow in honey: low water content and relatively high acidic level creates a low pH environment that is not liked by microorganisms.

In Exodus 3:17 "17 And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites- a land flowing with milk and honey."

Koran: 16:68-69 "And the lord inspired the bee, saying: Take your habitations in the mountains and in the trees and in what they erect. Then, eat of all fruits and follow the ways of your Lord made easy for you. There comes forth from their bellies a drink of varying colour wherein is healing for men. Verily in this is indeed a sign for people who think."

Health Benefits of Honey:

• It supplies 2 stages of energy: The glucose is absorbed quickly and results in sudden boost of energy. The fructose is absorbed more slowly and provides sustained energy.

• Honey may be one of the most effective forms of carbohydrate to eat just prior to exercise as it provides you with these two stages of energy.

• Eating honey may help with digestion and it is good for your stomach.

• It may promote better blood sugar control. Your body tolerates honey better compared with sugar. It is less likely to cause spike in blood glucose due to lower glycemic index- GI value. Honey glycemic index ranges from 31 to 78, depending on the variety.

• Honey has been used to soothe coughs and sore throats for a very long time.

• A study by University of California found that eating 4 to 10 tablespoons of buckwheat honey per day did not cause weight gain.

• Honey may help with restful sleep when you are ill and coughing.

• It is used topically to help beautify skin: an effective moisturiser, antioxidants to fight free radicals, vitamins and minerals to nourish the skin.

• Honey is a promising topical antimicrobial agent for prevention or treatment of infections, including those caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria. So it may help with treating pimples and acne that are caused by harmful bacteria.

• Bee pollen and propolis enzymes are present in honey. These work from within the honey to sterilise wounds and assist healing.

***** Do not feed honey to infants under the age of one; it may contain Clostridium botulinum spores and toxins that can cause a life-threatening paralytic disease called infant botulism. Honey is safe for children older than 12 months.

*Here I'd like to tell you about my favorite diet program that uses a lot of the healthy lower GI foods: Isabel de los Rios' 'The Diet Solution Program'.

The Diet Solution Program favours a long term health orientated approach to fat loss, but not offering anyone a quick fix to their weight troubles. It has loads of valuable data and research to support its approach. I personally investigated the program thoroughly and my mum has been using it for a while now. I have to say she got some great results.

The nutrition plan is one of the healthiest we have seen, a strong core focus on vegetables, fruits, vitamin dense foods, lean proteins, select dairy produce and a clear approach to not expecting one diet to work for all body types. So give it a try and let me know how you’re doing.*

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