Honey Benefits

Honey benefits go beyond its sweet taste. One tablespoon of raw honey every day will certainly make a great difference to your health.

▪ Honey is made up of sugars- fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltose and lactose; aromatic substances; fats, proteins, minerals, vitamins and water.

▪ It has been around for well over 2,500 years for humans to use. It is a natural product with medicinal and nutritional values, certainly not just a form of sweetener.

▪ But as a sweetener, it is a very tasty alternative to white sugar and is great for baking with chemical properties and a distinctive flavour.

▪ Color of honey can be anything from white to dark red to almost black, not just brown or golden.

▪ As one of nature’s wonders, honey is a product of bees indulging on flowers and collecting nectars in their mouths from the blossoms. Quality, taste, color, aroma, medicinal properties vary according to what type of flowers it is collected from, in which season and in what part of the world.

▪ It requires little attention and does not deteriorate even in the tropics. If stored in airtight containers in a cool and dry place, it will keep for endless periods of time. 

Honey Benefits and Nutrition Facts:

▪ Honey is made up of 80 – 85% sugar and does not cause spikes in your blood glucose levels and with a glycemic index value of only 55, it is a great source of energy for your body: Glucose is quickly absorbed and digested and acts as a quick source of energy, while fructose is absorbed more slowly and provides sustained energy.

▪ Use of honey will result in better blood sugar control and insulin sensitivity.

▪ Would you like to perform better during the exercise and recover faster after the exercise? Honey will help you with that, as it offers a two stage energy release that is not easily found in other foods. It is known for its effectiveness in instantly boosting the performance, endurance and reduce muscle fatigue of athletes.

▪ Despite the high calories in honey- about 65 calories per table spoon, if consumed with warm water and lemon juice or cinnamon it is claimed to help with weight-loss.

▪ Honey is believed to possess carcinogen-preventing and anti-tumour properties, although it is certainly not able to cure cancer.

*Before we continue with honey benefits, 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’.

▪ Honey is often used for treating digestive problems such as diarrhea, indigestion, stomach ulcers and gastroenteritis.

▪ It provides stronger immune system.. Nutraceuticals in honey help fight free readicals in your body.

▪ As a great antioxidant, honey is often used in the beauty industry for making facials to help moisturize the skin and heal the skin tissue. You will also see it in the making of most lipsticks, hair conditioners and even in mouth washes.

▪ It has antibacterial, antifungal and antimicrobial properties, often used externally in helping heal and soothe wounds, burns, sores and skin ulcers. The use of honey in wound dressing reduces the scarring, swelling and bad smells. Honey absorbs the fluid when applied to an open wound and makes it dryer and also less ideal for bacteria to grow.

*Please do not feed honey to kids under the age of one, to avoid the risk of bacteria that causes fatal botulism food infection. It is just not worth taking the risk! 

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