Health Benefits of Honey
As a delicious miracle food that is sweeter than sugar, health benefits of honey are quite unique as it is the only food that includes all the substances necessary to sustain life, including water.
Interesting Honey Facts:
• Top producers of honey are China, Argentina, Turkey and the United States.
• 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.
• Honey was mentioned in Koran and Bible 1400 and 2000 years ago:
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:
• Honey contains complex carbs, minerals and vitamins, amino acids, antioxidants and complex sugars.
• 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.
• It contains antioxidants, powerful compounds which fight free radicals and reverse ageing. Antioxidant called pinocembrin is only found in honey.
• 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 ortreatment 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.
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Health Benefits of Honey- References:
Ensminger AH, Ensminger, ME, Kondale JE, Robson JRK. Foods & Nutriton Encyclopedia. Pegus Press, Clovis, California 1983.
Fortin, Francois, Editorial Director. The Visual Foods Encyclopedia. Macmillan, New York 1996.
Wood, Rebecca. The Whole Foods Encyclopedia. New York, NY: Prentice-Hall Press; 1988 1988. PMID:15220.
http://www.benefits-of-honey.com/ health-benefits-of-honey.html.
http://world-of-honey.com/benefits-of-honey/ health benefits of honey .
